What is the highest mountain on Earth measured from sea level?

The highest mountain on Earth measured from sea level is Mount Everest, whose summit reaches 8,848.86 metres above mean sea level.

Everest stands in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas on the Nepal–China border. In Nepal it is known as Sagarmatha, while its Tibetan name is Qomolangma. Nepalese and Chinese authorities jointly announced the 8,848.86-metre measurement in 2020, updating the figure traditionally given as 8,848 metres.

The first confirmed ascent took place on 29 May 1953, when New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepali Sherpa Tenzing Norgay reached the summit. Today, climbers generally use either the southeast route from Nepal or the north route from Tibet, both of which involve severe altitude, storms, avalanches, and icefall hazards.

Everest is sometimes challenged by other definitions of “tallest.” Mauna Kea is taller from its underwater base to its summit, and Chimborazo’s summit is farther from Earth’s centre because of the planet’s equatorial bulge. Neither, however, is higher above sea level.