Preoccupation with their penis size is one of the more humorous -- or sad -- aspects of male competitiveness. A new study in a British urological journal seeks to put that question in perspective.

The study-of-studies examined 17 publications that all told compared the measurements of more than 15,000 men whose phalluses were measured in a standard way by health professionals. It found:

-- Average flaccid penis length was 3.6 inches, or 9.16 centimeters. Standard deviation was 0.62 inches or 1.57 centimeters.

-- Average length of a stretched flaccid penis was 5.21 inches, or 13.24 centimeters. SD was 0.74 inches or 1.89 centimeters.


-- Average erect penis length was 5.17 inches, or 13.12 centimeters. SD was 0.65 inches or 1.66 centimeters.

As for circumference, the average flaccid girth was 3.67 inches or 9.31 centimeters. SD was 0.35 inches or 0.9 centimeters.

Average erect girth was 4.59 inches or 11.66 inches. SD was 0.43 inches or 1.1 centimeters.

The study was published Tuesday in BJU International, the official journal of the British Association of Urological Surgeons, the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand, the Hong Kong Urological Association, the Caribbean Urological Association and the Irish Society of Urology.


“We believe these graphs will help doctors reassure the large majority of men that the size of their penis is in the normal range. We will also use the graphs to examine the discrepancy between what a man believes to be their position on the graph and their actual position or what they think they should be,” said study leader David Veale, MD, said in a statement. Veale is affiliated with King’s College London and South London, and with Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

The study also found a slight correlation between erect length and height.

The study is titled: “Am I normal? A systematic review and construction of nomograms for flaccid and erect penis length and circumference in up to 15,521 men.”