What is the official elevation of Mount Everest’s summit?
Answer
8,848.86 metres
The official elevation of Mount Everest’s summit is 8,848.86 metres.
Nepal and China announced this jointly surveyed height in 2020. It measures the summit’s elevation above sea level and replaced earlier figures that differed because survey methods, reference systems, and the treatment of snow and ice varied.
Mount Everest is part of the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas, on the border between Nepal and Tibet, an autonomous region of China. Nepal calls it Sagarmatha, while Tibetans call it Chomolungma. The mountain’s summit is the highest point on Earth above mean sea level.
Everest is not the point farthest from Earth’s centre because Earth bulges at the equator; that distinction belongs to Chimborazo in Ecuador. Mauna Kea can also exceed Everest when measured from its submarine base, showing why the exact definition of height matters.