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Claim: Liberian men have been ranked among the top three shortest in Africa and the twenty-three-third globally.
Verdict: True. Research showed that Liberian men are among the shortest globally. A 2020 medical database run by NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, a project linked to Imperial College London, backed the claim.
Full Text
Diamond Online, a Liberian blog on Facebook, recently amplified a report citing that Liberian men have been ranked as the top three shortest in Africa. The blog added that Liberian men also hold the top twenty-three positions of short people globally.
The blog maintained that the data originates from the 2023 height database managed by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, affiliated with Imperial College London.
Accordingly, it says the height of a Liberian man is 163.66cm (5 feet 4.43 inches).
The Facebook post used photographs of two generations of people—an older man and a youth, the latter of whom was Mr. Alexander Cummings, who contested the 2023 presidential elections in Liberia.
“Tag a KeTehKu and teh them thank you for the job well done 
It remains unclear why the photographs of Mr Cummings, who is also a former Coca-Cola executive, were used to narrate the story, but “Ketehku” is a Liberian parlance that describes short people in the country.
However, given the nature of the claim, which borders on the height of Liberian men, DUBAWA has decided to verify the claim.
Verification
A 2023 study published by Business Insider on June 13, 2023, found 25 countries with the shortest average populations. These include:
1. East Timor 2. Laos 3. Madagascar 4. Guatemala 5. Philippines 6. Nepal 7. Yemen 8. The Marshall Islands 9. Bangladesh 10 Cambodia 11. Indonesia 12. Malawi 13. Rwanda 14. India 15. Vietnam 16. Peru 17. Papua 18. Solomon Island 19. Mozambique 20. Bhutan 21. Brunei 22. Myanmar 23. Liberia 24. Honduras 25. Sri Lanka.
Asia has 14 of those. The other 11 countries with the shortest populations are five in Africa, three in Central and South America, two in the Pacific, and one in the Middle East.
According to the ranking, Liberia sits at 23rd globally and number 3 in Africa.
The height data compiled using the 2020 medical database run by NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, a project linked to Imperial College London, cited diet as one of the reasons for stunted growth.
Further research on the average height of men on various continents showed a gap. The report was released in 2023:
For instance, in Africa, the average height for a man in cm is 172; in Asia, 167.5cm; in Europe, 180cm; in North America, 175cm; in South America, 171cm; and in Australia and Oceania, 8cm.
These averages, when compared to an average Liberian man, proved otherwise.
Height is measured using the metric system worldwide. Still, in 2024, research indicates that three nations—Liberia, Myanmar, and the United States of America — persist in their equivalence to the imperial system for such measurements.
Conclusion
From the understanding of the information provided, it is fair to say that the claim is valid.
