Median Age by Country in 2026

2026 medium projection

A complete comparison of how old or young each population is at its midpoint, paired with the age shares needed to understand what the median conceals.

Countries and areas: 237
Highest-ranked: Vatican City56.2 years
Rank 10: Guadeloupe47.4 years
End of table: Central African Republic14.6 years

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 median age by country in 2026 ranking

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

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Median Age by Country in 2026
Rank	Country or area	Region	Median age	Under 15 / age 65+
1	Vatican City	Europe	56.2 years	7.4% / 41.0%
2	Monaco	Europe	53.1 years	14.1% / 35.9%
3	Saint Helena	Africa	51.0 years	13.2% / 28.3%
4	Japan	Asia	50.2 years	11.0% / 30.2%
4	Martinique	Latin America and the Caribbean	50.2 years	14.5% / 27.4%
6	San Marino	Europe	49.1 years	11.4% / 23.8%
7	Italy	Europe	48.6 years	11.4% / 25.6%
8	Hong Kong	Asia	47.9 years	10.0% / 24.7%
9	Saint Pierre and Miquelon	Northern America	47.6 years	12.3% / 21.4%
10	Guadeloupe	Latin America and the Caribbean	47.4 years	15.9% / 25.5%
11	Portugal	Europe	47.2 years	12.6% / 25.4%
12	Greece	Europe	47.1 years	12.6% / 24.7%
13	Bermuda	Northern America	46.4 years	13.1% / 23.5%
14	Isle of Man	Europe	46.3 years	13.6% / 24.1%
14	Spain	Europe	46.3 years	12.3% / 22.2%
16	Puerto Rico	Latin America and the Caribbean	46.2 years	10.9% / 25.8%
16	South Korea	Asia	46.2 years	9.8% / 21.4%
18	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Europe	46.1 years	12.7% / 23.5%
19	Germany	Europe	45.7 years	13.9% / 24.2%
20	Croatia	Europe	45.5 years	13.5% / 24.0%
21	Taiwan	Asia	45.4 years	11.3% / 20.9%
22	Bulgaria	Europe	45.0 years	14.3% / 22.5%
22	Slovenia	Europe	45.0 years	14.2% / 22.7%
24	United States Virgin Islands	Latin America and the Caribbean	44.9 years	16.4% / 23.6%
25	Liechtenstein	Europe	44.7 years	14.2% / 22.0%
25	Serbia	Europe	44.7 years	14.2% / 23.4%
27	Guernsey	Europe	44.5 years	13.6% / 22.7%
28	Czechia	Europe	44.3 years	14.8% / 21.4%
29	Andorra	Europe	44.2 years	11.4% / 17.2%
29	Hungary	Europe	44.2 years	14.3% / 21.3%
31	Austria	Europe	43.9 years	14.1% / 21.6%
31	Jersey	Europe	43.9 years	14.0% / 19.7%
31	Saint Martin (French part)	Latin America and the Caribbean	43.9 years	20.6% / 21.0%
34	Latvia	Europe	43.8 years	15.0% / 22.7%
35	Romania	Europe	43.5 years	15.4% / 20.2%
36	Falkland Islands (Malvinas)	Latin America and the Caribbean	43.4 years	15.8% / 13.9%
36	Finland	Europe	43.4 years	14.0% / 24.5%
38	Estonia	Europe	43.2 years	14.9% / 22.3%
38	Switzerland	Europe	43.2 years	14.8% / 20.9%
40	Poland	Europe	43.0 years	14.1% / 21.3%
41	Slovakia	Europe	42.8 years	15.4% / 19.5%
42	Lithuania	Europe	42.6 years	14.3% / 21.3%
43	Cuba	Latin America and the Caribbean	42.5 years	14.7% / 17.6%
43	France	Europe	42.5 years	16.0% / 22.9%
45	Belgium	Europe	42.1 years	15.4% / 21.4%
46	Sint Maarten (Dutch part)	Latin America and the Caribbean	42.0 years	14.5% / 15.1%
47	Belarus	Europe	41.8 years	15.5% / 18.9%
47	Montserrat	Latin America and the Caribbean	41.8 years	15.5% / 20.1%
47	Ukraine	Europe	41.8 years	13.4% / 19.1%
50	Aruba	Latin America and the Caribbean	41.7 years	16.2% / 18.5%
