Countries by median age (2026)

Median age splits a population in half — one half younger, one half older. Ranked oldest first, Monaco tops the table at 53.6 years, while Central African Republic sits at the bottom at just 14.5.

52 countries now have a median age of 40 or higher — almost all in Europe and East Asia — while 38 remain below 20, nearly all in Africa. The two groups face opposite problems: one a shrinking workforce supporting more retirees, the other schools and job markets absorbing enormous young cohorts.

More rankings:By population Fastest growing Most dense Life expectancy Fertility

Countries by median age (2026)
#	Country	Median age	Population	Fertility
1	Monaco	53.6 yrs	38,341	2.10
2	Japan	49.8 yrs	123,366,734	1.15
3	San Marino	48.6 yrs	34,109	1.16
4	Italy	48.2 yrs	58,915,656	1.18
5	Hong Kong	47.4 yrs	7,498,900	0.84
6	Portugal	46.9 yrs	10,804,871	1.41
7	Greece	46.8 yrs	10,413,962	1.24
8	Isle of Man	46.1 yrs	84,118	1.54
9	Bermuda	46.0 yrs	64,555	1.41
10	Spain	45.9 yrs	49,355,143	1.10
11	Puerto Rico	45.8 yrs	3,184,835	0.92
12	Bosnia and Herzegovina	45.7 yrs	3,140,095	1.49
13	South Korea	45.6 yrs	51,684,564	0.75
14	Germany	45.5 yrs	83,491,249	1.36
15	Croatia	45.3 yrs	3,876,200	1.46
16	Taiwan	44.8 yrs	23,213,962	0.86
17	Bulgaria	44.8 yrs	6,433,302	1.72
18	U.S. Virgin Islands	44.8 yrs	103,792	1.97
19	Slovenia	44.7 yrs	2,130,986	1.52
20	Liechtenstein	44.5 yrs	41,024	1.37
21	Serbia	44.4 yrs	6,549,143	1.64
22	Hungary	43.9 yrs	9,514,251	1.41
23	Andorra	43.9 yrs	82,904	1.09
24	Czech Republic	43.8 yrs	10,886,878	1.36
25	Austria	43.6 yrs	9,208,163	1.31
26	Latvia	43.6 yrs	1,847,785	1.24
27	Romania	43.2 yrs	19,020,271	1.39
28	Finland	43.2 yrs	5,646,436	1.25
29	Switzerland	42.9 yrs	9,092,436	1.29
30	Estonia	42.8 yrs	1,366,475	1.18
31	Poland	42.5 yrs	36,435,861	1.14
32	Saint Martin	42.5 yrs	24,941	2.67
33	France	42.3 yrs	68,720,337	1.61
34	Slovakia	42.3 yrs	5,413,813	1.46
35	Lithuania	42.3 yrs	2,888,774	1.11
36	Cuba	42.2 yrs	10,937,203	1.45
37	Belgium	41.9 yrs	11,941,781	1.44
38	Ukraine	41.8 yrs	38,980,376	0.99
39	Sint Maarten	41.8 yrs	43,923	1.44
40	Netherlands	41.5 yrs	18,087,633	1.43
41	Aruba	41.5 yrs	108,785	1.61
42	Belarus	41.3 yrs	9,085,991	1.22
43	Denmark	41.3 yrs	6,009,169	1.47
44	Malta	41.1 yrs	579,704	1.01
45	North Macedonia	41.0 yrs	1,820,909	1.40
46	Thailand	40.6 yrs	71,619,863	1.20
47	Canada	40.6 yrs	41,651,653	1.25
48	Russia	40.3 yrs	143,513,328	1.42
49	Sweden	40.3 yrs	10,596,620	1.43
50	China	40.1 yrs	1,406,585,000	1.01
51	United Kingdom	40.1 yrs	69,487,000	1.55
52	Montenegro	40.0 yrs	623,129	1.80
53	Norway	39.8 yrs	5,610,870	1.45
54	Macao	39.6 yrs	685,900	0.58
55	Luxembourg	39.5 yrs	686,970	1.25
56	Barbados	39.4 yrs	282,623	1.71
57	Turks and Caicos Islands	39.2 yrs	46,855	1.45
58	Ireland	39.0 yrs	5,484,367	1.47
59	Gibraltar	38.8 yrs	40,126	1.89
60	Curaçao	38.7 yrs	156,263	1.40
61	Cayman Islands	38.7 yrs	75,844	1.53
62	Moldova	38.6 yrs	2,360,527	1.73
63	Cyprus	38.6 yrs	1,370,754	1.38
64	British Virgin Islands	38.6 yrs	39,732	1.05
65	United States	38.5 yrs	341,784,857	1.63
66	Palau	38.5 yrs	17,663	1.88
67	Australia	38.3 yrs	27,614,411	1.48
