Countries With the Youngest Populations in 2026

2026 medium projection

Median age identifies the point with half the population younger and half older. The child share shows how much of that youth is concentrated below age 15.

Countries and areas: 237
Highest-ranked: Central African Republic14.6 years
Rank 10: Uganda17.1 years
End of table: Vatican City56.2 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 countries with the youngest populations in 2026 ranking

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

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Countries With the Youngest Populations in 2026
Rank	Country or area	Region	Median age	Under age 15
1	Central African Republic	Africa	14.6 years	48.2%
2	Somalia	Africa	15.6 years	46.5%
3	Chad	Africa	15.7 years	46.0%
3	Niger	Africa	15.7 years	45.8%
5	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Africa	15.9 years	45.8%
5	Mali	Africa	15.9 years	45.4%
7	Burundi	Africa	16.6 years	43.2%
7	Mozambique	Africa	16.6 years	43.9%
9	Angola	Africa	16.7 years	43.8%
10	Uganda	Africa	17.1 years	42.7%
11	Mayotte	Africa	17.3 years	42.1%
12	Afghanistan	Asia	17.4 years	42.2%
13	Mauritania	Africa	17.5 years	42.0%
14	Tanzania	Africa	17.6 years	42.1%
15	Burkina Faso	Africa	18.0 years	40.5%
16	Benin	Africa	18.2 years	40.9%
16	Cameroon	Africa	18.2 years	40.8%
16	Zambia	Africa	18.2 years	40.5%
19	Nigeria	Africa	18.3 years	40.0%
19	Zimbabwe	Africa	18.3 years	39.6%
21	Malawi	Africa	18.4 years	39.6%
22	Guinea	Africa	18.5 years	40.2%
22	Ivory Coast	Africa	18.5 years	40.0%
22	Yemen	Asia	18.5 years	40.9%
25	Republic of the Congo	Africa	18.7 years	39.4%
26	Gambia	Africa	18.8 years	39.2%
26	Sudan	Africa	18.8 years	39.8%
28	Liberia	Africa	19.0 years	38.6%
28	South Sudan	Africa	19.0 years	37.1%
30	Togo	Africa	19.2 years	38.8%
31	Ethiopia	Africa	19.3 years	38.5%
32	Madagascar	Africa	19.4 years	38.6%
33	Eritrea	Africa	19.5 years	37.1%
34	Guinea-Bissau	Africa	19.6 years	37.8%
35	Sao Tome and Principe	Africa	19.7 years	37.2%
36	Samoa	Oceania	19.8 years	37.5%
36	Senegal	Africa	19.8 years	37.3%
38	Sierra Leone	Africa	19.9 years	37.2%
39	Nauru	Oceania	20.2 years	36.4%
39	Rwanda	Africa	20.2 years	36.7%
41	Kenya	Africa	20.3 years	35.7%
41	State of Palestine	Asia	20.3 years	37.0%
41	Vanuatu	Oceania	20.3 years	37.6%
44	Marshall Islands	Oceania	20.5 years	33.3%
45	Comoros	Africa	20.7 years	36.6%
46	Pakistan	Asia	20.8 years	35.8%
47	Equatorial Guinea	Africa	20.9 years	36.9%
47	Solomon Islands	Oceania	20.9 years	36.1%
49	Tonga	Oceania	21.0 years	34.4%
50	Iraq	Asia	21.1 years	35.4%
51	Namibia	Africa	21.5 years	36.3%
52	Gabon	Africa	21.6 years	35.9%
52	Ghana	Africa	21.6 years	35.0%
54	Lesotho	Africa	22.1 years	33.6%
54	Timor-Leste	Asia	22.1 years	32.6%
56	Tajikistan	Asia	22.4 years	35.4%
57	Eswatini	Africa	22.7 years	32.6%
58	Kiribati	Oceania	23.0 years	34.0%
58	Papua New Guinea	Oceania	23.0 years	32.8%
60	Micronesia	Oceania	23.5 years	31.2%
61	Botswana	Africa	23.7 years	31.8%
62	Guatemala	Latin America and the Caribbean	23.8 years	30.5%
62	Syria	Asia	23.8 years	27.9%
64	Tuvalu	Oceania	24.1 years	32.9%
65	Haiti	Latin America and the Caribbean	24.3 years	30.4%
66	Honduras	Latin America and the Caribbean	24.6 years	29.9%
67	Egypt	Africa	24.7 years	31.1%
68	French Guiana	Latin America and the Caribbean	24.9 years	30.8%
68	Jordan	Asia	24.9 years	29.6%
70	Djibouti	Africa	25.2 years	28.5%
