Still, 795 million people do not have access to enough food to survive and thrive in the world. And 66 million of these people are children, and hunger prevents them from achieving their full potential in school.
That’s one of nine of the world’s population. Meanwhile, humanity produces more than enough to feed everyone.
The reason for shortness in Guatemala is largely due to malnutrition.
Next, there’s the genetic variable. If more tall people are having children, then more tall children will emerge. That’s apparently
what happened in the Netherlands, where the average man is six feet.
Elsewhere in the world, this pattern could continue. But some patterns of the past are starting to falter.
People who live in wealthier countries and therefore have better access to nutrition,
have fewer children. This could mean that the benefits of living in prosperity — better nutrition — might not be passed onto future generations.
For example, the fertility rate in India, where stunting from malnutrition is rampant, is far higher than it is in Japan, where stunting from malnutrition is exceedingly rare.
However, as food security continues to improve globally, this average height could climb.
By 2100, the human population is expected to grow to
12.3 billion and at that point,
gene editing could be making humans much, much taller.
Source:
https://www.globalcitizen.org/de/content/average-global-human-height-falling-study/#:~:text=According to a new study,30 to 40 years ago.