68	Northern Mariana Islands	38.0 yrs	43,541	2.32
69	Mauritius	37.8 yrs	1,243,741	1.44
70	New Zealand	37.7 yrs	5,324,700	1.57
71	Trinidad and Tobago	37.7 yrs	1,367,764	1.54
72	Georgia	37.3 yrs	3,935,766	1.80
73	Albania	37.3 yrs	2,349,580	1.34
74	Faroe Islands	37.1 yrs	54,900	1.91
75	Chile	36.9 yrs	19,859,921	1.14
76	Armenia	36.6 yrs	3,086,700	1.70
77	North Korea	36.5 yrs	26,571,036	1.78
78	Uruguay	36.4 yrs	3,384,688	1.40
79	Antigua and Barbuda	36.3 yrs	94,209	1.58
80	Dominica	36.3 yrs	65,871	1.48
81	Singapore	36.2 yrs	6,111,175	0.97
82	Iceland	36.2 yrs	392,404	1.56
83	Saint Kitts and Nevis	36.2 yrs	46,922	1.53
84	French Polynesia	36.1 yrs	282,465	1.49
85	Bahamas	35.3 yrs	403,033	1.37
86	Costa Rica	35.2 yrs	5,152,950	1.32
87	Greenland	35.1 yrs	56,831	1.71
88	Brazil	34.8 yrs	212,812,405	1.61
89	Kuwait	34.8 yrs	4,865,298	1.56
90	Saint Lucia	34.6 yrs	180,149	1.39
91	New Caledonia	34.5 yrs	295,333	1.96
92	Grenada	34.4 yrs	117,303	1.47
93	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	34.4 yrs	99,924	1.76
94	Seychelles	34.3 yrs	122,730	1.85
95	Iran	34.0 yrs	92,417,681	1.68
96	Azerbaijan	33.6 yrs	10,246,996	1.43
97	Turkey	33.5 yrs	85,878,556	1.48
98	Qatar	33.5 yrs	2,972,215	1.72
99	Vietnam	33.4 yrs	101,598,527	1.90
100	Sri Lanka	33.3 yrs	21,756,000	1.95
101	Bahrain	33.3 yrs	1,600,366	1.81
102	Argentina	32.9 yrs	45,851,378	1.50
103	Tunisia	32.9 yrs	12,348,573	1.82
104	Jamaica	32.8 yrs	2,837,077	1.35
105	Maldives	32.7 yrs	529,676	1.56
106	Brunei	32.7 yrs	466,330	1.73
107	Kosovo	32.6 yrs	1,576,876	1.54
108	Colombia	32.5 yrs	53,425,635	1.63
109	United Arab Emirates	31.6 yrs	11,513,149	1.21
110	Guam	31.5 yrs	168,999	2.75
111	Malaysia	31.0 yrs	35,977,838	1.54
112	Bhutan	30.5 yrs	796,682	1.45
113	Indonesia	30.4 yrs	285,721,236	2.12
114	Panama	30.3 yrs	4,571,189	2.11
115	Peru	30.2 yrs	34,576,665	1.97
116	Myanmar	30.1 yrs	54,850,648	2.10
117	Morocco	29.8 yrs	38,430,770	2.21
118	Kazakhstan	29.7 yrs	20,843,754	2.98
119	Oman	29.7 yrs	5,494,691	2.51
120	Mexico	29.6 yrs	131,946,900	1.89
121	Saudi Arabia	29.6 yrs	36,973,555	2.31
122	Venezuela	29.4 yrs	28,516,896	2.08
123	Ecuador	29.3 yrs	18,289,896	1.81
124	Israel	29.2 yrs	10,122,800	2.87
125	Cape Verde	29.0 yrs	527,326	1.51
126	American Samoa	29.0 yrs	46,029	2.27
127	India	28.8 yrs	1,463,865,525	1.96
128	Lebanon	28.8 yrs	5,849,421	2.23
129	South Africa	28.7 yrs	64,747,319	2.21
130	Algeria	28.6 yrs	47,435,312	2.72
131	Suriname	28.6 yrs	639,850	2.23
132	Dominican Republic	28.3 yrs	11,520,487	2.22
133	Fiji	28.1 yrs	933,154	2.27
134	El Salvador	27.9 yrs	6,365,503	1.77
135	Libya	27.7 yrs	7,458,555	2.30
136	Uzbekistan	27.0 yrs	37,053,428	3.49
137	Paraguay	27.0 yrs	7,013,078	2.42
138	Turkmenistan	26.9 yrs	7,618,847	2.66
139	Mongolia	26.9 yrs	3,568,978	2.50
140	Belize	26.9 yrs	422,924	2.02
141	Cambodia	26.2 yrs	17,847,982	2.55
142	Guyana	26.2 yrs	835,986	2.40
143	Philippines	26.1 yrs	116,786,962	1.89
144	Bangladesh	26.0 yrs	175,686,899	2.14
145	Nicaragua	26.0 yrs	7,007,502	2.21
146	Kyrgyzstan	25.4 yrs	7,343,064	2.60
147	Nepal	25.3 yrs	29,618,118	1.96
148	Bolivia	25.2 yrs	12,581,843	2.52
149	Laos	24.9 yrs	7,873,046	2.40
