International study of 15,000 penises is being used to reassure men concerned they are not within the ‘normal range’
The enduring question now has a scientific answer: 13.12 centimetres
(5.16 inches) in length when erect, and 11.66cm (4.6 inches) around,
according to an analysis of more than 15,000 penises around the world.
In a flaccid state, it found, the penis of the average man is 9.16cm
(3.6 inches) in length and has a girth of 9.31cm (3.7 inches).
The numbers should help “reassure the large majority of men that the
size of their penis is in the normal range”, said British researchers
who had assembled data from studies where participants had their member
measured by a professional.
The team then used the collated numbers to devise a graph that doctors can use in counselling men with “small penis anxiety”.
In the worst cases, men may be diagnosed with body dysmorphic
disorder – a debilitating psychological condition that can lead to
obsessive and anti-social behaviour, depression and even suicide.
In reality, only 2.28% of the male population have an abnormally
small penis, said the study – and the same percentage an unusually large
one.
The study participants were men aged 17 to 91 who had their penises
measured in 20 previously published studies conducted in Europe, Asia,
Africa and the United States.
The team found no evidence for penis size differences linked to race,
though most of the study participants were of European and Middle
Eastern descent and a full comparison could thus not be made.
Nor did the researchers find any convincing correlation between a man’s foot size and the length of his manhood.
They acknowledged their results may have been somewhat skewed by the
possibility that men who volunteer to be examined may be more confident
in their penis size than the general population.
The team said their work, published in the BJU International journal
of urology, was the first to combine all existing data on penis length
and girth into a definitive graph.
The information may be useful for reassuring men worried about their
size. But it may also have the unintended effect of denting the egos of
those who thought they were abnormally well-endowed.
Doctors may also use the graph to help men find well-fitting condoms, said the team.
