What are average erect penis length and girth statistics by age and region?
Executive summary
Measured studies and major reviews put the global mean erect penis length in the ballpark of about 13.1 cm (≈5.1 in) and mean erect girth around 11.66 cm (≈4.59 in) when measurements are taken by health professionals [1]. Self-reported and country‑level compilations produce wider and sometimes higher figures—many recent rankings and surveys quote global averages from roughly 13.1 cm to 14 cm and show regional differences, but those draw on mixed methods and corrections for self‑report bias [2] [3] [4].
1. What the best‑measured reviews say: a steady, narrow global mean
Systematic reviews that use provider‑measured data converge on an average erect length near 13.12 cm (5.17 in) and an average erect circumference near 11.66 cm (4.59 in) [1]. Those figures come from pooled, clinical measurements and are widely cited in mainstream health reporting [2]. They form the most reliable baseline because they avoid large self‑reporting inflation found in volunteer surveys [1].
2. Age patterns: most growth happens in puberty, final adult size by late teens–early 20s
Clinical and pediatric papers show that penile growth accelerates at puberty and typically plateaus between about 16 and the early 20s; many sources cite the end of penile development by roughly 18–21 years old [5] [6] [7]. Growth curves and percentile charts exist for children and adolescents (for example, the Chongqing study) and are used clinically to identify abnormal development [5]. Available sources do not provide a comprehensive, multi‑age numeric table of erect length and girth by each year of age across adulthood—age‑stratified erect measures beyond puberty are sparse in the present reporting (not found in current reporting).
3. Country and regional differences: statistical signal, wide heterogeneity and methodological caution
Meta‑analyses report statistically significant regional differences—studies summarized by WHO regions found men in the Americas averaged larger stretched and flaccid measures while Western Pacific Asian men trended smaller—but they also emphasize heterogeneity and limited practical importance for sexuality [8]. Country ranking sites and 2025 surveys produce juicy headlines (e.g., some lists place DR Congo, Ecuador or Cameroon near the top), but many of those lists mix clinical data with self‑reports and modeling adjustments; Data Pandas and others apply corrections for self‑report bias to bring global means toward ~13.12 cm [3] [4].
4. Self‑report vs. measured data: the main source of disagreement
Self‑reported studies routinely yield higher averages; some compilers apply fixed corrections (e.g., subtracting about 1.3 cm) to reduce volunteer bias and re‑rank countries [3]. Visualizations and popular infographics often rely on mixed sources (self‑report, historical studies, and small clinical samples), producing country averages that diverge substantially from clinical meta‑analyses [4] [9]. Researchers caution that measurement protocol (pressing to the pubic bone, where circumference is measured on the mid‑shaft or base) matters for comparability [1].
5. Girth: fewer robust datasets but consistent clinical numbers
Girth (circumference) is less frequently reported than length. The 2015 provider‑measured review lists an average erect circumference of 11.66 cm (4.59 in), a figure reproduced in multiple health summaries [1]. Commercial or survey‑driven sites sometimes report slightly different girth averages (≈12 cm) but those sources often mix methods [10].
6. Trends over time and claims of growth: contested and under‑explained
Some analyses and press pieces report increases in average length over recent decades (for example, a study claiming a rise from ~4.8 in in 1992 to ~6.0 in 2021), but causes are unclear and these claims rely on different datasets and heterogeneous methods; other systematic reviews stick to stable means near 13 cm [11] [1]. Readers should treat long‑term trend claims as hypothesis‑generating rather than settled fact given measurement variability across eras [11].
7. Practical takeaways and limitations
Clinically measured averages give the most consistent baseline: erect length ≈13.1 cm and erect girth ≈11.66 cm [1]. Country or regional rankings are suggestive but often rest on mixed methods or corrected self‑reports; meta‑analyses find regional differences but also high within‑region variability [8] [3]. Available sources do not provide a complete, authoritative table of erect length and girth broken down year‑by‑year across age groups and all regions—such granular, globally standardized data are not present in the current reporting (not found in current reporting).
Sources cited in this piece include major provider‑measured reviews and recent country‑level compilations [1] [2] [5] [8] [3] [4]. Where studies rely on self‑report, authors and compilers explicitly warn about volunteer bias and apply corrections; treat those adjusted country figures as modeled estimates rather than direct clinical measurement [3].