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Measuring at just 65.24cm (2ft 1.6in), Afshin Esmaeil Ghaderzadeh from Iran becomes the world’s shortest living man – breaking the previous record by almost 7 cm (2.7 in) held by Edward “Niño” Hernandez from Colombia.

Guinness World Records verified Afshin as the fourth-shortest man ever, with his height measured three times over 24 hours at their Dubai office.

Afshin was discovered in a remote village located in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. He can speak both Kurdish and Persian, using the Farsi dialect.

He was born with a body weight of 700 g (1.5 lb) and has grown now to be almost 6.5 kg (14.3 lb).

Family members revealed that Afshin’s life in Northern Iran hasn’t been easy. Unable to attend school due to his size, Afshin has struggled with literacy. However, he is delighted to have recently learnt to write his name.

“Continuing treatment and my son’s physical weakness are the main reasons why he stopped studying, otherwise he has no mental problems,” said Esmaeil Ghaderzadeh, Afshin’s father.

Afshin is well-versed in using a smartphone, despite finding it difficult to carry it. “Phones in general are heavy to use for a long time, yet I still manage,” Afshin said.

Even though he claims to be very happy the way he is, Afshin explained that he wishes he could live like other people, particularly so he can own and drive a car.