List of the verified shortest people explained

This list includes the shortest ever verified people in their lifetime or profession. The entries below are broken down into different categories which range from sex, to age group and occupations. Most of the sourcing is done by Guinness World Records which in the last decade has added new categories for "mobile" and "non-mobile" men and women. The world's shortest verified man is Chandra Bahadur Dangi, while for women Pauline Musters holds the record.

Men

NationalityHeightNameNotesLifespan
54.6cm (21.5inches)Chandra Bahadur DangiChandra was declared the shortest human adult ever documented and verified, measuring 54.64order=flipNaNorder=flip. Height confirmed by Guinness World Records.[1] 1939–2015
57cm (22inches)Gul MohammedGuinness World Records verified Mohammed's height at 57order=flipNaNorder=flip.[2] He was the shortest man ever verified up to 2012, when he lost the title to Chandra Bahadur Dangi.1957–1997
59.9cm (23.6inches)Junrey BalawingFormer shortest living man in the world, measuring 56abbr=onNaNabbr=on, verified by Guinness World Records in 2012.[3] Balawing became the world's shortest non mobile person following Chandra's death in September, 2015 until his own death in 2020.[4] [5] 1993–2020
65cm (26inches)István TóthShortest man claimant, was said to be 65abbr=onNaNabbr=on. Verification by Guinness World Records needs to be checked.[6] [7] István died in May 2011 at the age of 48.[8] 1963–2011
65.24cm (25.69inches)Afshin Esmaeil GhaderzadehGhaderzadeh beat Edward's record and was listed as World's Shortest Man Living (Mobile) by Guinness World Records in December 2022.2002–
67cm (26inches)Khagendra Thapa MagarKhagendra was the shortest man in the world until 2011, when he became the'world's shortest mobile man. Guinness World Records has since made multiple categories for World's shortest....[9] Khagendra died in 2020. 1992–2020
67.5cm (26.6inches)Lin Yü-chihYü-chih is listed as the World's shortest non-mobile man living, a title he has held non-consecutively since 2009.[10] 1972–
70.21cm (27.64inches)Edward Niño HernándezNamed the shortest man after Pingping died in March 2010, at 70.21order=flipNaNorder=flip, but lost the title in October 2010 to Magar.[11] Edward re-gained the title of World's shortest mobile man living following Magar's death in 2020.[12] He was beaten by Ghaderzadeh in December 2022.1986–
73.43cm (28.91inches)Dor Bahadur KhapangiConfirmed shortest living teenager (Male) by Guinness World Records.[13] 2004–
74cm (29inches)He PingpingOnce officially verified as shortest living man (mobile) at 29inches, until death in March 2010.[14] 1988–2010

Women

NationalityHeightNameNoteLifespan
61cm (24inches)Pauline MustersRecognised by the Guinness World Records as the shortest woman ever recorded.[15] 1878–1895
62.8cm (24.7inches)Jyoti AmgeRecognized by the Guinness World Records as the World's Shortest Living Woman.[16] 1993–
65cm (26inches)Madge BesterFormer smallest living woman.[17] 1963–2018
68abbr=onNaNabbr=onLucía ZárateZárate claimed in her lifetime that she was only 50.8abbr=onNaNabbr=on, and was exhibited for her small stature. This measurement has since been updated by Guinness World Records, who place her height at 68abbr=onNaNabbr=on.[18] [19] 1864–1890
69cm (27inches)Bridgette JordanFormer smallest living woman and one of the shortest living siblings according to Guinness World Records.[20] [21] 1989–2019
72.6abbr=onNaNabbr=onElif KocamanFormer smallest living woman according to Guinness World Records.[22] 1989–

