Countries by Median Age
Complete ranking of 236 countries • years • Data refreshed May 5, 2026
Leader
Holy See
Field size
236 countries
Lowest rank
Central African Republic
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About Median Age Rankings
Holy See leads all 236 countries in Median Age with a value of 59.63 years, while Central African Republic ranks last at 14.32 years. This represents a 4-fold difference between the highest and lowest values.
What Median Age Measures
The age that splits the population in half: half are younger, half are older. UN WPP estimate as of 1 July 2023.
Why This Ranking Matters
Examining Median Age across all countries reveals patterns that might not be obvious at the national level. Regional clusters, outlier nations, and historical trajectories all become clearer when the full global picture is assembled in a single ranking.
Global Range
Values range from 14.32 years (Central African Republic) to 59.63 years (Holy See) — a 4-fold difference across 236 countries.
Regional Patterns
European countries dominate this ranking, holding 11 of the top 20 positions. This strong regional concentration suggests shared economic, geographic, or policy factors that drive higher values across the continent.
Values are broadly distributed across countries, with the middle 50% ranging from 22.63 years to 39.54 years. The overall spread from 14.32 years to 59.63 years reflects significant global variation.
Notable Outliers
The top of the ranking is competitive: Holy See and Monaco are separated by only 10%, indicating that the leading positions could shift with updated data. The bottom five countries are all from Africa, pointing to regional challenges that affect median age across the continent.
Continental Leaders
Highest Median Age
The 5 strongest Median Age reads.
Lowest Median Age
The 5 lowest Median Age reads.
Data Note
Rankings are based on the latest available data from UN DESA World Population Prospects 2024, covering 236 of 249 countries and territories. Countries without data for this metric are excluded from the ranking. All values represent the most recently reported figures.