These Are The World’s Oldest And Youngest Countries, By Median Age

The median age is a single indicator of the age distribution of a population – where half the population is older and half is younger than the listed age.

It can help government and private companies plan for age-specific demand for goods and services from the resident population.

In the chart below, Visual Capitalist’s Pallavi Rao visualizes the world’s oldest and youngest countries by median age, based on 2024 estimates from the CIA World Factbook.

Ranked: Countries by Median Age in 2024

Monaco and Japan – two countries with high life expectancies and low birth rates -`have some of the highest median ages (50+) in the world.

A high median age is indicative of an aging population. Without policy support, this can lead to economic ramifications.

Here are the median ages of 200+ countries and territories in the world.

Rank
Country/Territory
Median Age
1
🇲🇨 Monaco
57
2
🇵🇲 Saint Pierre & Miquelon
51
3
🇯🇵 Japan
50
4
🇦🇩 Andorra
49
5
🇮🇹 Italy
48
6
🇧🇱 Saint Barthelemy
47
7
🇭🇰 Hong Kong
47
8
🇪🇸 Spain
47
9
🇩🇪 Germany
47
10
🇬🇷 Greece
47
11
🇵🇹 Portugal
46
12
🇸🇮 Slovenia
46
13
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico
46
14
🇸🇲 San Marino
46
15
🇰🇷 South Korea
46
16
🇷🇴 Romania
46
17
🇱🇻 Latvia
46
18
🇱🇹 Lithuania
45
19
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
45
20
🇭🇷 Croatia
45
21
🇸🇭 Saint Helena
45
22
🇪🇪 Estonia
45
23
🇬🇬 Guernsey
45
24
🇦🇹 Austria
45
25
🇺🇦 Ukraine
45
26
🇮🇲 Isle of Man
45
27
🇭🇺 Hungary
45
28
🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina
45
29
🇹🇼 Taiwan
45
30
🇱🇮 Liechtenstein
44
31
🇨🇿 Czechia
44
32
🇨🇭 Switzerland
44
33
🇷🇸 Serbia
44
34
🇧🇲 Bermuda
44
35
🇲🇹 Malta
44
36
🇫🇮 Finland
43
37
🇻🇮 Virgin Islands
43
38
🇵🇱 Poland
43
39
🇸🇰 Slovakia
43
40
🇨🇦 Canada
43
41
🇫🇷 France
43
42
🇨🇺 Cuba
43
43
🇲🇴 Macau
43
44
🇳🇱 Netherlands
42
45
🇩🇰 Denmark
42
46
🇧🇾 Belarus
42
47
🇧🇪 Belgium
42
48
🇷🇺 Russia
42
49
🇹🇭 Thailand
42
50
🇧🇧 Barbados
41
51
🇰🇾 Cayman Islands
41
52
🇸🇪 Sweden
41
53
🇨🇰 Cook Islands
41
54
🇲🇪 Montenegro
41
55
🇸🇽 Sint Maarten
41
56
🇦🇼 Aruba
41
57
🇳🇴 Norway
41
58
🇬🇧 UK
41
59
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
41
60
🇮🇪 Ireland
40
61
🇨🇳 China
40
62
🇨🇨 Cocos (Keeling) Islands
40
63
🇲🇩 Moldova
40
64
🇱🇺 Luxembourg
40
65
🇱🇨 Saint Lucia
40
66
🇲🇺 Mauritius
40
67
🇨🇾 Cyprus
40
68
🇸🇬 Singapore
39
69
🇺🇸 U.S.
39
70
🇦🇲 Armenia
39
71
🇸🇨 Seychelles
39
72
🇰🇳 Saint Kitts & Nevis
39
73
🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago
39
74
🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands
39
75
🇬🇪 Georgia
38
76
🇯🇪 Jersey
38
77
🇦🇺 Australia
38
78
🇨🇽 Christmas Island
38
79
🇮🇸 Iceland
38
80
🇳🇿 New Zealand
38
81
🇨🇼 Curacao
38
82
🇻🇨 Saint Vincent & the Grenadines
38
83
🇦🇮 Anguilla
37
84
🇩🇲 Dominica
37
85
🇨🇱 Chile
37
86
🇫🇴 Faroe Islands
37
87
🇲🇸 Montserrat
37
88
🇬🇮 Gibraltar
37
89
🇺🇾 Uruguay
37
90
🇱🇧 Lebanon
36
91
🇦🇱 Albania
36
92
🇼🇫 Wallis and Futuna
36
93
🇹🇨 Turks and Caicos Islands
36
94
🇰🇵 North Korea
36
95
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
36
96
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
36
97
🇬🇩 Grenada
35
98
🇵🇫 French Polynesia
35
99
🇵🇼 Palau
35
100
🇬🇱 Greenland
35
101
🇧🇷 Brazil
35
102
🇹🇳 Tunisia
34
103
🇳🇨 New Caledonia
34
104
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan
34
105
🇶🇦 Qatar
34
106
🇲🇫 Saint Martin
34
107
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
34
108
🇹🇷 Türkiye
34
109
🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda
