Barack Hussein Obama II is an American politician, lawyer, and was the 44th President of the United States, serving between 2009-2017, and the first African-American president elected into office.
Regarding his height, he has always appeared a tall man, comfortably holding his own and never looking short unless standing next to NBA players (we will get to that).
So let's investigate his height by comparing him to other World Leaders and celebrities, and also some other interesting info, to find out how tall he really is!
What's His Real Height?
Barack Obama is approaching the age where height loss begins to creep in, however, he shows no signs of losing any height just yet. He wakes up comfortably 6'1" tall, and taller than 35 of the 45 elected American Presidents, and he maintains this height throughout the majority of the day, dipping to 6'0.75" in the evening before bed.
Therefore on this page, I will list his height as 6'1" (185.4 cm) tall.
Height claim
In the 2020 book A Promised Land, Obama states that:
"People often express surprise at how tall I am, a bit over six foot one" (1)
Regarding this claim, Obama is around this height and probably measures close to it early in the morning.
Physical Examinations While in Office
During Barack's Presidency, he had 4 known physical examinations, in 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016, with his height and weight mentioned in each.
- His first physical examination in 2010 stated his height as 73 inches or 6'1" and weight 179.9 pounds (with shoes and workout attire).
- His second physical examination in 2011 stated his height as 73 inches or 6'1" and weight 181.3 pounds.
- His third physical examination in 2014 stated his height as 73 inches or 6'1" and weight 181 pounds.
- His forth and final periodic physical examination for the 2nd term in 2016 stated he was 73.5 inches or 6'1.5" and weight 175 pounds.
Regarding these stats, in his first examination he was wearing shoes when weighed, so was he wearing shoes when his height was measured at 6'1"?
Also, Obama seems to have grown half and inch and lost weight in his final year of office! In reality, however, he was most likely wearing shoes when the measurement was taken or gave a self-reported measurement.
A Tall Family
Wife
Obama's wife Michelle Obama is an attorney and author, standing at 5'10.75" (179.7 cm).
Parents
- Obama's father, Barack Obama Sr. (1936-1982) was a senior governmental economist and stood at 5'11" (180.3 cm) tall.
- Obama's mother, Stanley Ann Dunham (1942-1995), was an anthropologist and stood at 5'5" tall.
Children
Obama's children are very tall, especially his eldest daughter, Malia. It is no surprise though, as Obama is tall for a man, and Michelle is very tall for a woman.
- Barack's eldest daughter Malia Obama has interests in television and filmmaking and stands at 5'11.5".
- Barack's youngest daughter Sasha Obama has a keen interest in cooking and stands at 5'9".
Next to Celebs
Let's see how Barack's height stacks up against some well-known figures to gain a fuller understanding of how tall he really is.
Michael Jordan 6'4.75" (194.9 cm)
In 2016, when Obama presented The Presidential Medal of Freedom to NBA legend Michael Jordan. They shared an unspoken joke about the height difference, with Obama looking up to Michael and spectators laughing! (watch here)
When standing next to each other, as expected there was a noticeable height difference, but Obama still held his own, looking around 4 inches shorter than the NBA legend.
So, when next to Michael Jordan, Obama appears a solid 6'0.75" tall.
Donald Trump 6'0.5" (184.2 cm)
When Obama and Donald Trump stand next to each other, such as at Trump's inauguration in 2017, and during their debates, Obama appears 0.5" taller than Donald.
So, when compared to Donald Trump, Obama looks to be 6'1" tall.
Joe Biden 5'11.5"
Being good friends and political allies, there are many pictures of Obama and Joe Biden together.
When pictured next to each other throughout the years, such as during Obama’s 2012 election campaign, or at the 25th anniversary of the White House, 2017, the height difference remains the same, with Obama being 1.5 inches taller than Joe.
Therefore compared to Joe, Barack appears to be 6'1" tall.
The Results - When pictured together with Presidents and celebrities throughout the years, Obama appears between 6'0.75"-6'1" tall.
Height VS Other American Presidents
- In the top 5 tallest ever American Presidents, 4 of them died between 140-225 years ago!
- Compared to the heights on this list, Barack is the joint 9th tallest President.
- The tallest President was Abraham Lincoln with a height of 6'4", and the shortest is James Madison at 5'4", with a 12 inch/1 foot difference in height!
- The mean height of all American Presidents is 5'10.5" (179.1 cm). This is 2.5 inches shorter than Barack's height, putting him well above the average height of a President!
There have been 31 elections from 1900-2020, and in 21 of them, the elected candidate was taller, with an average of over 1 inch.
In his 2008 Presidential campaign, Obama was in the majority, standing 4.5 inches taller than 5'9" John McCain. However, during his 2012 campaign, he was in the minority, standing the same height of 6'1" as Mitt Romney!
The Ending
After investigating Barack Obama's height claim, his physical examinations while in office, and by comparing his height next to other Presidents and celebs, I conclude that throughout the majority of the day he stands at 6'1" (185.4 cm) tall.
Related Heights
- Martin Nesbit, Close Friend, 6'1" (185.4 cm)
- Oprah Winfrey, Good Friend, 5'6" (167.6 cm)
- Harry Reid (1939-2021), Friend/Colleague, 5'10" (177.8 cm)
- Deval Patrick, Friends/Political Bond, 5'10" (177.8 cm)
- Bruce Springsteen, Authors: Renegades: Born in The USA, 5'9" (175.3 cm)
