Average Age by Country 2022

If half of a population is older than that age and the other half is younger, then that age is the median age of that population. The CIA World Factbook reports that in 2020, the median age of the whole world’s population will be 31.0 years old.

This means that in that year, half of the world’s population will be younger than 31 and a half will be older. However, birth rates, socioeconomic status, and average life expectancies all have a role in the wide disparities that exist in median ages from nation to country.

The median age in the top 10 countries (CIA World Factbook, 2020, in years):

1. Monaco — 55.4
2. Japan — 48.6
3. Saint Pierre and Miquelon — 48.5
4. Germany — 47.8
5. Italy — 46.5
6. Andorra — 46.2
7. Hong Kong — 45.6
8. Saint Barthelemy — 45.6
9. Greece — 45.3
10. San Marino — 45.2

Top 10 Countries with the Lowest Median Age (2020 CIA World Factbook – years):

1. Niger — 14.8
2. Uganda — 15.7
3. Angola — 15.9
4. Chad — 16.1
5. Mali — 16.1
6. DR Congo — 16.7
7. Malawi — 16.8
8. Zambia — 16.9
9. Benin — 17.0
10. Mozambique — 17.0

In 1950, the median age of the world’s population was just 23.6 years old; by 2020, it will have risen to 31.0. Overall, this is a positive indicator that technological and medical advancements are helping the human population to survive for longer periods.

Countries with a high level of human development and general quality of life tend to have a higher median age. The same holds for the lowest rates, which are found in the world’s poorest and least-developed nations.

Countries and continents in which median age is highest and lowest

This pattern is shown by Monaco, one of Europe’s smallest but also richest nations. Although Monaco has no standing army, its median age of 55.4% makes it the oldest population in the world (53.7 years for males and 57.0 years for females).

Though Monaco’s figures may be biassed by the country’s large population of rich retirees, the same cannot be said of the nations that follow it: Japan (median age 48.6), French territory St. Pierre and Miquelon (48.5), Germany (47.8), and Italy (46.5).

At the opposite end of the spectrum, most of the world’s poorest nations and the great majority of countries with median ages under 20 are located on the continent of Africa, providing an even clearer illustration of the association between median age and income/development.

Although Niger’s median age of 14.8 years is the youngest in the world, several of its neighbours, including Uganda, Angola, Chad, & Mali, are not far behind.

Life expectancy, which is also related to a country’s median age, is greater in rich and developed nations and lower in poor and emerging ones. The Japanese, for instance, have the highest life expectancy of any major population, with 83.7 years on average.

In contrast, the average lifespan in Nigeria is just 61.8 years. Even so, this is far greater than in many other African nations. The median age of Sierra Leone is just 19.1 years, and the country has a low life expectancy of only 50.1 years.

Poverty, sickness, and continuous wars and armed conflicts are all prevalent in many African nations, contributing to their shorter life expectancies.

Also See: Man-Shortage Countries / Countries with a Shortage of Men 2022

Differences in median age between males and females

The gender gap in longevity is mostly attributable to women’s generally longer life expectancy than men’s over the world. This happens everywhere, however, the variations may be larger in certain nations than others.

Furthermore, in poor nations, women’s life expectancy might be lowered by female-specific factors such as maternal mortality or the historical preference for male offspring in China.