Introduction
Have you ever wondered how tall Vladimir Putin is? This man is one of the most well-known of the modern era, but few people get to meet him in person – so you might be wondering how tall he is.
Vladimir Putin is approximately 1.68 meters or 5 foot 6 inches. He weighs around 71 kilograms, which is a little heavy for his height and has blue eyes.
Understanding the physique of important people in the world is a key way to be more informed about our world leaders, so we’re going to use this article to understand more about how Putin looks and how tall he is compared with other world leaders.
How Old is Vladimir Putin?
Vladimir Putin was born in 1952, making him 71 years old in 2023.
How Tall Is Vladimir Putin?
Vladimir Putin is said to be around 5 foot 6 or 5 foot 7. However, there is some dispute over how tall he is, and some people list a much shorter height of 5 foot 2 or less. It’s very difficult to say for sure, because his medical records are private and few people have access to them.
There are many rumors that Vladimir Putin is short, and that he uses various tricks to make himself appear taller, such as standing next to shorter people, and wearing lifts. Some newspapers have even claimed that there is a criterion for height if you want to take an official photograph with Putin, and only shorter individuals are permitted to do this.
However, it should be remembered that lifts can only add a certain amount to your height before they become difficult to walk in, so Putin likely isn’t significantly shorter than he appears in photographs – and the criteria for height claim has never been verified.
It’s also important to bear in mind that throughout history, people have attempted to discredit male leaders that they dislike by claiming them to be of short stature. This has led to something known as the “Napoleon complex.” This is sometimes also known as “small man syndrome.”
The Napoleon complex refers to the idea that men who are short compensate for their lack of stature by being particularly aggressive and domineering – since Napoleon was said to be short, and was known for his temper.
People have frequently made the connection between people like Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin, and other notorious historical leaders and their height. They theorize that if these men had been taller, they would not have behaved the way that they did. This may be due to the sense that they have something to prove.
It is possible that some world leaders have felt the need to be fiercer and angrier as a means of competing against others and proving themselves.
However, it’s likely that this is not the case for many world leaders. A far more plausible explanation is that their short stature has been exaggerated as part of an attempt to discredit them, and this has led to the false belief that almost all aggressive leaders throughout history have been short.
We know that’s not true – there are plenty of tall leaders who have been renowned for their combative policies.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that although Napoleon was listed as only being 5 foot 2, the measurement of a foot at this time was different from a foot today – meaning that Napoleon was actually around 5 foot 5, or 1.69 meters. That means he wasn’t significantly below the average height for French men at his time, which was around 5 foot 6 or 5 foot 7.
All in all, if you hear about leaders being short or having the Napoleon complex, it’s likely that you should dismiss this theory; there are far more important factors that determine a person’s ideology and their ability to lead a country than whether they are a little below the average height for their country.
Is Vladimir Putin Shorter Than The Average Russian Man Today?
The average Russian man in 2023 is around 5 foot 10. That means that Putin is approximately 3 or 4 inches under the average (if we judge by the more generous height estimates). That does make Putin fairly small for a Russian man in today’s era.
However, Russia is a country with particularly tall people in it, so the average height here is greater than, for example, in America. The average American man is only around 5 foot 8, which would make Putin fairly close to average if he lived in America.
If you’re comparing him with other modern leaders, therefore, Putin is not a particularly short individual. Joe Biden stands somewhat taller, at 1.83 meters, while Rishi Sunak is 1.7 meters – only 2 cm taller than Putin.
Emmanuel Macron is around 1.73 meters, while Donald Trump stands at a greater 1.9 meters, and Obama at 1.87 meters. The Serbian president, Vuvic, stands a full 1.99 meters, making him considerably taller than many world leaders, while the Irish president, Higgins, is only 1.60 meters tall – surprisingly short.
It seems likely that height has little to do with leadership skills, and Putin allegedly being a small man does not affect his ability to lead Russia. This is true even if he is shorter than the average man in his country.
What Does Vladimir Putin Look Like?
Vladimir Putin is a well-built man, now in his 70s, and is renowned for his strength of character and physical strength. He has blue eyes, and dresses sharply. Most of his hobbies involve outdoor activities, and include things like hunting, ice hockey, judo, skiing, swimming, fishing, and riding.
It’s therefore no surprise that Putin is in excellent physical shape, as he likely spends a lot of time exercising.
Conclusion
Vladimir Putin is approximately 1.68 meters tall, which is somewhat short for a Russian man today. There are claims that he is significantly shorter than this and uses lifts and photography tricks to look taller than he is, but these are likely overblown, as many such claims about controversial leaders are.
