All Fermi answers
Fermi #29 · Question 1

How many humans are taller than 6'6" (198 cm)?

Explore the official answer and the simple reasoning behind this Fermi estimate.

1QUESTION 1 OF 3

Answer & explanation

The official answer, with Fermi’s reasoning step by step.

Answer & explanation

Official answer

900,000

people

Source calculation & reference
World population
8,200,000,000
Adults are ~76%, half of them men
≈ 3,100,000,000
Men taller than 6'6" (198 cm)
≈ 1 in 3,500
3,100,000,000 ÷ 3,500
≈ 900,000

Reference cited by Fermi: Derived: NCD-RisC country mean adult heights (2019) with a 7 cm spread, weighted by UN World Population Prospects (2024). No authority publishes a direct count.

How close was your guess?

Your comparison will appear here.

Compare by ratio: divide the larger number by the smaller one. The closer to 1×, the better.

Skip to main content