In human populations, average height can distill down complex data about the group's birth, upbringing, social class, diet, and health care system.

In their research, Baten, Stegl and van der Eng came to the conclusion that a change in the average height is a sign for a change in the economic development. With broad data of Indonesia, the researchers state that several incidents in the history of the country has led not only to a change in the economy but also to a change in the population's