---
title: "Chimpanzee vs orangutan — size, weight and speed compared"
description: "Orangutan is somewhat greater than chimpanzee on weight — about 1.3×. Compared on 3 measured properties, with the full range and a source for each."
url: https://atoneplace.net/vs/chimpanzee-vs-orangutan/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Chimpanzee vs Orangutan

**Chimpanzee vs orangutan: Orangutan is larger on weight**

Orangutan is somewhat greater than chimpanzee on weight — about 1.3×.

A chimpanzee and an orangutan can be compared on 3 measures. The figures below are typical adult or full-size values, with the larger of the two in bold.

## Side by side

*Larger value in bold. Ranges reflect genuine variation, not uncertainty.*

|  | Chimpanzee | Orangutan |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weight | 27–70 kg | 30–118 kg |
| Height | 1–1.5 m | 1.15–1.5 m |
| Typical lifespan | 30–60 yr | 35–58 yr |

## What the numbers say

- Orangutan is somewhat greater than chimpanzee on weight — about 1.3×.
- Orangutan is somewhat greater than chimpanzee on height — about 1.1×.
- Orangutan is somewhat greater than chimpanzee on typical lifespan — about 1.1×.

*Weight compared.*

- Orangutan: 30–118 kg
- Chimpanzee: 27–70 kg

## Chimpanzee

Along with the bonobo, humanity's closest living relative, sharing about 98.8% of our DNA.

## Orangutan

The largest tree-dwelling animal; adult males develop broad cheek flanges and rarely leave the canopy.

> This is a comparison of published measurements, nothing more. It describes how two things differ on measures that have been recorded; it does not predict how they would fare against each other in any situation.

## Common questions

### Which is bigger, chimpanzee or orangutan?

Orangutan is somewhat greater than chimpanzee on weight — about 1.3×. Both figures are typical values; the full range for each is in the table above.

### How do chimpanzees and orangutans compare on height?

Chimpanzee: 1–1.5 m. Orangutan: 1.15–1.5 m. Orangutan is somewhat greater than chimpanzee on height — about 1.1×.

### How do chimpanzees and orangutans compare on typical lifespan?

Chimpanzee: 30–60 yr. Orangutan: 35–58 yr. Orangutan is somewhat greater than chimpanzee on typical lifespan — about 1.1×.

## Related pages

- [Cheetah vs chimpanzee](https://atoneplace.net/vs/cheetah-vs-chimpanzee/)
- [Gorilla vs orangutan](https://atoneplace.net/vs/gorilla-vs-orangutan/)

## Sources

- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History — Smithsonian Institution (https://naturalhistory.si.edu/)