150	Djibouti	24.9 yrs	1,184,076	2.62
151	Jordan	24.7 yrs	11,520,684	2.60
152	Egypt	24.5 yrs	118,365,995	2.74
153	Honduras	24.2 yrs	11,005,850	2.48
154	Tuvalu	24.2 yrs	9,492	3.17
155	Haiti	24.1 yrs	11,906,095	2.63
156	Guatemala	23.4 yrs	18,687,881	2.29
157	Botswana	23.4 yrs	2,562,122	2.70
158	Syria	23.3 yrs	25,620,427	2.70
159	Micronesia	23.3 yrs	113,683	2.74
160	Kiribati	22.9 yrs	136,488	3.12
161	Papua New Guinea	22.8 yrs	10,762,817	3.07
162	Eswatini	22.5 yrs	1,256,174	2.72
163	Tajikistan	22.2 yrs	10,786,734	3.04
164	Lesotho	21.8 yrs	2,363,325	2.66
165	Timor-Leste	21.7 yrs	1,418,517	2.63
166	Gabon	21.5 yrs	2,593,130	3.59
167	Ghana	21.3 yrs	35,064,272	3.34
168	Namibia	21.3 yrs	3,092,816	3.21
169	Equatorial Guinea	20.9 yrs	1,938,431	4.12
170	Iraq	20.8 yrs	47,020,774	3.22
171	Tonga	20.8 yrs	103,742	3.10
172	Solomon Islands	20.7 yrs	838,645	3.51
173	Pakistan	20.6 yrs	255,219,554	3.55
174	Comoros	20.6 yrs	882,847	3.82
175	Marshall Islands	20.4 yrs	36,282	2.86
176	Vanuatu	20.3 yrs	335,169	3.57
177	Nauru	20.2 yrs	12,025	3.29
178	Palestine	20.1 yrs	5,413,596	3.25
179	Kenya	20.0 yrs	57,532,493	3.17
180	Rwanda	19.9 yrs	14,569,341	3.65
181	Samoa	19.8 yrs	219,306	3.80
182	Sierra Leone	19.7 yrs	8,819,794	3.70
183	Senegal	19.6 yrs	18,931,966	3.77
184	São Tomé and Príncipe	19.5 yrs	240,254	3.60
185	Guinea-Bissau	19.4 yrs	2,249,515	3.76
186	Madagascar	19.2 yrs	32,740,678	3.91
187	Eritrea	19.2 yrs	3,607,003	3.68
188	Ethiopia	19.1 yrs	135,472,051	3.91
189	Togo	19.1 yrs	8,591,626	4.12
190	Liberia	18.8 yrs	5,731,206	3.86
191	South Sudan	18.7 yrs	12,188,788	3.79
192	Republic of the Congo	18.6 yrs	6,484,437	4.11
193	Gambia	18.6 yrs	2,822,093	3.91
194	Sudan	18.5 yrs	51,662,147	4.26
195	Yemen	18.4 yrs	41,773,878	4.50
196	Ivory Coast	18.3 yrs	32,711,547	4.23
197	Guinea	18.3 yrs	15,099,727	4.13
198	Nigeria	18.1 yrs	237,527,782	4.38
199	Malawi	18.1 yrs	22,216,120	3.59
200	Zimbabwe	18.1 yrs	16,950,795	3.67
201	Cameroon	18.0 yrs	29,879,337	4.26
202	Benin	18.0 yrs	14,814,460	4.48
203	Zambia	17.9 yrs	21,913,874	4.04
204	Burkina Faso	17.7 yrs	24,074,580	4.11
205	Tanzania	17.5 yrs	70,545,865	4.54
206	Mauritania	17.4 yrs	5,315,065	4.63
207	Afghanistan	17.3 yrs	43,844,111	4.76
208	Uganda	16.9 yrs	51,384,894	4.17
209	Angola	16.6 yrs	39,040,039	5.05
210	Mozambique	16.5 yrs	35,631,653	4.69
211	Burundi	16.4 yrs	14,390,003	4.79
212	DR Congo	15.8 yrs	112,832,473	5.98
213	Chad	15.8 yrs	21,003,705	6.03
214	Mali	15.7 yrs	25,198,821	5.51
215	Niger	15.6 yrs	27,917,831	5.94
216	Somalia	15.6 yrs	19,654,739	6.01
217	Central African Republic	14.5 yrs	5,513,282	5.95

Median ages are UN World Population Prospects 2024 estimates for 2026; 217 of 218 tracked entities have published values.

Frequently asked questions

Which country has the oldest population?

Monaco has the world's highest median age at 53.6 years (UN WPP 2024, 2026 estimates).

Which country has the youngest population?

Central African Republic has the world's lowest median age at 14.5 years.

What is the median age of the world?

The global median age is about 30.9 years (UN WPP 2024) — half of humanity is younger than that, half older.