Tallest man in the world Top 10 tallest man in the world : Britain’s Andrew ‘Giant’ Preedy (1875–1927) with his 8 ft 1/4 in (2.46 m), David W. Williams and Chinese gunther are all top of the rankings together, the scientific community believes Wadlow is tallest due to few amount humans ever exceeding 8ft11in[25] Robert Wadlow (1918–1940) from United States was tallest human ever recorded standing at incredible height reaching above +3m.27 He had a pituitary gland disorder and was styled the “Alton Giant.” He was 22 when he died as a result of an infection linked to a leg brace that had not been fitted properly.
Key Facts About Robert Wadlow:
Date of Birth: 02/22/1918 in Alton, Illinois
It stood 2.72 m (8 ft 11.1 in).
Death Weight: 439lbs (199kg)
Death: An infection in a blister on his ankle due to the leg brace he was wearing.
In growth: He did not stop growing whilst he lived; but at the time of his death, he was still a grower
ALTON — A life-size statue in Alton, Illinois.
Tallest Living Man:
Since 2024–2025, the tallest person in the world living is Sultan Kösen (Turkey), who measures 8 ft 3 in (251 cm) tall.
As of 2026, the tallest living man and the tallest man ever are different people. Here is a list of the tallest men alive today, and the 10 tallest men in history.
The Tallest Living Man
The record for the tallest living person is currently held by Sultan Kösen from Turkey.
Height: 251 cm (8 ft 2.8 in)
A: Background: He was born in 1982 and his massive height is due to a medical disorder called pituitary gigantism. He is also the owner of the world’s largest hands (28.5 cm).
Top 10 Tallest Men in History
This is a list of the tallest purebred humans measured in recorded history.
| Rank | Name | Height (Metric) | Height (Imperial) | Country |
| 1 | Robert Wadlow | 272 cm | 8 ft 11.1 in | USA |
| 2 | John Rogan | 267 cm | 8 ft 9 in | USA |
| 3 | John F. Carroll | 263 cm | 8 ft 7.5 in | USA |
| 4 | Leonid Stadnyk* | 257 cm | 8 ft 5 in | Ukraine |
| 5 | Väinö Myllyrinne | 251.4 cm | 8 ft 3 in | Finland |
| 6 | Sultan Kösen | 251 cm | 8 ft 2.8 in | Turkey |
| 7 | Édouard Beaupré | 251 cm | 8 ft 3 in | Canada |
| 8 | Vikas Uppal* | 249 cm | 8 ft 2 in | India |
| 9 | Don Koehler | 249 cm | 8 ft 2 in | USA |
| 10 | Bernard Coyne | 249 cm | 8 ft 2 in | USA |
Caveat: Heights indicated with an asterisk (∗) are only estimates, based on medical reports or local sources and were not independently verified by Guinness World Records owing to the individuals refusing official measurement or dying before verification could take place.
The “Gentle Giant” Legacy
Robert Wadlow, still the tallest man in history, is an immortal. Also known as the “Alton Giant”, his death in 1940 at age 22 occurred before he had stopped growing. People think that he would have grown taller than 9 feet if he had lived longer.
