Jyoti Amge, who is from India, holds the title of the world’s shortest-living woman, measuring only 62.8 cm—smaller than most toddlers.
Despite her tiny stature, she has a big personality that stands out.
Throughout her 30 years, she has made a name for herself as a talented actress, appearing in Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story, and has also become a well-known reality TV star.
However, along with all the media attention, she has faced some negative experiences.
In an open interview, Amge shared that people sometimes don’t treat her well when they meet her.
Amge’s path to becoming a Guinness World Record holder as the smallest woman began when she was young.
According to the official Guinness website, Amge was a child of average size until she reached the age of five. That’s when her growth suddenly came to a halt.
Later on, she found out that her condition was due to a type of dwarfism known as achondroplasia.
Johns Hopkins Medicine describes achondroplasia as a genetic disorder that “leads to shorter bones, abnormally-shaped bones, and shorter stature.”
People with achondroplasia generally have an adult height ranging from 42 to 56 inches, but Amge stands at just under 25 inches tall.
In 2009, she earned the title of the shortest living teenager (female) after doctors recorded her height at 61.95 cm.
When she turned 18, she received the title of the shortest-living woman (mobile).
After being officially recognized as the world’s smallest woman, Jyoti Amge made headlines again when she crossed paths with the world’s tallest man, Sultan Kösen from Turkey, in 2018, as mentioned by The Independent.
Kösen, who measures 8 feet 2.8 inches (251 cm), has his extraordinary height due to a condition called ‘pituitary gigantism.’ This condition occurs when a tumor on the pituitary gland triggers the production of excess growth hormone, according to Cleveland Clinic.
The two met up in Egypt and took photographs together in front of the Great Sphinx of Giza, which itself holds a Guinness World Record as the largest monolithic sculpture on the planet.
In 2024, Amge and Kösen met once more for additional photos, this time while enjoying breakfast together in California.
In 2020, Jyoti Amge gained even more fans when she appeared in the three-part TLC special titled World’s Smallest Woman: Meet Jyoti.
In the trailer for the show, which featured her at the age of 26, she shared her views on marriage, mentioning that the boys she interacts with are “all friends [and] if they do seem to act like they’re flirting a little bit, I don’t mind playing along,” as reported by Entertainment Tonight.
Amge also mentioned that she has no intention of starting a family anytime soon, as she values her independence.
Jyoti Amge remains positive when her tiny size draws attention from those around her.
She shared with Guinness World Records, “When people see me and recognize me, they all want to take a photograph with me. Everybody stops me wherever I’m walking. That makes me feel really good.”
However, in a conversation with Entertainment Tonight, Amge pointed out what she feels people often get ‘wrong’ when they meet her for the first time.
She explained, “When people see me on TV, they become very happy because they don’t have to interact with me.
“When they start interacting with me they ask me questions like I’m a baby or treat me like I’m a baby and hold me like I’m a baby, and that’s what they do wrong, really.”
