The shortest woman to ever live was the Dutch Pauline Musters. She was born in Ossendrecht in 1876. At the time of her passing, she was officially 24 inches (61 centimeters) tall. She was an international celebrity performing under the stage name ‘Princess Paulina’.
Today’s record holders are often media personalities who use their fame to raise awareness for their conditions.
1. Pauline Musters (61 cm) – Netherlands
Our compatriot has held the number one spot for over a century. At birth, she measured only 30 centimeters. She traveled the world to perform in theaters, from Germany to the United States. Unfortunately, she passed away at the age of 19 in New York from pneumonia and meningitis. After her death, her body lengthened slightly (due to muscle relaxation), but 61 cm remains the record measurement.
2. Jyoti Amge (62.8 cm) – India
She is the current living record holder. Jyoti Amge is a global star and even played a role in the well-known American horror series American Horror Story: Freak Show. She has the condition achondroplasia. She invests a lot of energy into her career as an actress and influencer and refuses to be seen as a ‘doll’. Guinness World Records has followed her since she was a teenager.
3. Madge Bester (65 cm) – South Africa
Madge Bester was the living record holder for many years before Jyoti took over the title. She suffered from Osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease) and was confined to a wheelchair. She used her fame to fight for disability rights in South Africa. She passed away in 2018 at the age of 55.
4. Lucía Zárate (67 cm) – Mexico
In the 19th century, Lucía Zárate was a medical marvel. She was not only short, but she was also extremely light. At age 17, she weighed only 2.1 kilograms (4.6 lbs). This makes her the lightest adult ever documented. She was so slender that her calves were thinner than the thumb of an average man. She passed away in 1890 when her circus train became stuck in the snow in the Sierra Nevada.
5. Bridgette Jordan (69 cm) – USA
Bridgette Jordan from Illinois was briefly the world’s shortest woman in 2011. She was a cheerleader and loved to dance. Together with her brother Brad (98 cm), she formed the duo “World’s Shortest Brother and Sister.” She suffered from Majewski osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type II.
6. Stacey Herald (71 cm) – USA
She is known as the world’s shortest mother. Despite warnings from doctors that a pregnancy could crush her lungs and heart, Stacey had three children (two of whom inherited her growth disorder). During her pregnancies, her belly was almost as large as she was. She passed away in 2018.
7. Hatice Kocaman (71 cm) – Turkey
Hatice is a woman from Turkey who, like the others, has dwarfism. She made the news because she leads a normal life despite her height and hip dysplasia. She lives with her parents and is known for her cheerful character, despite the physical challenges her height brings in a house designed for ‘big people’.
8. Elif Kocaman (72.6 cm) – Turkey
Another Turkish woman who briefly held the world record in 2010. She hails from the city of Osmaniye. When she received her Guinness World Records certificate, she said she hoped the world would now see her for who she was, rather than just a curiosity.
9. Wildine Aumoithe (72 cm) – USA
The current record holder in the USA (non-mobile, as she uses a wheelchair). Wildine is an inspiring figure on social media. She was born with SADDAN dysplasia. In an interview, she shared that she used to be bullied but is now proud of her title as ‘Shortest Woman Living (Non-Mobile)’.
10. Edith Barlow (approx. 78 cm) – United Kingdom
A historical figure from the 1930s. She performed in shows and was known as the shortest woman in England during that time. While exact measurements from that era sometimes vary, historians recognize her as one of the shortest adult women Britain has ever known.
