Countries With the Highest Share Aged 65 and Older in 2026

2026 medium projection

Measure population ageing directly by the share aged 65+, then compare it with the median age of the entire population.

Countries and areas: 237
Highest-ranked: Vatican City41.0%
Rank 10: Greece24.7%
End of table: Qatar1.7%

Estimate or projection?

The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.

Complete countries with the highest share aged 65 and older in 2026 ranking

Select any country to inspect its full age-by-sex structure and projections.

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Countries With the Highest Share Aged 65 and Older in 2026
Rank	Country or area	Region	Age 65+	Median age
1	Vatican City	Europe	41.0%	56.2 years
2	Monaco	Europe	35.9%	53.1 years
3	Japan	Asia	30.2%	50.2 years
4	Saint Helena	Africa	28.3%	51.0 years
5	Martinique	Latin America and the Caribbean	27.4%	50.2 years
6	Puerto Rico	Latin America and the Caribbean	25.8%	46.2 years
7	Italy	Europe	25.6%	48.6 years
8	Guadeloupe	Latin America and the Caribbean	25.5%	47.4 years
9	Portugal	Europe	25.4%	47.2 years
10	Greece	Europe	24.7%	47.1 years
10	Hong Kong	Asia	24.7%	47.9 years
12	Finland	Europe	24.5%	43.4 years
13	Germany	Europe	24.2%	45.7 years
14	Isle of Man	Europe	24.1%	46.3 years
15	Croatia	Europe	24.0%	45.5 years
16	San Marino	Europe	23.8%	49.1 years
17	United States Virgin Islands	Latin America and the Caribbean	23.6%	44.9 years
18	Bermuda	Northern America	23.5%	46.4 years
18	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Europe	23.5%	46.1 years
20	Serbia	Europe	23.4%	44.7 years
21	France	Europe	22.9%	42.5 years
22	Guernsey	Europe	22.7%	44.5 years
22	Latvia	Europe	22.7%	43.8 years
22	Slovenia	Europe	22.7%	45.0 years
25	Bulgaria	Europe	22.5%	45.0 years
26	Estonia	Europe	22.3%	43.2 years
27	Spain	Europe	22.2%	46.3 years
28	Liechtenstein	Europe	22.0%	44.7 years
29	Austria	Europe	21.6%	43.9 years
30	Belgium	Europe	21.4%	42.1 years
30	Czechia	Europe	21.4%	44.3 years
30	Denmark	Europe	21.4%	41.3 years
30	Saint Pierre and Miquelon	Northern America	21.4%	47.6 years
30	South Korea	Asia	21.4%	46.2 years
35	Hungary	Europe	21.3%	44.2 years
35	Lithuania	Europe	21.3%	42.6 years
35	Netherlands	Europe	21.3%	41.5 years
35	Poland	Europe	21.3%	43.0 years
39	Sweden	Europe	21.1%	40.4 years
40	Saint Martin (French part)	Latin America and the Caribbean	21.0%	43.9 years
41	Malta	Europe	20.9%	41.5 years
41	Switzerland	Europe	20.9%	43.2 years
41	Taiwan	Asia	20.9%	45.4 years
44	Canada	Northern America	20.7%	40.8 years
45	Romania	Europe	20.2%	43.5 years
46	Montserrat	Latin America and the Caribbean	20.1%	41.8 years
47	United Kingdom	Europe	19.9%	40.2 years
48	Jersey	Europe	19.7%	43.9 years
49	Slovakia	Europe	19.5%	42.8 years
50	Norway	Europe	19.4%	40.1 years
51	Ukraine	Europe	19.1%	41.8 years
52	North Macedonia	Europe	19.0%	41.4 years
53	Belarus	Europe	18.9%	41.8 years
54	Montenegro	Europe	18.8%	40.4 years
54	United States	Northern America	18.8%	38.7 years
56	Saint Barthélemy	Latin America and the Caribbean	18.6%	39.1 years
57	Aruba	Latin America and the Caribbean	18.5%	41.7 years
57	Australia	Oceania	18.5%	38.5 years
59	Russia	Europe	18.4%	40.7 years
60	Albania	Europe	18.3%	37.8 years
61	Gibraltar	Europe	18.1%	38.8 years
62	New Zealand	Oceania	18.0%	38.0 years
63	Curaçao	Latin America and the Caribbean	17.8%	39.0 years
63	Faroe Islands	Europe	17.8%	37.1 years
65	Barbados	Latin America and the Caribbean	17.6%	39.7 years
65	Cuba	Latin America and the Caribbean	17.6%	42.5 years
67	Moldova	Europe	17.4%	39.1 years
68	Andorra	Europe	17.2%	44.2 years
68	Niue	Oceania	17.2%	35.1 years
70	Réunion	Africa	16.9%	38.4 years
