Key facts
- Average erect penis: 13.1 cm (5.2 in) long and 11.7 cm (4.6 in) around.1
- 95 in 100 men measure between 9.9 and 16.4 cm (3.9–6.4 in) erect.1
- When men report their own size, the average comes out about 2 cm (almost an inch) longer than when someone else measures.2
- Most men who ask for enlargement surgery turn out to be completely normal in size.4
The numbers
The most-cited answer comes from a 2015 review that pooled studies of up to 15,521 men, measured by health professionals using a standard method.1 The “typical range” below covers the middle 95% of men.
| Measurement | Average | Typical range | Men measured |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erect length | 13.1 cm (5.2 in) | 9.9–16.4 cm (3.9–6.4 in) | 692 |
| Erect girth | 11.7 cm (4.6 in) | 9.5–13.8 cm (3.7–5.4 in) | 381 |
| Stretched length (soft) | 13.2 cm (5.2 in) | 9.5–16.9 cm (3.8–6.7 in) | 14,160 |
| Flaccid length | 9.2 cm (3.6 in) | 6.1–12.2 cm (2.4–4.8 in) | 10,704 |
| Flaccid girth | 9.3 cm (3.7 in) | 7.5–11.1 cm (3.0–4.4 in) | 9,407 |
Want to see exactly where you sit? Try the size calculator: it uses these same figures.
Where these numbers come from
The review only included studies where a health professional did the measuring, with at least 50 men in each study. It left out men who had come in worried about being small, men with erection problems, and men who’d had penile surgery, so the sample isn’t skewed in either direction.1
One honest caveat: erect measurements are rarer than flaccid ones, so the erect averages rest on fewer men (692 for length, 381 for girth). Other reviews land a little higher: about 13.6 cm across ten studies where researchers measured erections,2 and about 13.9 cm in a large 2023 analysis.3 So think of “average” as roughly 13 to 14 cm (5.1–5.5 in).
Why the numbers online are bigger
In studies where men report their own size, the average erect length comes out around 15.75 cm (6.2 in), well above what researchers measure.2 Two things push it up: the men who volunteer for those surveys tend to be the ones who are proud of their size, and people round up when they know the answer will be judged. Porn adds to the distortion: it shows the far end of the range, not the middle.
Does height or country matter?
Height has only a weak link to penis length: taller men aren’t reliably bigger.1
The viral “size by country” maps aren’t built on reliable data. A large 2023 analysis of measured studies did find some differences between regions, but the studies varied so much from one another that the authors couldn’t say what caused them.3
How to measure yourself
- Length: when erect, measure along the top side, pressing the ruler gently into the fat pad at the base until it touches bone, to the tip.
- Girth: wrap a soft tape measure (or a strip of paper you then measure) around the middle of the shaft.
- Measure two or three times on different days and take the average: it varies with temperature and arousal.
When size worry becomes the problem
Worry about size is common, and it’s usually not about size at all. In one study of 67 men asking for lengthening surgery, not one had a severely short penis or any abnormality.4 Doctors call persistent, distressing worry about a normal-size penis “small penis anxiety”, and the recommended first step is a proper check and an honest conversation, not surgery.5 When men get that counselling, most come to see that they’re normal.6
If worry about your size is affecting your confidence or your sex life, a doctor, urologist or sex therapist can help. It’s one of the most common things they hear about.
From the people behind this site
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Sources
- Veale D, Miles S, Bramley S, Muir G, Hodsoll J. Am I normal? A systematic review and construction of nomograms for flaccid and erect penis length and circumference in up to 15,521 men. BJU International 2015;115(6):978–986. PubMed
- King BM. Average-size erect penis: fiction, fact, and the need for counseling. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy 2021;47(1):80–89. PubMed
- Belladelli F, et al. Worldwide temporal trends in penile length: a systematic review and meta-analysis. World Journal of Men’s Health 2023;41(4):848–860. PubMed
- Mondaini N, et al. Penile length is normal in most men seeking penile lengthening procedures. International Journal of Impotence Research 2002;14(4):283–286. PubMed
- Wylie KR, Eardley I. Penile size and the ‘small penis syndrome’. BJU International 2007;99(6):1449–1455. PubMed
- Marra G, Drury A, Tran L, Veale D, Muir GH. Systematic review of surgical and nonsurgical interventions in normal men complaining of small penis size. Sexual Medicine Reviews 2020;8(1):158–180. PubMed