71	Laos	Asia	25.3 years	29.5%
72	Bolivia	Latin America and the Caribbean	25.5 years	29.1%
72	Kyrgyzstan	Asia	25.5 years	31.4%
74	Nepal	Asia	25.7 years	27.7%
75	Bangladesh	Asia	26.3 years	27.3%
75	Nicaragua	Latin America and the Caribbean	26.3 years	27.9%
77	Cambodia	Asia	26.4 years	29.2%
78	Guyana	Latin America and the Caribbean	26.5 years	28.7%
79	Philippines	Asia	26.6 years	26.4%
80	Mongolia	Asia	27.0 years	30.9%
80	Uzbekistan	Asia	27.0 years	31.5%
82	Belize	Latin America and the Caribbean	27.3 years	26.0%
82	Paraguay	Latin America and the Caribbean	27.3 years	28.1%
82	Turkmenistan	Asia	27.3 years	30.8%
85	Tokelau	Oceania	27.6 years	25.5%
86	Libya	Africa	28.0 years	26.2%
87	Fiji	Oceania	28.3 years	26.6%
88	El Salvador	Latin America and the Caribbean	28.4 years	24.0%
89	Dominican Republic	Latin America and the Caribbean	28.7 years	25.8%
90	Algeria	Africa	28.8 years	29.4%
91	South Africa	Africa	28.9 years	25.6%
91	Suriname	Latin America and the Caribbean	28.9 years	25.0%
93	Lebanon	Asia	29.0 years	25.0%
94	American Samoa	Oceania	29.1 years	25.7%
95	India	Asia	29.2 years	23.8%
96	Israel	Asia	29.3 years	26.9%
97	Cabo Verde	Africa	29.5 years	23.8%
97	Venezuela	Latin America and the Caribbean	29.5 years	24.3%
99	Ecuador	Latin America and the Caribbean	29.7 years	23.3%
99	Kazakhstan	Asia	29.7 years	28.9%
99	Saudi Arabia	Asia	29.7 years	23.4%
102	Oman	Asia	29.8 years	24.0%
103	Mexico	Latin America and the Caribbean	30.0 years	23.7%
104	Morocco	Africa	30.1 years	24.8%
105	Myanmar	Asia	30.4 years	23.9%
106	Peru	Latin America and the Caribbean	30.5 years	23.3%
107	Panama	Latin America and the Caribbean	30.6 years	24.1%
108	Indonesia	Asia	30.7 years	23.9%
109	Bhutan	Asia	31.0 years	19.8%
110	Malaysia	Asia	31.4 years	20.8%
111	Guam	Oceania	31.6 years	25.7%
111	United Arab Emirates	Asia	31.6 years	15.9%
113	Western Sahara	Africa	32.8 years	22.7%
114	Colombia	Latin America and the Caribbean	33.0 years	19.7%
115	Brunei	Asia	33.2 years	20.4%
115	Kosovo	Europe	33.2 years	19.3%
117	Argentina	Latin America and the Caribbean	33.3 years	20.4%
117	Jamaica	Latin America and the Caribbean	33.3 years	17.9%
119	Bahrain	Asia	33.4 years	18.2%
119	Maldives	Asia	33.4 years	18.4%
119	Qatar	Asia	33.4 years	15.0%
119	Tunisia	Africa	33.4 years	23.0%
123	Sri Lanka	Asia	33.6 years	21.4%
124	Turkey	Asia	33.9 years	20.6%
124	Vietnam	Asia	33.9 years	22.4%
126	Azerbaijan	Asia	34.1 years	20.6%
127	Iran	Asia	34.5 years	21.6%
128	Seychelles	Africa	34.6 years	19.6%
129	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Latin America and the Caribbean	34.7 years	20.4%
130	Kuwait	Asia	34.8 years	17.8%
130	New Caledonia	Oceania	34.8 years	20.9%
132	Grenada	Latin America and the Caribbean	34.9 years	18.6%
133	Niue	Oceania	35.1 years	21.6%
133	Saint Lucia	Latin America and the Caribbean	35.1 years	17.1%
135	Brazil	Latin America and the Caribbean	35.2 years	19.1%
136	Greenland	Northern America	35.5 years	20.6%
137	Bahamas	Latin America and the Caribbean	35.7 years	17.2%
137	Costa Rica	Latin America and the Caribbean	35.7 years	17.8%
139	Saint Kitts and Nevis	Latin America and the Caribbean	36.5 years	18.4%
140	Dominica	Latin America and the Caribbean	36.6 years	17.4%
140	Iceland	Europe	36.6 years	17.3%
142	Antigua and Barbuda	Latin America and the Caribbean	36.7 years	17.2%
142	French Polynesia	Oceania	36.7 years	17.8%
142	Uruguay	Latin America and the Caribbean	36.7 years	17.5%