51	Malta	Europe	41.5 years	12.8% / 20.9%
51	Netherlands	Europe	41.5 years	14.9% / 21.3%
53	North Macedonia	Europe	41.4 years	16.2% / 19.0%
54	Denmark	Europe	41.3 years	15.5% / 21.4%
55	Thailand	Asia	41.0 years	14.1% / 16.7%
56	Canada	Northern America	40.8 years	14.9% / 20.7%
57	Russia	Europe	40.7 years	16.7% / 18.4%
58	China	Asia	40.6 years	14.8% / 15.1%
59	Montenegro	Europe	40.4 years	17.7% / 18.8%
59	Sweden	Europe	40.4 years	16.4% / 21.1%
61	Macao	Asia	40.3 years	13.4% / 15.9%
62	United Kingdom	Europe	40.2 years	16.7% / 19.9%
63	Norway	Europe	40.1 years	15.7% / 19.4%
64	Barbados	Latin America and the Caribbean	39.7 years	16.9% / 17.6%
64	Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba	Latin America and the Caribbean	39.7 years	15.5% / 15.3%
64	Luxembourg	Europe	39.7 years	15.7% / 16.2%
67	Turks and Caicos Islands	Latin America and the Caribbean	39.6 years	16.0% / 12.2%
68	Ireland	Europe	39.2 years	17.6% / 16.5%
69	Anguilla	Latin America and the Caribbean	39.1 years	15.1% / 13.5%
69	British Virgin Islands	Latin America and the Caribbean	39.1 years	13.8% / 10.6%
69	Cayman Islands	Latin America and the Caribbean	39.1 years	15.9% / 10.1%
69	Cyprus	Asia	39.1 years	16.0% / 15.3%
69	Moldova	Europe	39.1 years	19.2% / 17.4%
69	Saint Barthélemy	Latin America and the Caribbean	39.1 years	17.4% / 18.6%
75	Curaçao	Latin America and the Caribbean	39.0 years	14.2% / 17.8%
76	Palau	Oceania	38.9 years	17.6% / 12.4%
77	Gibraltar	Europe	38.8 years	17.6% / 18.1%
77	Northern Mariana Islands	Oceania	38.8 years	20.4% / 11.9%
79	United States	Northern America	38.7 years	16.9% / 18.8%
80	Wallis and Futuna Islands	Oceania	38.6 years	18.3% / 15.8%
81	Australia	Oceania	38.5 years	17.5% / 18.5%
82	Réunion	Africa	38.4 years	20.2% / 16.9%
83	Mauritius	Africa	38.3 years	14.3% / 14.7%
84	Trinidad and Tobago	Latin America and the Caribbean	38.2 years	17.2% / 13.5%
85	Cook Islands	Oceania	38.1 years	22.5% / 15.6%
86	New Zealand	Oceania	38.0 years	17.6% / 18.0%
87	Albania	Europe	37.8 years	16.3% / 18.3%
88	Georgia	Asia	37.6 years	20.2% / 16.4%
89	Chile	Latin America and the Caribbean	37.4 years	16.1% / 15.1%
90	Armenia	Asia	37.2 years	18.7% / 15.2%
91	Faroe Islands	Europe	37.1 years	19.8% / 17.8%
92	North Korea	Asia	36.8 years	18.9% / 13.0%
92	Singapore	Asia	36.8 years	11.7% / 14.8%
94	Antigua and Barbuda	Latin America and the Caribbean	36.7 years	17.2% / 12.9%
94	French Polynesia	Oceania	36.7 years	17.8% / 12.6%
94	Uruguay	Latin America and the Caribbean	36.7 years	17.5% / 16.5%
97	Dominica	Latin America and the Caribbean	36.6 years	17.4% / 13.5%
97	Iceland	Europe	36.6 years	17.3% / 16.3%
99	Saint Kitts and Nevis	Latin America and the Caribbean	36.5 years	18.4% / 12.2%
100	Bahamas	Latin America and the Caribbean	35.7 years	17.2% / 12.5%
100	Costa Rica	Latin America and the Caribbean	35.7 years	17.8% / 13.3%
102	Greenland	Northern America	35.5 years	20.6% / 12.3%
103	Brazil	Latin America and the Caribbean	35.2 years	19.1% / 11.9%
104	Niue	Oceania	35.1 years	21.6% / 17.2%
104	Saint Lucia	Latin America and the Caribbean	35.1 years	17.1% / 10.3%
106	Grenada	Latin America and the Caribbean	34.9 years	18.6% / 13.0%