71	Thailand	Asia	16.7%	41.0 years
72	Ireland	Europe	16.5%	39.2 years
72	Uruguay	Latin America and the Caribbean	16.5%	36.7 years
74	Georgia	Asia	16.4%	37.6 years
75	Iceland	Europe	16.3%	36.6 years
76	Luxembourg	Europe	16.2%	39.7 years
77	Macao	Asia	15.9%	40.3 years
78	Wallis and Futuna Islands	Oceania	15.8%	38.6 years
79	Cook Islands	Oceania	15.6%	38.1 years
80	Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba	Latin America and the Caribbean	15.3%	39.7 years
80	Cyprus	Asia	15.3%	39.1 years
82	Armenia	Asia	15.2%	37.2 years
83	Chile	Latin America and the Caribbean	15.1%	37.4 years
83	China	Asia	15.1%	40.6 years
83	Sint Maarten (Dutch part)	Latin America and the Caribbean	15.1%	42.0 years
86	Singapore	Asia	14.8%	36.8 years
87	Mauritius	Africa	14.7%	38.3 years
88	Falkland Islands (Malvinas)	Latin America and the Caribbean	13.9%	43.4 years
89	Guam	Oceania	13.6%	31.6 years
90	Anguilla	Latin America and the Caribbean	13.5%	39.1 years
90	Dominica	Latin America and the Caribbean	13.5%	36.6 years
90	Trinidad and Tobago	Latin America and the Caribbean	13.5%	38.2 years
93	Costa Rica	Latin America and the Caribbean	13.3%	35.7 years
94	Grenada	Latin America and the Caribbean	13.0%	34.9 years
94	North Korea	Asia	13.0%	36.8 years
96	Antigua and Barbuda	Latin America and the Caribbean	12.9%	36.7 years
96	Argentina	Latin America and the Caribbean	12.9%	33.3 years
98	Israel	Asia	12.8%	29.3 years
98	Sri Lanka	Asia	12.8%	33.6 years
100	French Polynesia	Oceania	12.6%	36.7 years
100	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Latin America and the Caribbean	12.6%	34.7 years
102	Bahamas	Latin America and the Caribbean	12.5%	35.7 years
103	Palau	Oceania	12.4%	38.9 years
104	Greenland	Northern America	12.3%	35.5 years
105	Saint Kitts and Nevis	Latin America and the Caribbean	12.2%	36.5 years
105	Turks and Caicos Islands	Latin America and the Caribbean	12.2%	39.6 years
107	New Caledonia	Oceania	12.1%	34.8 years
108	Brazil	Latin America and the Caribbean	11.9%	35.2 years
108	Northern Mariana Islands	Oceania	11.9%	38.8 years
110	Kosovo	Europe	10.9%	33.2 years
110	Turkey	Asia	10.9%	33.9 years
112	Lebanon	Asia	10.7%	29.0 years
113	British Virgin Islands	Latin America and the Caribbean	10.6%	39.1 years
113	Colombia	Latin America and the Caribbean	10.6%	33.0 years
115	Venezuela	Latin America and the Caribbean	10.4%	29.5 years
116	Saint Lucia	Latin America and the Caribbean	10.3%	35.1 years
116	Tunisia	Africa	10.3%	33.4 years
118	Cayman Islands	Latin America and the Caribbean	10.1%	39.1 years
119	Panama	Latin America and the Caribbean	10.0%	30.6 years
120	Vietnam	Asia	9.9%	33.9 years
121	Azerbaijan	Asia	9.8%	34.1 years
122	Peru	Latin America and the Caribbean	9.7%	30.5 years
123	Kazakhstan	Asia	9.3%	29.7 years
124	American Samoa	Oceania	9.1%	29.1 years
125	Jamaica	Latin America and the Caribbean	9.0%	33.3 years
125	Seychelles	Africa	9.0%	34.6 years
127	Ecuador	Latin America and the Caribbean	8.9%	29.7 years
127	Iran	Asia	8.9%	34.5 years
129	Mexico	Latin America and the Caribbean	8.8%	30.0 years
129	Morocco	Africa	8.8%	30.1 years
131	Tokelau	Oceania	8.7%	27.6 years
132	Dominican Republic	Latin America and the Caribbean	8.5%	28.7 years
132	El Salvador	Latin America and the Caribbean	8.5%	28.4 years
132	Suriname	Latin America and the Caribbean	8.5%	28.9 years
135	Malaysia	Asia	8.3%	31.4 years
136	Indonesia	Asia	7.8%	30.7 years
137	Myanmar	Asia	7.7%	30.4 years
138	Brunei	Asia	7.6%	33.2 years
138	India	Asia	7.6%	29.2 years
140	Cabo Verde	Africa	7.5%	29.5 years
140	French Guiana	Latin America and the Caribbean	7.5%	24.9 years
140	Tuvalu	Oceania	7.5%	24.1 years
143	Guyana	Latin America and the Caribbean	7.2%	26.5 years
