20-year-old Afshin Ghaderzadeh (Iran), the world’s shortest man living, is now confirmed to also have the world’s smallest hands (male).
This record is monitored as the distance from the tip of the middle finger to the crease under the palm where the wrist begins.
Afshin’s left hand measures 6.7 cm (2.63 in) and his right hand is 6.4 cm (2.51 in).
His hands are almost three times shorter than the average adult man’s.
After being awarded this record, Afshin and his family joked that his hands may be the world’s smallest, but if his nose was measured it would be far from the case.
Afshin is the fourth-shortest man ever verified by Guinness World Records, standing at a height of 65.24 cm (2 ft 1.6 in).
When we first spoke to him back in December, he said: “I know who the tallest man living in the world is. I might fit in the palms of his hands.”
Well, just like Afshin, Sultan Kösen - the world’s tallest man living - also has record-breaking hands.
They are the largest hands on a living man, each measuring 28.5 cm (11.22 in) in length and 30.48 cm (12 in) in width, meaning Afshin is correct: he would indeed be able to fit in Sultan’s hands.
Afshin was discovered in a remote village located in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran, and he can speak both Kurdish and Persian, using the Farsi dialect.
Since becoming a record holder, Afshin has enjoyed seeing several new countries.
He visited our office in Dubai to have his record-breaking height confirmed, where he also ticked an item off his bucket list by visiting the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.
His newest record was awarded to him in Milan, Italy, on our televised talent show Lo Show Dei Record.
Afshin is greatly enjoying his newfound fame because he previously saw such opportunities as unattainable for a person like himself.
Growing up in Northern Iran wasn’t easy: Afshin could not attend school due to his size, nor was he deemed fit for any kind of job when he became an adult.
He spends much of his time watching cartoons and browsing social media sites, particularly Instagram.
Afshin has gained many followers since achieving his Guinness World Records title, and he's discovered a talent for acting and creating content, as can be seen in one of his comedy skits below.
Although happy, Afshin sometimes wishes that he could experience life like an average-sized person.
He would particularly like to own and drive a car. Currently, he must be escorted everywhere by his parents.
Although Afshin sometimes prefers to be carried, he is able to walk unassisted, thus he is categorized as the shortest man living (mobile), distinct from the title of shortest man living (non-mobile), which currently has no record holder.
When we spoke to his parents in December, they said Afshin’s kind and outgoing personality make him very popular with the locals in his village.
And now, after his personality has been able to shine through via TV and social media, Afshin is popular with the entire world!
“I like the attention I get from people. It makes me feel special,” he said.
“Just thinking about being part of the Guinness World Records family is like a dream. I struggle to believe it sometimes. It is like you wake up the next day and the entire world now knows who you are. That’s magical.” – Afshin Ghaderzadeh
A full history of the world's shortest people and they countries they're from
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