Yoko Ono (Japanese named Ono Yōko), is an artist and musician, best known for being the wife of John Lennon, never remarrying following Lennon's death in late 1980.
Regarding her height, she has always appeared on the shorter side and often wears hats and black clothing which helps her to look taller.
But how tall is she really? Let's compare her height to some other celebs to find out how tall she was during her youth vs her later years.
What Height Was/Is Yoko?
During her youth, Yoko Ono stood at 5'1" (154.9 cm) tall. Fast forward to 2021 and now well into her 80s, however, and she stands under 5 feet, at around 4'11" (149.9 cm) tall.
Height Listing
Yoko Ono is listed at 5'2" (1.57 m) on IMDb and Google.
Average Height For a Japanese Woman
Yoko is from Tokyo, Japan.
According to HetanaBlog, and data gathered by the Japan Sports Agency in 2018 (1), the average height for a woman is 5'2"-5'3" for younger women, and around 4'11" for someone in Yoko's age range, so Yoko is perfectly within the average height range for a Japanese woman.
Height Comparisons in Early Years
Let's compare Yoko Ono's height to some other celebs to gain a better understanding of both her peak and current height.
John Lennon 5'10" (177.8 cm)
As can be expected, there are many pictures of Yoko and her husband John Lennon standing next to each other for accurate height comparison. For example, at Cannes, 1971, Yoko has a 1 inch footwear advantage and looks to be a comfortable 8 inches shorter than John here, so 9 inches overall.
Another example is at their wedding, where they are both wearing similar footwear. Yoko looks tiny here compared to john, but the height difference remains similar, close to 9 inches.
So next to John, Yoko appears to be over five feet tall, but not by much, standing at around 5'1".
Michael Jackson 5'9" (175.3 cm)
When compared to Michael Jackson, Yoko Ono held her own back in the day!
During Michael's 1984 Victory tour, accounting for Yoko's 1 inch footwear advantage, when backstage pictured together there appears to be around a 7.5 inch difference in height, equating to her looking around 5'1.5".
This difference remains similar in other pics, such as a few from 1988, and I feel that compared to Michael she appears a strong 5'1.5" tall.
In Recent Years
Similar to other known figures who have lost height over time, and now well into her 80s Yoko appears to have lost a good chunk of height. She has also become fond of wearing black clothing and hats that help her appear taller.
Let's compare her height to some other celebs.
Sean Lennon 5'9" (175.3 cm)
When compared to her son Sean, Yoko appears to be under 5 feet tall these days.
Examples of this include when they were together at the 56th GRAMMY Awards, 2014, where after accounting for footwear, the height difference is close to 9 inches. Also, during the John Lennon stamp dedication ceremony in 2018, Sean looks 9-9.5 inches taller.
So next to her son Sean, Yoko appears to be 4'11-4'11.5" tall.
Bono 5'5.5" (166.4 cm)
When Yoko and Bono were pictured together at the unveiling of a tapestry honoring John Lennon, 2015, as usual, Bono is wearing shoes that give him an easy 2 inches of boost. Even so, Yoko looks to be considerably shorter by 7 inches, and comfortably under 5 feet tall, somewhere in the 4'11.5" region.
The Results - When compared to other celebs, during her youth, Yoko Ono appeared around 5'1"-5'1.5" tall. In recent years, however, she appears somewhere between 4'11"-4'11.5" tall.
Intimidated by Height
It is possible that taller people sometimes intimidated Yoko.
For instance, recording executive David Geffen worked closely with Yoko and John to try and further their musical careers, and the book Nowhere Man (2), mentions that:
"Geffen had a good reputation. he was also just over five feet tall, and Yoko liked that. He couldn't intimidate her with his height."
Summary
After investigating Yoko Ono's height by comparing her to other celebs, I believe that in her younger years she stood at around 5'1" (154.9 cm) tall. Today however she is well into her 80s, and stands no taller than 4'11" (149.9 cm).
Heights Related to Yoko Ono
- Toshi Ichiyanagi, Ex-Husband m. 1956-1962, 5'7" (170.8 cm) Peak
- Anthony Cox, Ex-Husband m. 1962-1963 and 1963-1969, 5'10" (177.8 cm) Peak
- Kyoko Chan Cox, Daughter, 5'5.5" (166.4 cm)
- Paul McCartney, 'The Beatles' Member, 5'10.25" (178.4 cm)
- George Harrison, 'The Beatles' Member, 5'9.75" (177.2 cm)
- Ringo Star, 'The Beatles' Member, 5'7 (170.8 cm)
References
1: HatenaBlog: Average Height of Japanese, 2018
2: Nowhere Man: The Final Days of John Lennon, By Robert Rosen · 2002, Page 153
