Although height has risen a hundred years ago, research has shown that Dutch men born in 2001 were 1 inch (.39 inches) shorter than their 1980s counterparts. For women, the difference was most noticeable with a difference of 1.4 inches (.55 inches).
The 1980s may have been the tallest generation ever, benefiting from the tremendous growth.
Dutch men born in 1980 stood an average height of 183.9 inches (6 feet), and were 8.3 inches (3.27 inches) taller than those born in 1930. Women born in 1980 were also about 170.7 inches (5.6 feet) tall, compared to 165.4 inches (5.4 meters) for those born in 1930.
A study by Statistics Netherlands, GGD municipal health service and the National Institute for Public Health, RIVM, analyzed 719,000 Dutch-born people between the ages of 19 and 60 who reported their height, using an average height of 19 years as a measure.
The reason for the decline is partly related to the rising rates of people from other shorter groups, according to researchers. However, the growth is also declining for people with both parents born in the Netherlands, and for those grandparents who are all Dutch-born.
Dutch men with no history of migration did not show an increase in height, while Dutch women without migration to their families became shorter.
However, with the Dutch standing shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the world with their rise in height over the past 70 years, the streets of the Netherlands show a very different picture in 2020 compared to the early 1950s, according to investigators.
While about 3% of the 1930-34 generation is at least 190 centimeters (6.2 meters) tall, by 2020 more than 20% at least 190 centimeters, 7% more than 195 centimeters. By the 1950s, 42% of young men were shorter than 175 centimeters (5.7 meters) - but by 2020, that figure was only 12%.
In the same female generation, less than 2% of the 1930-34 group reached a height of 180 cm (5.9 meters). Among those born in 1980 however, about 10% is at least 180 inches tall.
This image is inconsistent in the Netherlands, with significant differences between the north and the south of the country. Those from Limburg are the shortest, and the Friesland natives are between three and a half inches [3.5 cm] long.
Investigators have stressed that the Dutch have not lost their title as the tallest people in the world, and those born at the beginning of the millennium are still seeking the position. They estimate that the post-1950s were the first to file this prestigious claim.
For years, researchers have been trying to find out why Dutch people are so tall - and research suggests that they may be less natural and taller than having more children, passing on their longer genes.
This year's findings are not the first to suggest that growth is slowing down or that height is declining, with previous research suggesting that it could be due to increased focus on plant-based diets and strengthening "factors that promote environmental growth."