Researchers have measured the penises of more than 15,000 men in an attempt to discover what size is “normal”.
Scientists at King’s College London (KCL) found that the average flaccid penis is 9.16cm (3.6 inches) long, 13.24cm (5.2 inches) when stretched, and 9.31cm (3.7 inches) in circumference.
The average erect penis was found to be 13.12cm (5.1 inches) in length with a girth of 11.66cm (4.5 inches).
The researchers also found a “small correlation” between a man’s height and the erect length of his penis.
The scientists hoped that their research, published in the British Journal of Urology International, would address the “concern that some men have about their penis size” and help those suffering anxiety that they are not normal.
The meta-analysis looked at the measurements from 20 studies, where health professionals used a “standard procedure” to measure 15,521 penises of men from all races.
The scientists note that the average length and girth of erect penises they found were slightly smaller than those found by Herbenick et al’s self-reported study, which they say may be the result of bias of self-reporting. However, Herbenick et al argue that their data may be more reliable as the data was reported anonymously and subjects were motivated to obtain a condom that fitted. Their data also suggested that the size of an erection may be influenced by the setting and reason for an erection, so being with a sexual partner may cause slightly different dimensions to self-stimulation in a clinical setting.
Lead author of the research, Dr David Veale of King’s College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“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.”