Shortest pairs

NationalityHeightNameCategoryNotesLifespan
76cm (30inches)Mike & Ike MatinaNon identical twinsMike & Ike (born: Bela, and Matyus) Matina are the world's shortest non-identical twins at 30 inches each. They later became American citizens, and had a role in The Wizard of Oz as munchkins. Mike Matina died in 1954.[23] Ike Matina died in 1965.1901–1954
1901–1965
86.4cm (34inches)Rice brothersIdentical twinsWorld's shortest identical twins (Greg Rice, John Rice) until 2005 with the death of John Rice.[24] [25] 1951–2005
1951 – (Greg Rice)
90.3cm (35.6inches)
91.1cm (35.9inches)
Paulo Gabriel Barros &<br> Katyucia HoshinoMarried coupleIn 2016, Guinness World Records awarded the title of Shortest Married Couple to Paulo, and Katyucia from Brazil.[26] 1985–
1988–

Shortest by age group

NationalityHeightNameCategoryNotesLifespan
24cm (09inches)Nisa JuarezBabyWas born 108 days premature and weighed only 320g.[27] [28] 2002–
53.3cm (21inches)Francis Joseph FlynnTeenager[29] Better known as General Mite, Flynn was an American dwarf who performed as a showman at various competitions around the world. In 1884, Flynn married English little person, Millie Edwards, in England.[30] The wedding was widely publicized and attended. From then on, the couple were exhibited as the "Royal American Midgets" and "General and Mrs. Mite" in many advertisements.[31] 1864–1898
72.4cm (28.5inches)Stacey HeraldMotherStacey gave birth to her first child on 21 October 2006, and later birthed two more children, all of which were delivered by caesarean sections. She died on 11 September 2018.[32] 1974–2018
101.5cm (40inches)[33] Susanna BokoyniLongevityBokoyni died at the age of 105, making her the oldest verified centenarian dwarf. During her lifetime she travelled with various circuses, where she was a performer.[34] 1879–1984

Shortest by occupation

Actors

NationalityHeightNameNoteLifespan
71cm (28inches)Nelson de la RosaOnce recognized as the "world's shortest actor" and had a minor role in the 1996 film, The Island of Dr. Moreau.[35] 1968–2006
76cm (30inches)Ajay Kumar alias PakruMalayalam comedy actor, in the Guinness Book of Records for being the shortest actor (2feet) to play a main character in a full-length film.[36] He played the lead role in Athbhutha Dweepu, a Malayalam film directed by Vinayan, later dubbed in Tamil.1974–
79cm (31inches)Tamara De TreauxShortest actress, noted for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and as an influence for the novel Maybe the Moon.[37] [38] 1959–1990
83cm (33inches)Weng WengFilipino actor and martial artist who was the shortest actor to have lead roles.[39] 1957–1992
126.2cm (49.7inches)Kiran ShahShah is the world's shortest active stuntman.[40] 1956–

Artists and writers

NationalityHeightNameNoteLifespan
137cm (54inches)Alexander PopeEnglish poet and satirist, never grew beyond 4 ft 6 in (137 cm).[41] 1688–1744
142cm (56inches)Édith PiafFrench singer and actress, never grew beyond 4 ft 8 in (142 cm). Known for her small stature, born Édith Gassion, nicknamed Piaf, Parisian slang for "Little Sparrow"[42] 1915–1963

Athletes

See also: List of shortest players in National Basketball Association history.

