Eight-thousanders compared

Mount Everest vs Cho Oyu

Mount Everest (8,848.86 m, world #1) and Cho Oyu (8,188 m, world #6) compared side by side — height, first ascent and danger. Mount Everest is 661 m taller.

	Mount Everest	Cho Oyu
Height	8,848.86 m	8,188 m
World rank	#1	#6
Range	Mahalangur Himal	Mahalangur Himal
Location	Solukhumbu, Koshi	Solukhumbu, Koshi
Border	Nepal–China (Tibet) border	Nepal–China (Tibet) border
First ascent	29 May 1953	19 October 1954
First climbers	Edmund Hillary (NZ) & Tenzing Norgay Sherpa (Nepal)	Herbert Tichy, Josef Jöchler (Austria) & Pasang Dawa Lama (Nepal)
Standard route	Southeast Ridge via South Col (Nepal); Northeast Ridge (Tibet)	Northwest Ridge from Tibet (the usual commercial route); Nepal-side routes are far harder
Danger	339 deaths against 13,737 summits through December 2025 — ≈1.06 deaths per 100 summits (Himalayan Database via Alan Arnette, 2026).	Fatality rate ≈1.4% of summits — statistically the safest eight-thousander (Himalayan Database-derived compilations).

Mount Everest

The highest mountain on Earth at 8,848.86 m (2020 Nepal–China joint survey). Known as Sagarmatha in Nepali and Chomolung…

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Cho Oyu

The 'Turquoise Goddess' rises west of Everest above the Nangpa La trade pass. Statistically the most attainable 8,000er,…

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Questions

Mount Everest vs Cho Oyu, answered

Is Mount Everest taller than Cho Oyu?+

Mount Everest stands 8,848.86 m and Cho Oyu 8,188 m, so Mount Everest is 661 m taller. Mount Everest is the world's 1st-highest mountain and Cho Oyu the 6th.

Which was climbed first, Mount Everest or Cho Oyu?+

Mount Everest was first summited on 29 May 1953; Cho Oyu on 19 October 1954.

Which is more dangerous, Mount Everest or Cho Oyu?+

Mount Everest: 339 deaths against 13,737 summits through December 2025 — ≈1.06 deaths per 100 summits (Himalayan Database via Alan Arnette, 2026). Cho Oyu: Fatality rate ≈1.4% of summits — statistically the safest eight-thousander (Himalayan Database-derived compilations).

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Sources & data note

Heights follow the 2020 Nepal–China Everest survey and UIAA figures. Ascent and fatality statistics derive from the Himalayan Database (via Alan Arnette, 2026) and reported press figures; see each peak's profile for full sourcing.