Abstract Background Body composition and height changes with aging which brings challenges in order to obtain accurate measures in this population, height measurement is of great importance both in nutritional and clinical assessment in the elderly, and it has been widely used for obtaining values such as body mass index, the aim of this study was to assess the validity of arm span to estimate height in Colombian older adults. Methods This is a secondary analysis of the SABE-Bogota study (2012); which is a cross-sectional survey conducted in older adults over the age of 60; with a final sample n=1,436. Spearman`s Rho correlation coefficient was used to assess concurrent validity, while limits of agreement were set through Bland-Altman plots. Criterion validity was performed comparing face-to-face measured height with arm-span estimated height with linear regressions (R2 and SEE). Results There was a significant correlation between measured height and arm span estimated height of 0.856 (CI 95% 0.842-0.870; p<0.0001). Limits of agreement ranged between -7.65 and 11.14cm. R2values ranged between 0.3 and 0.8, SEE was lower in males between 60 and 79 years of age. Conclusions Alternatives to estimate height in older adults are necessary. Our results suggest that the arm span is a valid measure for the estimation of measured height in Colombian older adults.