NationalityHeightNameSportNoteLifespan
84cm (33inches)Aditya "Romeo" DevBodybuilding"World's Smallest Bodybuilder" at 2 ft. 9 in.[43] 1988–2012
109cm (43inches)Eddie GaedelBaseballShortest to play in Major League Baseball.[44] This however was a publicity stunt and Gaedel only stood once at the plate.1925–1961
130cm (50inches)Lionel GirouxWrestlingAlso known as "Little Beaver". Shortest professional wrestler in the WWF at around 4'4".[45] 1935–1995
132cm (52inches)Dylan PostlWrestlingWorlds shortest living professional wrestler.[46] 1986–
149cm (59inches)Julie KroneHorse racingShortest American jockey, stand 4 ft 10.5 in (149 cm).1963–
152cm (60inches)Tich CornfordCricketShortest ever international cricketer.[47] 1900–1964
155cm (61inches)Jim BradfordAustralian rules footballShortest to play Australian rules football at the highest level.[48] 1926–2005
155cm (61inches)Jack ShapiroAmerican footballShortest professional player of American football, but only for one game.[49] 1907–2001
157cm (62inches)Frederick WaldenAssociation footballShortest player in England national football team history (5feet).[50] 1888–1949
157cm (62inches)Shannon BobbittBasketballShortest to play in the Women's National Basketball Association.1985–
160cm (60inches)Muggsy BoguesBasketballShortest at 5 ft 3 in to play in the National Basketball Association.[51] 1965–
160cm (60inches)Roy WortersIce hockeyShortest to play in the National Hockey League and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1969.[52] 1900–1957
165cm (65inches)Trindon HollidayAmerican footballHolliday was formerly the shortest active player at 5 ft 5 in in the National Football League until 2015.[53] 1986–
165cm (65inches)José AltuveBaseballShortest active player at 5 ft 5 in in Major League Baseball.[54] 1990–

Politicians

NationalityHeightNameNoteLifespan
114cm (45inches)Charley LockhartShortest public official in America (at the time), when he was sworn in as Texas State Treasurer in 1931.[55] [56] 1876–1954
137cm (54inches)Benito JuárezReportedly the shortest world leader to have height recorded. He was reportedly 4 ft 6 in or 1.37 meters.[57] 1806–1872
153cm (60inches)Victor Emmanuel III of ItalyShortest king of Italy.1869–1947
154cm (61inches)[58] Renato BrunettaItalian politician and former Minister1950–
163cm (64inches)James MadisonShortest US president at 5 ft 4 in or 1.63 m.[59] [60] 1751–1836
150cm (60inches)Gloria Macapagal ArroyoShortest Philippine President at 4 ft 11 in or 1.50 m.[61] 1947–
Northern Ireland160cm (60inches)[62] Robin SwannMinister of Health (2020–)[63] 1971–
124cm (49inches)Tokugawa TsunayoshiHis spirit tablet in Daiju-ji is shortest of all Tokugawa shōguns whose spirit tablets are made the height as their own body.[64] 1646–1709
154.4cm (60.8inches)Tokugawa IeyoshiShortest shōgun whose remains are excavated.[65] His spirit tablet is 1.535 meters tall.1793–1853

Others

NationalityHeightNameOccupationNoteLifespan
58cm (23inches)RichebourgSpyRichebourg was a secret agent during the French Revolution, who disguised himself as an infant to pass information along.[66] 1768–1858
152cm (60inches)Nancy J. Currie-GreggAstronautCurrie became the shortest person in space when she flew in July 1993 as a Mission specialist on STS-57.[67] 1958–