107	Kuwait	Asia	34.8 years	17.8% / 3.3%
107	New Caledonia	Oceania	34.8 years	20.9% / 12.1%
109	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Latin America and the Caribbean	34.7 years	20.4% / 12.6%
110	Seychelles	Africa	34.6 years	19.6% / 9.0%
111	Iran	Asia	34.5 years	21.6% / 8.9%
112	Azerbaijan	Asia	34.1 years	20.6% / 9.8%
113	Turkey	Asia	33.9 years	20.6% / 10.9%
113	Vietnam	Asia	33.9 years	22.4% / 9.9%
115	Sri Lanka	Asia	33.6 years	21.4% / 12.8%
116	Bahrain	Asia	33.4 years	18.2% / 4.2%
116	Maldives	Asia	33.4 years	18.4% / 5.3%
116	Qatar	Asia	33.4 years	15.0% / 1.7%
116	Tunisia	Africa	33.4 years	23.0% / 10.3%
120	Argentina	Latin America and the Caribbean	33.3 years	20.4% / 12.9%
120	Jamaica	Latin America and the Caribbean	33.3 years	17.9% / 9.0%
122	Brunei	Asia	33.2 years	20.4% / 7.6%
122	Kosovo	Europe	33.2 years	19.3% / 10.9%
124	Colombia	Latin America and the Caribbean	33.0 years	19.7% / 10.6%
125	Western Sahara	Africa	32.8 years	22.7% / 7.0%
126	Guam	Oceania	31.6 years	25.7% / 13.6%
126	United Arab Emirates	Asia	31.6 years	15.9% / 1.8%
128	Malaysia	Asia	31.4 years	20.8% / 8.3%
129	Bhutan	Asia	31.0 years	19.8% / 6.8%
130	Indonesia	Asia	30.7 years	23.9% / 7.8%
131	Panama	Latin America and the Caribbean	30.6 years	24.1% / 10.0%
132	Peru	Latin America and the Caribbean	30.5 years	23.3% / 9.7%
133	Myanmar	Asia	30.4 years	23.9% / 7.7%
134	Morocco	Africa	30.1 years	24.8% / 8.8%
135	Mexico	Latin America and the Caribbean	30.0 years	23.7% / 8.8%
136	Oman	Asia	29.8 years	24.0% / 2.7%
137	Ecuador	Latin America and the Caribbean	29.7 years	23.3% / 8.9%
137	Kazakhstan	Asia	29.7 years	28.9% / 9.3%
137	Saudi Arabia	Asia	29.7 years	23.4% / 3.2%
140	Cabo Verde	Africa	29.5 years	23.8% / 7.5%
140	Venezuela	Latin America and the Caribbean	29.5 years	24.3% / 10.4%
142	Israel	Asia	29.3 years	26.9% / 12.8%
143	India	Asia	29.2 years	23.8% / 7.6%
144	American Samoa	Oceania	29.1 years	25.7% / 9.1%
145	Lebanon	Asia	29.0 years	25.0% / 10.7%
146	South Africa	Africa	28.9 years	25.6% / 7.1%
146	Suriname	Latin America and the Caribbean	28.9 years	25.0% / 8.5%
148	Algeria	Africa	28.8 years	29.4% / 7.0%
149	Dominican Republic	Latin America and the Caribbean	28.7 years	25.8% / 8.5%
150	El Salvador	Latin America and the Caribbean	28.4 years	24.0% / 8.5%
151	Fiji	Oceania	28.3 years	26.6% / 6.8%
152	Libya	Africa	28.0 years	26.2% / 5.4%
153	Tokelau	Oceania	27.6 years	25.5% / 8.7%
154	Belize	Latin America and the Caribbean	27.3 years	26.0% / 5.4%
154	Paraguay	Latin America and the Caribbean	27.3 years	28.1% / 6.9%
154	Turkmenistan	Asia	27.3 years	30.8% / 5.1%
157	Mongolia	Asia	27.0 years	30.9% / 5.7%
157	Uzbekistan	Asia	27.0 years	31.5% / 6.3%
159	Philippines	Asia	26.6 years	26.4% / 6.0%
160	Guyana	Latin America and the Caribbean	26.5 years	28.7% / 7.2%
161	Cambodia	Asia	26.4 years	29.2% / 6.6%
162	Bangladesh	Asia	26.3 years	27.3% / 6.8%
162	Nicaragua	Latin America and the Caribbean	26.3 years	27.9% / 5.9%
164	Nepal	Asia	25.7 years	27.7% / 6.7%
165	Bolivia	Latin America and the Caribbean	25.5 years	29.1% / 5.8%
165	Kyrgyzstan	Asia	25.5 years	31.4% / 6.3%
167	Laos	Asia	25.3 years	29.5% / 5.0%
168	Djibouti	Africa	25.2 years	28.5% / 5.1%
