Dutch height surge stalls as a century of gains gives way to a quiet plateau
New Dutch height data show a century-long rise has stalled: men born in 1980 averaged 183.9 cm at 19, while those born in 2001 averaged 182.9 cm; women dropped from 170.7 cm (1980) to 169.3 cm (2001). Gains after 1980 were driven by wealth, health, and nutrition, but immigration and changes within native cohorts contribute to the plateau—natural selection explains only a tiny fraction. Globally, height rose over the past century as a proxy for childhood conditions, but the Dutch peak now sits at a ceiling rather than a continued ascent.