Some heady statistics about being tall. And Dutch.

(I stumbled across something I posted online a few years ago. Regrettably I didn’t cite the original source, and I can’t recall where I found it.)

I’m a bit on the tall side. A couple of centimeters over 2 meters.

And, I’m originally from the Netherlands.

The Dutch are said to be tallest people on Earth.

In the United States,

If you were to assemble 5000 men, there is about a 0.0002% chance of encountering someone 201 cm.

If you were to assemble 10,000 men, there is about a 0.0001% chance of encountering someone 203 cm.

In the Netherlands,

If you were to assemble 145 men, there is about a 0.0069% chance of encountering someone 201 cm.

If you were to assemble 313 men, there is about a 0.0032% chance of encountering someone 203 cm.

Wow.

I have to go back there some time just so I can blend in a little bit.

And I would say that those statistics for the US are borne out here in Canada as well. For me to encounter someone as tall as me or taller than me is a very, very rare occurrence. Like, I could count on one hand and still have a few fingers left over in the last five years. Heck, make that ten years. If I do happen to see a fairly tall guy somewhere, I’ll wonder “do I look that tall?” Then when I pass I notice that I have a few inches on him. 
*sigh* 
My dreams of being some sort of secret agent/cat burglar guy were dashed early on.