169	French Guiana	Latin America and the Caribbean	24.9 years	30.8% / 7.5%
169	Jordan	Asia	24.9 years	29.6% / 5.0%
171	Egypt	Africa	24.7 years	31.1% / 5.4%
172	Honduras	Latin America and the Caribbean	24.6 years	29.9% / 4.7%
173	Haiti	Latin America and the Caribbean	24.3 years	30.4% / 4.9%
174	Tuvalu	Oceania	24.1 years	32.9% / 7.5%
175	Guatemala	Latin America and the Caribbean	23.8 years	30.5% / 5.1%
175	Syria	Asia	23.8 years	27.9% / 5.0%
177	Botswana	Africa	23.7 years	31.8% / 4.1%
178	Micronesia	Oceania	23.5 years	31.2% / 6.4%
179	Kiribati	Oceania	23.0 years	34.0% / 4.5%
179	Papua New Guinea	Oceania	23.0 years	32.8% / 3.7%
181	Eswatini	Africa	22.7 years	32.6% / 4.4%
182	Tajikistan	Asia	22.4 years	35.4% / 4.3%
183	Lesotho	Africa	22.1 years	33.6% / 3.9%
183	Timor-Leste	Asia	22.1 years	32.6% / 5.2%
185	Gabon	Africa	21.6 years	35.9% / 4.2%
185	Ghana	Africa	21.6 years	35.0% / 3.9%
187	Namibia	Africa	21.5 years	36.3% / 3.9%
188	Iraq	Asia	21.1 years	35.4% / 3.5%
189	Tonga	Oceania	21.0 years	34.4% / 7.0%
190	Equatorial Guinea	Africa	20.9 years	36.9% / 3.9%
190	Solomon Islands	Oceania	20.9 years	36.1% / 3.7%
192	Pakistan	Asia	20.8 years	35.8% / 4.4%
193	Comoros	Africa	20.7 years	36.6% / 4.4%
194	Marshall Islands	Oceania	20.5 years	33.3% / 5.1%
195	Kenya	Africa	20.3 years	35.7% / 3.1%
195	State of Palestine	Asia	20.3 years	37.0% / 3.9%
195	Vanuatu	Oceania	20.3 years	37.6% / 4.5%
198	Nauru	Oceania	20.2 years	36.4% / 3.2%
198	Rwanda	Africa	20.2 years	36.7% / 4.1%
200	Sierra Leone	Africa	19.9 years	37.2% / 3.3%
201	Samoa	Oceania	19.8 years	37.5% / 6.2%
201	Senegal	Africa	19.8 years	37.3% / 3.7%
203	Sao Tome and Principe	Africa	19.7 years	37.2% / 4.0%
204	Guinea-Bissau	Africa	19.6 years	37.8% / 3.3%
205	Eritrea	Africa	19.5 years	37.1% / 4.3%
206	Madagascar	Africa	19.4 years	38.6% / 3.5%
207	Ethiopia	Africa	19.3 years	38.5% / 3.4%
208	Togo	Africa	19.2 years	38.8% / 3.3%
209	Liberia	Africa	19.0 years	38.6% / 3.4%
209	South Sudan	Africa	19.0 years	37.1% / 3.2%
211	Gambia	Africa	18.8 years	39.2% / 3.3%
211	Sudan	Africa	18.8 years	39.8% / 3.5%
213	Republic of the Congo	Africa	18.7 years	39.4% / 3.1%
214	Guinea	Africa	18.5 years	40.2% / 3.5%
214	Ivory Coast	Africa	18.5 years	40.0% / 2.7%
214	Yemen	Asia	18.5 years	40.9% / 2.6%
217	Malawi	Africa	18.4 years	39.6% / 2.6%
218	Nigeria	Africa	18.3 years	40.0% / 3.1%
218	Zimbabwe	Africa	18.3 years	39.6% / 3.5%
220	Benin	Africa	18.2 years	40.9% / 3.2%
220	Cameroon	Africa	18.2 years	40.8% / 2.8%
220	Zambia	Africa	18.2 years	40.5% / 2.1%
223	Burkina Faso	Africa	18.0 years	40.5% / 2.7%
224	Tanzania	Africa	17.6 years	42.1% / 3.0%
225	Mauritania	Africa	17.5 years	42.0% / 3.3%
226	Afghanistan	Asia	17.4 years	42.2% / 2.5%
227	Mayotte	Africa	17.3 years	42.1% / 2.9%
228	Uganda	Africa	17.1 years	42.7% / 2.3%
229	Angola	Africa	16.7 years	43.8% / 2.9%
230	Burundi	Africa	16.6 years	43.2% / 2.6%
230	Mozambique	Africa	16.6 years	43.9% / 2.7%
232	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Africa	15.9 years	45.8% / 3.1%
232	Mali	Africa	15.9 years	45.4% / 2.3%
234	Chad	Africa	15.7 years	46.0% / 2.1%
234	Niger	Africa	15.7 years	45.8% / 2.6%
236	Somalia	Africa	15.6 years	46.5% / 2.6%
237	Central African Republic	Africa	14.6 years	48.2% / 2.2%

