The full distribution of adult height in Poland: Cohorts born between 1920 and 1996. The biological cost of the economic transition

Abstract

Body height often serves as a proxy for economic progress. In this paper, we investigate the evolution of average height and height dispersion in Poland based on full administrative data on body height (n = 36,393,246). Especially for the cohorts between 1920 and 1950, we discuss the caveat of shrinking. In the cohorts born between 1920 and 1996, the average height of men increased by 10.15 cm, while the average height of women rose by 8.18 cm. Height increase was fastest in the years 1940 - 1980. After the economic transition, body height stagnated. Post-transition unemployment had negative effects on body height. Height declined in municipalities where there were State Agricultural Farms. Height dispersion decreased in the first decades under investigation and increased after the economic transition.

Keywords: Height; Inequality; Poland; Secular trend.