34
110
🇮🇷 Iran
34
111
🇧🇭 Bahrain
33
112
🇦🇷 Argentina
33
113
🇻🇳 Vietnam
33
114
🇨🇴 Colombia
33
115
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
32
116
🇲🇵 Northern Mariana Islands
32
117
🇧🇳 Brunei
32
118
🇸🇷 Suriname
32
119
🇽🇰 Kosovo
32
120
🇲🇻 Maldives
32
121
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
32
122
🇲🇾 Malaysia
32
123
🇵🇾 Paraguay
32
124
🇫🇯 Fiji
32
125
🇮🇩 Indonesia
32
126
🇲🇳 Mongolia
32
127
🇵🇦 Panama
32
128
🇹🇲 Turkmenistan
31
129
🇻🇪 Venezuela
31
130
🇯🇲 Jamaica
31
131
🇲🇲 Burma
31
132
🇲🇽 Mexico
31
133
🇧🇸 Bahamas
31
134
🇧🇹 Bhutan
31
135
🇲🇦 Morocco
31
136
🇿🇦 South Africa
30
137
🇬🇺 Guam
30
138
🇰🇼 Kuwait
30
139
🇵🇪 Peru
30
140
🇮🇱 Israel
30
141
🇦🇸 American Samoa
30
142
🇮🇳 India
30
143
🇸🇻 El Salvador
30
144
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
30
145
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
29
146
🇩🇿 Algeria
29
147
🇳🇮 Nicaragua
29
148
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan
29
149
🇨🇻 Cabo Verde
29
150
🇬🇾 Guyana
28
151
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan
28
152
🇫🇲 Micronesia, Federated States of
28
153
🇪🇨 Ecuador
28
154
🇰🇭 Cambodia
28
155
🇹🇻 Tuvalu
28
156
🇳🇷 Nauru
28
157
🇳🇵 Nepal
28
158
🇼🇸 Samoa
27
159
🇴🇲 Oman
27
160
🇰🇮 Kiribati
27
161
🇧🇼 Botswana
27
162
🇧🇿 Belize
27
163
🇧🇴 Bolivia
27
164
🇩🇯 Djibouti
26
165
🇱🇾 Libya
26
166
🇹🇴 Tonga
26
167
🇵🇭 Philippines
26
168
🇭🇳 Honduras
26
169
🇲🇭 Marshall Islands
26
170
🇱🇦 Laos
25
171
🇸🇧 Solomon Islands
25
172
🇯🇴 Jordan
25
173
🇭🇹 Haiti
25
174
🇬🇹 Guatemala
25
175
🇸🇿 Eswatini
25
176
🇻🇺 Vanuatu
25
177
🇪🇬 Egypt
24
178
🇸🇾 Syria
24
179
🇱🇸 Lesotho
24
180
🇵🇰 Pakistan
23
181
🇹🇯 Tajikistan
23
182
🇳🇦 Namibia
23
183
🇰🇲 Comoros
23
184
🇮🇶 Iraq
22
185
🇲🇷 Mauritania
22
186
🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea
22
187
🇬🇦 Gabon
22
188
🇾🇪 Yemen
22
189
🇵🇸 West Bank
22
190
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea
22
191
🇬🇭 Ghana
21
192
🇪🇷 Eritrea
21
193
🇲🇬 Madagascar
21
194
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
21
195
🇨🇮 Cote d’Ivoire
21
196
🇰🇪 Kenya
21
197
🇸🇹 Sao Tome & Principe
21
198
🇷🇼 Rwanda
21
199
🇹🇬 Togo
21
200
🇨🇬 Congo
21
201
🇹🇱 Timor-Leste
21
202
🇨🇫 Central African Republic
20
203
🇪🇹 Ethiopia
20
204
🇲🇼 Malawi
20
205
🇬🇲 Gambia
20
206
🇦🇫 Afghanistan
20
207
🇱🇷 Liberia
20
208
🇵🇸 Gaza
20
209
🇬🇳 Guinea
19
210
🇸🇱 Sierra Leone
19
211
🇳🇬 Nigeria
19
212
🇸🇩 Sudan
19
213
🇸🇳 Senegal
19
214
🇹🇿 Tanzania
19
215
🇸🇴 Somalia
19
216
🇨🇲 Cameroon
19
217
🇸🇸 South Sudan
19
218
🇧🇫 Burkina Faso
19
219
🇿🇲 Zambia
18
220
🇧🇮 Burundi
18
221
🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau
18
222
🇲🇿 Mozambique
17
223
🇧🇯 Benin
17
224
🇨🇩 DRC
17
225
🇹🇩 Chad
17
226
🇲🇱 Mali
16
227
🇦🇴 Angola
16
228
🇺🇬 Uganda
16
229
🇳🇪 Niger
15

Note: Figures rounded.

Meanwhile, the presence of six European nations on the oldest countries list is a quick insight into the continent’s changing demographic. The UN estimates that one in four Europeans are currently aged 60 and over.

Conversely, many countries in Africa have low life expectancies and high birth rates. This results in the opposite phenomenon: lower median ages.

A low median age also has its own concerns. A higher proportion of children and adolescents can strain the education infrastructure. Without enough job growth, underemployment and unemployment can rise.

However, if managed well, low median ages can lead to a demographic dividend, where the workforce temporarily grows faster than the dependent population, increasing per capita income.