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Shortest Person Ever Declared: Chandra Bahadur Dangi. Huffington Post . 27 February 2012.
  2. News: Gul Mohammed; World's Shortest Man . Los Angeles Times . 3 October 1997.
  3. Guinness World Records 2012
  4. Web site: Shortest man - living (non-mobile). Guinness World Records. 28 April 2017.
  5. Web site: Classics: When Edward Niño Hernandez was declared the world's shortest man. Rachel Swatman. Guinness World Records. 6 September 2016.
  6. Web site: Pityu, a legkisebb óriás. Beol.hu. 7 September 2010.
  7. Web site: Tóth Pityu a világ legkisebb szupersztárja. Royalmagazin.hu. 1 April 2010.
  8. Web site: Elhunyt Pityu, a világ legkisebb embere. rtlklub.hu. 11 May 2011. 11 May 2011. 14 May 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110514175151/http://www.rtlklub.hu/musorok/fokusz/cikk/366595. dead.
  9. News: Nepalese teen named world's shortest man . CNN . 14 October 2010. 2010-10-14.
  10. Web site: 2009 - Lin Yih-Chih. A history of the world's shortest people and the countries they're from. Guinness World Records. Sanj Atwal. August 17, 2021. May 25, 2022.
  11. News: Colombian named 'world's shortest man'. CNN World. 6 September 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101021070115/http://articles.cnn.com/2010-09-06/world/colombia.shortest.man_1_craig-glenday-shortest-man-official-height?_s=PM:WORLD. 21 October 2010.
  12. Web site: New record holder for the world's shortest man living confirmed as Edward Niño Hernández of Colombia. Kristen Stephenson. Guinness World Records. 12 May 2020 . October 22, 2020.
  13. Web site: 2022-05-24 . Nepalese teen confirmed as shortest in the world . 2022-05-25 . Guinness World Records . en-gb.
  14. News: World's shortest man, He Pingping, makes trip to New York City . New York Daily News . Tracy . Connor . 19 September 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081003221201/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/09/19/2008-09-19_worlds_shortest_man_he_pingping_makes_tr.html . 2008-10-03 . live .
  15. Book: Claire Folkard. Guinness World Records Limited. Jackie Freshfield . Carla Masson . Rob Dimery. Guinness world records 2005. 2004. Guinness World Records Ltd. 978-0-85112-192-5.
  16. Web site: New world's shortest woman: It's official – Jyoti Amge from India is new record holder. Guinness World Records. 13 December 2011.
  17. http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/asiapcf/9811/03/fringe/shortest.people/index.html CNN – World's shortest man, woman campaign for disabled – 3 November 1998
  18. Book: Mason, James . The history of the year 1876, containing 'The Year book of facts' and 'The Annual summary' . 1876 . Oxford University . 4–5.
  19. Web site: Lightest person . 2022-05-09 . Guinness World Records . en-gb.
  20. http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/876034-worlds-shortest-woman-bridgette-jordan-is-2ft-cheerleader Metro
  21. News: Guinness Declares Illinois Resident Bridgette Jordan The World's Shortest Woman (VIDEO) . Huffington Post . David . Moye . 19 September 2011.
  22. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/8137666/Worlds-smallest-womans-joy-at-Guinness-award.html World's smallest woman's joy at Guinness award
  23. Book: Glenday, Craig. Guinness World Records 2013. 2013. Bantam Books. 978-0-345-54711-8. 133.
  24. Woo, Elaine. (25 November 2005) John Rice; at 2 ft. 10 in., he created large legacy – The Boston Globe. Boston.com. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
  25. Web site: 8min . Legends & Legacies: The Rice Brothers | WPBF Home - WPBF Home . https://archive.today/20130209230038/http://www.wpbf.com/Legends-Legacies-The-Rice-Brothers/-/8789538/5118798/-/item/0/-/39lhbw/-/index.html . dead . 9 February 2013 . Wpbf.com . 21 March 2008 .
  26. Web site: Say hello to Paulo and Katyucia - the world's shortest married couple - video. Kevin Lynch. Guinness World Records. 17 November 2016.
  27. GWR 2006, p. 17.
  28. Web site: World's shortest baby . guinnessworldrecords.com . 28 April 2017.
  29. Book: Ruoff, Henry W. . The Standard dictionary of facts : history, language, literature, biography... . 1922 . Frontier Press . 21954748 . 786 . twenty-one inches at sixteen.