144	South Africa	Africa	7.1%	28.9 years
145	Algeria	Africa	7.0%	28.8 years
145	Tonga	Oceania	7.0%	21.0 years
145	Western Sahara	Africa	7.0%	32.8 years
148	Paraguay	Latin America and the Caribbean	6.9%	27.3 years
149	Bangladesh	Asia	6.8%	26.3 years
149	Bhutan	Asia	6.8%	31.0 years
149	Fiji	Oceania	6.8%	28.3 years
152	Nepal	Asia	6.7%	25.7 years
153	Cambodia	Asia	6.6%	26.4 years
154	Micronesia	Oceania	6.4%	23.5 years
155	Kyrgyzstan	Asia	6.3%	25.5 years
155	Uzbekistan	Asia	6.3%	27.0 years
157	Samoa	Oceania	6.2%	19.8 years
158	Philippines	Asia	6.0%	26.6 years
159	Nicaragua	Latin America and the Caribbean	5.9%	26.3 years
160	Bolivia	Latin America and the Caribbean	5.8%	25.5 years
161	Mongolia	Asia	5.7%	27.0 years
162	Belize	Latin America and the Caribbean	5.4%	27.3 years
162	Egypt	Africa	5.4%	24.7 years
162	Libya	Africa	5.4%	28.0 years
165	Maldives	Asia	5.3%	33.4 years
166	Timor-Leste	Asia	5.2%	22.1 years
167	Djibouti	Africa	5.1%	25.2 years
167	Guatemala	Latin America and the Caribbean	5.1%	23.8 years
167	Marshall Islands	Oceania	5.1%	20.5 years
167	Turkmenistan	Asia	5.1%	27.3 years
171	Jordan	Asia	5.0%	24.9 years
171	Laos	Asia	5.0%	25.3 years
171	Syria	Asia	5.0%	23.8 years
174	Haiti	Latin America and the Caribbean	4.9%	24.3 years
175	Honduras	Latin America and the Caribbean	4.7%	24.6 years
176	Kiribati	Oceania	4.5%	23.0 years
176	Vanuatu	Oceania	4.5%	20.3 years
178	Comoros	Africa	4.4%	20.7 years
178	Eswatini	Africa	4.4%	22.7 years
178	Pakistan	Asia	4.4%	20.8 years
181	Eritrea	Africa	4.3%	19.5 years
181	Tajikistan	Asia	4.3%	22.4 years
183	Bahrain	Asia	4.2%	33.4 years
183	Gabon	Africa	4.2%	21.6 years
185	Botswana	Africa	4.1%	23.7 years
185	Rwanda	Africa	4.1%	20.2 years
187	Sao Tome and Principe	Africa	4.0%	19.7 years
188	Equatorial Guinea	Africa	3.9%	20.9 years
188	Ghana	Africa	3.9%	21.6 years
188	Lesotho	Africa	3.9%	22.1 years
188	Namibia	Africa	3.9%	21.5 years
188	State of Palestine	Asia	3.9%	20.3 years
193	Papua New Guinea	Oceania	3.7%	23.0 years
193	Senegal	Africa	3.7%	19.8 years
193	Solomon Islands	Oceania	3.7%	20.9 years
196	Guinea	Africa	3.5%	18.5 years
196	Iraq	Asia	3.5%	21.1 years
196	Madagascar	Africa	3.5%	19.4 years
196	Sudan	Africa	3.5%	18.8 years
196	Zimbabwe	Africa	3.5%	18.3 years
201	Ethiopia	Africa	3.4%	19.3 years
201	Liberia	Africa	3.4%	19.0 years
203	Gambia	Africa	3.3%	18.8 years
203	Guinea-Bissau	Africa	3.3%	19.6 years
203	Kuwait	Asia	3.3%	34.8 years
203	Mauritania	Africa	3.3%	17.5 years
203	Sierra Leone	Africa	3.3%	19.9 years
203	Togo	Africa	3.3%	19.2 years
209	Benin	Africa	3.2%	18.2 years
209	Nauru	Oceania	3.2%	20.2 years
209	Saudi Arabia	Asia	3.2%	29.7 years
209	South Sudan	Africa	3.2%	19.0 years
213	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Africa	3.1%	15.9 years
213	Kenya	Africa	3.1%	20.3 years
213	Nigeria	Africa	3.1%	18.3 years
213	Republic of the Congo	Africa	3.1%	18.7 years
217	Tanzania	Africa	3.0%	17.6 years
218	Angola	Africa	2.9%	16.7 years
218	Mayotte	Africa	2.9%	17.3 years
220	Cameroon	Africa	2.8%	18.2 years
221	Burkina Faso	Africa	2.7%	18.0 years
221	Ivory Coast	Africa	2.7%	18.5 years
221	Mozambique	Africa	2.7%	16.6 years
221	Oman	Asia	2.7%	29.8 years
225	Burundi	Africa	2.6%	16.6 years
225	Malawi	Africa	2.6%	18.4 years
225	Niger	Africa	2.6%	15.7 years
225	Somalia	Africa	2.6%	15.6 years
225	Yemen	Asia	2.6%	18.5 years
230	Afghanistan	Asia	2.5%	17.4 years
231	Mali	Africa	2.3%	15.9 years
231	Uganda	Africa	2.3%	17.1 years
233	Central African Republic	Africa	2.2%	14.6 years
234	Chad	Africa	2.1%	15.7 years
234	Zambia	Africa	2.1%	18.2 years
236	United Arab Emirates	Asia	1.8%	31.6 years
237	Qatar	Asia	1.7%	33.4 years

