If you want to know what life is like for a 7 foot tall man or a 7 foot tall woman, then prepare to be amazed.
Chances are—since only a few thousand of them exist—you’ll never come into contact with a 7 feet tall person (who would tower more than a foot above the global average height).
But this isn’t to say that there aren’t 7 feet tall people walking around in some places, presumably getting the celebrity treatment every time they step outside.
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How many people are 7 feet tall in the world?
It’s estimated that there are around 3,000 7 feet tall people in the world. However, it’s not possible to know for sure, so this estimate could be too high or too low.
I’d personally guess that 3,000-5,000 7 footers exist, but there could be more or less. The rise of the internet and social media, which have a tendency to put outliers in the spotlight, can often make it seem like 7 foot men and women are more common than they actually are.
But when you get off the screen and step outside, how many 7 foot tall people do you see? I’ve seen some tall lads in my time, but I’ve never encountered a genuine 7ft man or woman, and I doubt I ever will.
I’d say that many 7 footers aren’t exactly thrilled to be so tall, so they might want to keep their precise 7’0 height to themselves. As such, we might be getting a slight underestimation of the actual number of 7ft people in the world.
On the other hand, some 7 feet tall people purposely put themselves out there by giving media interviews and posting pictures on social media so that they can feel like they fit in more.
You can’t blame them for doing this. After all, why not make the most of your height by becoming at least semi-famous on the internet?
Still, as I mentioned earlier, these viral videos of 7ft tall people often make it seem like 7 footers are lurking around every street corner when, in reality, they’re an extreme rarity.
Way less than 1% of the population is over 7 feet tall.
Are there any 7 foot women?
Since men are usually a fair bit taller than women—and since few men are 7 feet tall—you’d be forgiven for thinking that there aren’t any 7 foot women walking around.
Actually, there are.
Turkish recorder breaker Rumeysa Gelgi is a 7 foot tall woman who grew to such an impressive height because of a rare condition called Weaver syndrome. [1]
The inspirational woman, who’s proud to stand out from the crowd, actually stands closer to 7’1, meaning that she’s nearly 21 inches taller than the average woman.
And then we have Sandy Allen, who died in 2008. This incredible lady stood 7ft 7in tall, so it just goes to show that, throughout history, there have been a few women (that we know of) who were over 7 feet tall.
Is it good to be a 7 foot tall man?
I certainly can’t speak from experience here, but I can imagine that being a 7 ft tall person probably feels like a blessing and a curse at different times of the day.
On the one hand, being a 7 feet tall man or woman gives you an undeniable advantage in basketball. But if you don’t care for basketball, then it might feel like your 7 foot stature is for nothing.
You might get a kick from seeing people’s reactions as you go about your daily business, but the novelty of the attention may quickly wear off after answering the “how tall are you?” question for the 763rd time.
And let’s be honest; some 7 foot people can be intimidating to us shorter folk. So it can be more difficult than usual for 7 foot men and women to make friends and find a partner.
And then there are the inevitable physical challenges that come with having a 7 foot tall frame. The fact that the average doorway is 4 inches smaller than a 7ft person means that ducking one’s head becomes a skill that quickly needs to be mastered to avoid constant bangs and bruises to the head.
Most of the man-made world, it turns out, isn’t constructed with 7 foot men and women in mind. Standard showers—in which a 7 footer will have to kneel—look more like a place to clean your hands than wash your hair and body.
And don’t even get me started on beds and bathtubs. Both of these items will need to be custom-made if a 7 foot person wishes to use them in any kind of reasonable comfort.
How can you be 7 feet tall?
Genetics. Need I say more?
Okay, so most 7 foot tall men are in the 7 foot club because they have tall parents.
However, if we look at the 7 foot women, then we can see that most of them had some kind of growth disorder that caused them to grow rapidly.
It’s safe to say that there’s nothing that you can do to make yourself 7 feet tall, nor can you eat, sleep, or train to achieve any other height, for that matter.
Yes, environmental factors do influence your height to an extent, but your body height is mainly due to your genetics.
What is the average weight for a 7 foot male?
It’s simply not possible to specify a precise average weight for a 7 foot male because too few 7 foot men exist.
Sure, we could look at the body weights of some 7ft basketball players, but these fellas aren’t representative of the average guy because athletes are much leaner than most of us.
If I had to guess, though, I’d probably say that 300 lbs to 350 lbs is a fairly typical weight range for a 7 foot guy.
Now, I’m not saying that this weight range is healthy or unhealthy; I’m simply saying that this is what I believe to be the average weight range for a 7 foot male.
7 feet tall FAQ
Let’s round things off by going through a few quick questions about 7 feet tall people.
Can someone be 7 feet tall?
Yes, although extremely rare, it is possible for a person to be 7 feet tall. It’s more common for a man to be 7 feet tall than for a woman to be 7 feet tall because males are significantly taller than females on average.
Is 7 feet too tall?
Not for basketball, that’s for sure. And to be completely honest, I don’t think that being 7 feet is too tall for anyone.
After all, why say that your height is too tall when you can’t change it?
Many 7 footers have embraced their height and actually like being tall. So I definitely wouldn’t say that 7 feet is too tall for a person.
What does 6 foot look like compared to 7 foot?
In a word, tiny. Although 6 footers are pretty tall themselves, they look like children next to 7 footers.
The height difference would be striking because the 7 foot person would be 15% taller than the 6 foot person. That might not sound like a huge difference, but in reality, these two people would look like complete opposites.
Is it rare to be 7’1 and 7’2?
Yes, it’s extremely rare to be 7’1, 7’2, or any other height over 7 feet tall. As I said before, you’ll probably go your entire life without meeting a 7 foot person; that’s how rare they are.
Who are some celebrities and actors that are over 7 feet tall?
Some celebrities and actors that are over 7 feet tall include Ming Yao, Sun Mingming, Christopher Greener, Ian Whyte, Olivier Richters, and Shaquille O’Neal.
What’s the life expectancy of a 7 foot tall person?
It’s not possible to say what the life expectancy of a 7 foot tall person is because such data does not exist. However, there is some research that heavily suggests that taller people do indeed die younger than their shorter counterparts. [2]
The verdict: How rare is it to be 7 feet tall?
Outside of the internet, you’re unlikely to ever meet a 7 feet tall man or woman unless you’re at some convention with tall actors or at a basketball game.
As we established, there are both pros and cons to being a 7 footer. On the one hand, you’re big and strong and can perhaps make a career out of your height.
Additionally, with the rise of social media, being extremely tall is becoming more accepted and is certainly not something that one has to be ashamed of anymore.
On the other hand, going about your daily business as a 7 feet tall person can feel like you’re stumbling through an obstacle course, and the constant height questions and photo requests might start to get annoying.
References
- Alexa Phillips, news reporter. (2021, October 13). Rumeysa Gelgi: ‘Inspirational’ Turkish woman who is over 7ft sets record for tallest female in the world. Sky News. https://news.sky.com/story/rumeysa-gelgi-inspirational-turkish-woman-who-is-over-7ft-sets-record-for-tallest-female-in-the-world-12432623
- Samaras, T. T., Elrick, H., & Storms, L. H. (2003). Is height related to longevity?. Life sciences, 72(16), 1781–1802. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0024-3205(02)02503-1