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.

RankCountry/TerritoryMedian Age

1🇲🇨 Monaco57

2🇵🇲 Saint Pierre & Miquelon51

3🇯🇵 Japan50

4🇦🇩 Andorra49

5🇮🇹 Italy48

6🇧🇱 Saint Barthelemy47

7🇭🇰 Hong Kong47

8🇪🇸 Spain47

9🇩🇪 Germany47

10🇬🇷 Greece47

11🇵🇹 Portugal46

12🇸🇮 Slovenia46

13🇵🇷 Puerto Rico46

14🇸🇲 San Marino46

15🇰🇷 South Korea46

16🇷🇴 Romania46

17🇱🇻 Latvia46

18🇱🇹 Lithuania45

19🇧🇬 Bulgaria45

20🇭🇷 Croatia45

21🇸🇭 Saint Helena45

22🇪🇪 Estonia45

23🇬🇬 Guernsey45

24🇦🇹 Austria45

25🇺🇦 Ukraine45

26🇮🇲 Isle of Man45

27🇭🇺 Hungary45

28🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina45

29🇹🇼 Taiwan45

30🇱🇮 Liechtenstein44

31🇨🇿 Czechia44

32🇨🇭 Switzerland44

33🇷🇸 Serbia44

34🇧🇲 Bermuda44

35🇲🇹 Malta44

36🇫🇮 Finland43

37🇻🇮 Virgin Islands43

38🇵🇱 Poland43

39🇸🇰 Slovakia43

40🇨🇦 Canada43

41🇫🇷 France43

42🇨🇺 Cuba43

43🇲🇴 Macau43

44🇳🇱 Netherlands42

45🇩🇰 Denmark42

46🇧🇾 Belarus42

47🇧🇪 Belgium42

48🇷🇺 Russia42

49🇹🇭 Thailand42

50🇧🇧 Barbados41

51🇰🇾 Cayman Islands41

52🇸🇪 Sweden41

53🇨🇰 Cook Islands41

54🇲🇪 Montenegro41

55🇸🇽 Sint Maarten41

56🇦🇼 Aruba41

57🇳🇴 Norway41

58🇬🇧 UK41

59🇲🇰 North Macedonia41

60🇮🇪 Ireland40

61🇨🇳 China40

62🇨🇨 Cocos (Keeling) Islands40

63🇲🇩 Moldova40

64🇱🇺 Luxembourg40

65🇱🇨 Saint Lucia40

66🇲🇺 Mauritius40

67🇨🇾 Cyprus40

68🇸🇬 Singapore39

69🇺🇸 U.S.39

70🇦🇲 Armenia39

71🇸🇨 Seychelles39

72🇰🇳 Saint Kitts & Nevis39

73🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago39

74🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands39

75🇬🇪 Georgia38

76🇯🇪 Jersey38

77🇦🇺 Australia38

78🇨🇽 Christmas Island38

79🇮🇸 Iceland38

80🇳🇿 New Zealand38

81🇨🇼 Curacao38

82🇻🇨 Saint Vincent & the Grenadines38

83🇦🇮 Anguilla37

84🇩🇲 Dominica37

85🇨🇱 Chile37

86🇫🇴 Faroe Islands37

87🇲🇸 Montserrat37

88🇬🇮 Gibraltar37

89🇺🇾 Uruguay37

90🇱🇧 Lebanon36

91🇦🇱 Albania36

92🇼🇫 Wallis and Futuna36

93🇹🇨 Turks and Caicos Islands36

94🇰🇵 North Korea36

95🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates36

96🇨🇷 Costa Rica36

97🇬🇩 Grenada35

98🇵🇫 French Polynesia35

99🇵🇼 Palau35

100🇬🇱 Greenland35

101🇧🇷 Brazil35

102🇹🇳 Tunisia34

103🇳🇨 New Caledonia34

104🇦🇿 Azerbaijan34

105🇶🇦 Qatar34

106🇲🇫 Saint Martin34

107🇱🇰 Sri Lanka34

108🇹🇷 Türkiye34

109🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda34

110🇮🇷 Iran34

111🇧🇭 Bahrain33

112🇦🇷 Argentina33

113🇻🇳 Vietnam33

114🇨🇴 Colombia33

115🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia32

116🇲🇵 Northern Mariana Islands32

117🇧🇳 Brunei32

118🇸🇷 Suriname32

119🇽🇰 Kosovo32

120🇲🇻 Maldives32

121🇰🇿 Kazakhstan32

122🇲🇾 Malaysia32

123🇵🇾 Paraguay32

124🇫🇯 Fiji32

125🇮🇩 Indonesia32

126🇲🇳 Mongolia32

127🇵🇦 Panama32

128🇹🇲 Turkmenistan31

129🇻🇪 Venezuela31

130🇯🇲 Jamaica31

131🇲🇲 Burma31

132🇲🇽 Mexico31

133🇧🇸 Bahamas31

134🇧🇹 Bhutan31

135🇲🇦 Morocco31

136🇿🇦 South Africa30

137🇬🇺 Guam30

138🇰🇼 Kuwait30

139🇵🇪 Peru30

140🇮🇱 Israel30

141🇦🇸 American Samoa30

142🇮🇳 India30

143🇸🇻 El Salvador30

144🇧🇩 Bangladesh30

145🇩🇴 Dominican Republic29

146🇩🇿 Algeria29

147🇳🇮 Nicaragua29

148🇺🇿 Uzbekistan29

149🇨🇻 Cabo Verde29

150🇬🇾 Guyana28

151🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan28

152🇫🇲 Micronesia, Federated States of28

153🇪🇨 Ecuador28

154🇰🇭 Cambodia28

155🇹🇻 Tuvalu28

156🇳🇷 Nauru28

157🇳🇵 Nepal28

158🇼🇸 Samoa27

159🇴🇲 Oman27

160🇰🇮 Kiribati27

161🇧🇼 Botswana27

162🇧🇿 Belize27

163🇧🇴 Bolivia27

164🇩🇯 Djibouti26

165🇱🇾 Libya26

166🇹🇴 Tonga26

167🇵🇭 Philippines26

168🇭🇳 Honduras26

169🇲🇭 Marshall Islands26

170🇱🇦 Laos25

171🇸🇧 Solomon Islands25

172🇯🇴 Jordan25

173🇭🇹 Haiti25

174🇬🇹 Guatemala25

175🇸🇿 Eswatini25

176🇻🇺 Vanuatu25

177🇪🇬 Egypt24

178🇸🇾 Syria24

179🇱🇸 Lesotho24

180🇵🇰 Pakistan23

181🇹🇯 Tajikistan23

182🇳🇦 Namibia23

183🇰🇲 Comoros23

184🇮🇶 Iraq22

185🇲🇷 Mauritania22

186🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea22

187🇬🇦 Gabon22

188🇾🇪 Yemen22

189🇵🇸 West Bank22

190🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea22

191🇬🇭 Ghana21

192🇪🇷 Eritrea21

193🇲🇬 Madagascar21

194🇿🇼 Zimbabwe21

195🇨🇮 Cote d'Ivoire21

196🇰🇪 Kenya21

197🇸🇹 Sao Tome & Principe21

198🇷🇼 Rwanda21

199🇹🇬 Togo21

200🇨🇬 Congo21

201🇹🇱 Timor-Leste21

202🇨🇫 Central African Republic20

203🇪🇹 Ethiopia20

204🇲🇼 Malawi20

205🇬🇲 Gambia20

206🇦🇫 Afghanistan20

207🇱🇷 Liberia20

208🇵🇸 Gaza20

209🇬🇳 Guinea19

210🇸🇱 Sierra Leone19

211🇳🇬 Nigeria19

212🇸🇩 Sudan19

213🇸🇳 Senegal19

214🇹🇿 Tanzania19

215🇸🇴 Somalia19

216🇨🇲 Cameroon19

217🇸🇸 South Sudan19

218🇧🇫 Burkina Faso19

219🇿🇲 Zambia18

220🇧🇮 Burundi18

221🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau18

222🇲🇿 Mozambique17

223🇧🇯 Benin17

224🇨🇩 DRC17

225🇹🇩 Chad17

226🇲🇱 Mali16

227🇦🇴 Angola16

228🇺🇬 Uganda16

229🇳🇪 Niger15

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.