At what age do men stop growing? The real data

The real age when men stop growing: between myths and late growth spurts

While the teenage growth spurt is well known, the exact age at which the growth cartilages close varies more than people think. The data collected put the end between 17 and 23. Late growth is not rare: some people keep growing until 22, gaining those final centimeters that make the difference between 1.85 and 1.95 m.

Most men reach their final height between 19 and 21. But cases of growth beyond 20 do exist, even if they are the exception. The peak growth spurt usually happens at 13-14, and after two years of slower growth, it stops. Wrist X-rays (the Greulich-Pyle method) confirm that growth plates fuse, on average, at 19 in males. However, genetic and nutritional factors and endocrine disruptors can lengthen or shorten that window.

The curious thing about the thread is the gap between reported heights and the national average. The average male height in Spain is around 1.76 m, but most replies exceed 1.85. One wonders whether the sample is biased (tall people replying more) or whether the 1.80 myth is still the required minimum. One forum user (unidentified) hits the nail on the head: "they just go around saying 1.90, pure runaway imagination". His real height, 1.71, and his full life, demolish any correlation between centimeters and success.

The most sensible thing is to assume that, with exceptions, you won't grow any taller after 21. And if you haven't reached that yet, it doesn't matter: the data don't support the idea that height determines anything worth caring about.