What this ranking measures—and what it does not

Definition

Median age is the age that divides a population into two equally sized groups: half are younger and half are older. It is not the mean age, life expectancy, or the age of the largest cohort.

Why it matters

Unlike a single age-band share, median age responds to the distribution across every age. Reading it beside the under-15 and 65+ shares distinguishes populations with similar medians but different structures.

Read with care

The 2026 values are UN medium-scenario projections. National medians hide subnational differences, and small differences between adjacent ranks should not be treated as substantively important.

What stands out in this comparison

Vatican City leads with 56.2 years, while Guadeloupe is at rank 10 with 47.4 years. At the other end of the complete table, Central African Republic has 14.6 years.

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, 56.2 years; under 15 / age 65+ 7.4% / 41.0%.
Monaco — rank 2, 53.1 years; under 15 / age 65+ 14.1% / 35.9%.
Saint Helena — rank 3, 51.0 years; under 15 / age 65+ 13.2% / 28.3%.
Japan — rank 4, 50.2 years; under 15 / age 65+ 11.0% / 30.2%.
Martinique — rank 4, 50.2 years; under 15 / age 65+ 14.5% / 27.4%.

Other end of the table

Central African Republic — rank 237, 14.6 years; under 15 / age 65+ 48.2% / 2.2%.
Somalia — rank 236, 15.6 years; under 15 / age 65+ 46.5% / 2.6%.
Niger — rank 234, 15.7 years; under 15 / age 65+ 45.8% / 2.6%.
Chad — rank 234, 15.7 years; under 15 / age 65+ 46.0% / 2.1%.
Mali — rank 232, 15.9 years; under 15 / age 65+ 45.4% / 2.3%.

Questions about this ranking

Which country or area ranks first for median age?

Vatican City ranks first in this comparison with 56.2 years. 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.