Everest beats K2 by only about 238 metres.

The two highest mountains on Earth are separated vertically by less than a quarter of a kilometre.

Everest elevation

8,848.86 mSource value

Jointly announced by Nepal and China, 2020

K2 elevation

8,611 mSource value

Difference

8,848.86 − 8,611 = 237.86 mCalculated

Published

≈238 mResult

Derived from authoritative elevation references. Everest from the 2020 Nepal–China announcement; K2 from the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan. The subtraction is Scaleidoscope's.

Derived by us from two published summit elevations.

• Survey of Nepal / China

  Everest summit elevation 8,848.86 m

• Government of Pakistan / Gilgit-Baltistan

  K2 summit elevation 8,611 m
• Government of Pakistan
• Reuters (news report; measured by the joint Nepal–China 2020 survey)(opens external site)

• Survey Department, Government of Nepal

  Measurement of Height of Mt. Sagarmatha (Dangol et al.)(opens external site)

  Orthometric height 8,848.86 m

• Government of Gilgit-Baltistan — Tourism Department

  K-2 The Second Highest Mountain on Earth(opens external site)

  Height of the peak 8,611 m

• Scaleidoscope

  Scaleidoscope derived calculation from sourced official dimensions

  Scaleidoscope arithmetic from the sourced inputs

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