What this ranking measures—and what it does not

Definition

The older share sums every five-year group from ages 65–69 through 100+ and divides that count by total population.

Why it matters

The measure helps frame demand for healthcare, income support, accessible environments, and long-term care. It also reveals how longevity and past birth cohorts reshape the top of the pyramid.

Read with care

Age 65 is a comparable convention, not a universal retirement or dependency threshold. Healthy life expectancy and labour participation are essential context.

What stands out in this comparison

Vatican City leads with 41.0%, while Greece is at rank 10 with 24.7%. At the other end of the complete table, Qatar has 1.7%.

Those positions describe this particular indicator, definition, and reference period. They do not imply that every country near the top has the same population pyramid or demographic path. Open the profiles to compare the underlying cohorts.

First five

Vatican City — rank 1, 41.0%; median age 56.2 years.
Monaco — rank 2, 35.9%; median age 53.1 years.
Japan — rank 3, 30.2%; median age 50.2 years.
Saint Helena — rank 4, 28.3%; median age 51.0 years.
Martinique — rank 5, 27.4%; median age 50.2 years.

Other end of the table

Qatar — rank 237, 1.7%; median age 33.4 years.
United Arab Emirates — rank 236, 1.8%; median age 31.6 years.
Zambia — rank 234, 2.1%; median age 18.2 years.
Chad — rank 234, 2.1%; median age 15.7 years.
Central African Republic — rank 233, 2.2%; median age 14.6 years.

Questions about this ranking

Which country or area ranks first for age 65+?

Vatican City ranks first in this comparison with 41.0%. The table uses 2026 medium projection from UN World Population Prospects 2024.

Which values are estimates and which are projections?

In World Population Prospects 2024, historical estimates run through 2023 and values from 2024 onward are projections. The peak-year table labels historical and projected results separately.

Why might another source show a different rank?

Sources can use different reference dates, revisions, country definitions, estimation methods, or projection scenarios. Close ranks can also change after revisions.