Chandra Bahadur Dangi Stood 54.6 cm Tall and Changed Record History
At 54.6 centimetres, Chandra Bahadur Dangi became the shortest adult ever verified and used global attention to see a world far beyond his village.
Chandra Bahadur Dangi lived most of his life in a remote Nepalese village. At age 72, an official measurement made him known around the world.
54.6 cm
Verified height
2012
Recognized
Shortest adult ever
Record
The measurement that made history
In February 2012, Guinness World Records measured Dangi three times within 24 hours at a clinic in Kathmandu. His height was confirmed at 54.6 centimetres, making him both the shortest living man at the time and the shortest adult ever verified.
Life before the headlines
Dangi was a weaver and craftsman from Nepal’s Dang District. His remote home and limited access to medical care meant the cause of his small stature was never definitively established.
He had rarely travelled before receiving the record. Recognition gave him opportunities to leave Nepal, meet people internationally and represent his country.
Meeting the other extreme
One of the most memorable images of his later life showed Dangi beside Sultan Kösen, then the world’s tallest living man. Together they illustrated the extraordinary range of human bodies without reducing either man to a number.
His lasting place in the record book
Dangi died in 2015, aged 75. Guinness continues to recognize his 54.6-centimetre measurement as the shortest verified adult male in history.
Sources: Guinness World Records announcement, Guinness record history
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