  30. Book: Haydn, Joseph . Benjamin Vincent . . 1906 . . 12934491 . 419.
  31. News: DETAILS OF THE MIDGETS' MARRIAGE. . . 15 June 1884. 2008-06-18 . 6.
  32. Web site: Shortest woman to give birth. Guinness World Records. 27 April 2017.
  33. Book: Guinness Book of World Records (1990). Donald McFarlan & Norris McWhirter. Bantam. 8. 1990. 9780553284522.
  34. Book: McWhirter, Norris. The Guinness Book of World Records 1997. registration. Susanna Bokoyni.. 1 March 1997. Bantam Books.. 9780553542844 . Internet Archive.
  35. https://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2006-10-23-de-la-rosa-obit_x.htm Nelson de la Rosa, Dominican actor and Boston Red Sox fan, dies
  36. News: Indian comedy star Ajay Kumar is world's smallest actor. The Daily Telegraph. 22 April 2009. London.
  37. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0211972/bio Tamara De Treaux
  38. Book: Robertson, Patrick . Film Facts. 2001. Billboard Books. 978-0-8230-7943-8. 115.
  39. http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=editorial_feb10_2006 Manila Standard Today
  40. Web site: Shortest stuntman. Guinness World Records. 9 May 2018.
  41. https://web.archive.org/web/20080104162928/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,838900,00.html Books: A Gulliver Among Lilliputians
  42. http://www.astrotheme.com/heights/4'8
  43. Chivers, Tom (12 February 2008). "Romeo Dev, the world's smallest bodybuilder". Telegraph. Archived from the original on 13 February 2008.
  44. https://static.espn.go.com/mlb/s/2001/0816/1240553.html ESPN.com: MLB – Short on size, long on history
  45. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/midgets/little-beaver.html Online World of Wrestling
  46. http://www.topendsports.com/testing/records/height-shortest.htm World's Shortest in Sports
  47. http://sporteology.com/top-10-shortest-cricketers-in-history Top 10 Shortest Cricketers in History
  48. Web site: "Short Story" at AFL site. https://archive.today/20120718221253/http://www.afl.com.au/tabid/208/default.aspx?newsid=113239. dead. 18 July 2012.
  49. Web site: Strong Arm Tactics. 6 October 2014.
  50. Web site: Fanny Walden. Legends. Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 12 June 2011.
  51. http://www.sportsstarsusa.com/php/featuredartist.php?id=618 tyrone bogues personal appearances, representation, basketball, Tyrone Bogues
  52. Web site: Legends of Hockey -- the Legends -- Honoured Player -- Worters, Roy -- Biography . 14 November 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071203214358/http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=p196904&page=bio&list=#photo . 3 December 2007 . dead.
  53. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/05/14/texans-sign-trindon-holliday/ Texans sign Trindon Holliday | ProFootballTalk
  54. Web site: Astros' Altuve stands shorter than all active MLB players. Ultimate Astros. 18 August 2011 . 1 June 2015.
  55. Book: Betty M. Adelson. The Lives of Dwarfs: Their Journey from Public Curiosity Toward Social Liberation. 2005. Rutgers University Press. 978-0-8135-3548-7. 47, 368, 411.
  56. Web site: Eugene Register-Guard - 18 April 1937, pg 12.
  57. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/mar/04/shortestworldleader Who is the shortest world leader? | World news
  58. Web site: "Io non ho scelto di essere alto o basso" . 25 July 2022 .
  59. http://www.infoplease.com/spot/prestrivia1.html Presidential Trivia —
  60. http://www.fi.edu/school/math/presidents.html Presidents
  61. http://opinion.inquirer.net/96255/long-and-short
  62. News: Robin Swann: 'When I first got elected, I was called a political pigmy... people keep referring to my lack of height, but there isn't anything I can do about that so I'm not bothered'. en-GB. belfasttelegraph. 2021-03-04. 0307-1235.
  63. Web site: 2016-05-25. Minister of Health Department of Health. 2021-03-04. Health. en.
  64. Web site: 小人症だった犬公方―徳川綱吉|あなたの健康百科|Medical Tribune . 2023-06-06 . Medical Tribune . ja.
  65. Book: 鈴木, 尚 . 増上寺徳川将軍墓とその遺品・遺体 . 東京大学出版会 . 1967 . ja.
  66. Web site: Shortest spy. Guinness World Records. 9 May 2018.
  67. Web site: Shortest person in space. Guinness World Records. May 25, 2022.