145	North Korea	Asia	36.8 years	18.9%
145	Singapore	Asia	36.8 years	11.7%
147	Faroe Islands	Europe	37.1 years	19.8%
148	Armenia	Asia	37.2 years	18.7%
149	Chile	Latin America and the Caribbean	37.4 years	16.1%
150	Georgia	Asia	37.6 years	20.2%
151	Albania	Europe	37.8 years	16.3%
152	New Zealand	Oceania	38.0 years	17.6%
153	Cook Islands	Oceania	38.1 years	22.5%
154	Trinidad and Tobago	Latin America and the Caribbean	38.2 years	17.2%
155	Mauritius	Africa	38.3 years	14.3%
156	Réunion	Africa	38.4 years	20.2%
157	Australia	Oceania	38.5 years	17.5%
158	Wallis and Futuna Islands	Oceania	38.6 years	18.3%
159	United States	Northern America	38.7 years	16.9%
160	Gibraltar	Europe	38.8 years	17.6%
160	Northern Mariana Islands	Oceania	38.8 years	20.4%
162	Palau	Oceania	38.9 years	17.6%
163	Curaçao	Latin America and the Caribbean	39.0 years	14.2%
164	Anguilla	Latin America and the Caribbean	39.1 years	15.1%
164	British Virgin Islands	Latin America and the Caribbean	39.1 years	13.8%
164	Cayman Islands	Latin America and the Caribbean	39.1 years	15.9%
164	Cyprus	Asia	39.1 years	16.0%
164	Moldova	Europe	39.1 years	19.2%
164	Saint Barthélemy	Latin America and the Caribbean	39.1 years	17.4%
170	Ireland	Europe	39.2 years	17.6%
171	Turks and Caicos Islands	Latin America and the Caribbean	39.6 years	16.0%
172	Barbados	Latin America and the Caribbean	39.7 years	16.9%
172	Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba	Latin America and the Caribbean	39.7 years	15.5%
172	Luxembourg	Europe	39.7 years	15.7%
175	Norway	Europe	40.1 years	15.7%
176	United Kingdom	Europe	40.2 years	16.7%
177	Macao	Asia	40.3 years	13.4%
178	Montenegro	Europe	40.4 years	17.7%
178	Sweden	Europe	40.4 years	16.4%
180	China	Asia	40.6 years	14.8%
181	Russia	Europe	40.7 years	16.7%
182	Canada	Northern America	40.8 years	14.9%
183	Thailand	Asia	41.0 years	14.1%
184	Denmark	Europe	41.3 years	15.5%
185	North Macedonia	Europe	41.4 years	16.2%
186	Malta	Europe	41.5 years	12.8%
186	Netherlands	Europe	41.5 years	14.9%
188	Aruba	Latin America and the Caribbean	41.7 years	16.2%
189	Belarus	Europe	41.8 years	15.5%
189	Montserrat	Latin America and the Caribbean	41.8 years	15.5%
189	Ukraine	Europe	41.8 years	13.4%
192	Sint Maarten (Dutch part)	Latin America and the Caribbean	42.0 years	14.5%
193	Belgium	Europe	42.1 years	15.4%
194	Cuba	Latin America and the Caribbean	42.5 years	14.7%
194	France	Europe	42.5 years	16.0%
196	Lithuania	Europe	42.6 years	14.3%
197	Slovakia	Europe	42.8 years	15.4%
198	Poland	Europe	43.0 years	14.1%
199	Estonia	Europe	43.2 years	14.9%
199	Switzerland	Europe	43.2 years	14.8%
201	Falkland Islands (Malvinas)	Latin America and the Caribbean	43.4 years	15.8%
201	Finland	Europe	43.4 years	14.0%
203	Romania	Europe	43.5 years	15.4%
204	Latvia	Europe	43.8 years	15.0%
205	Austria	Europe	43.9 years	14.1%
205	Jersey	Europe	43.9 years	14.0%
205	Saint Martin (French part)	Latin America and the Caribbean	43.9 years	20.6%
208	Andorra	Europe	44.2 years	11.4%
208	Hungary	Europe	44.2 years	14.3%
210	Czechia	Europe	44.3 years	14.8%
211	Guernsey	Europe	44.5 years	13.6%
212	Liechtenstein	Europe	44.7 years	14.2%
212	Serbia	Europe	44.7 years	14.2%
214	United States Virgin Islands	Latin America and the Caribbean	44.9 years	16.4%
215	Bulgaria	Europe	45.0 years	14.3%
215	Slovenia	Europe	45.0 years	14.2%
217	Taiwan	Asia	45.4 years	11.3%
218	Croatia	Europe	45.5 years	13.5%
219	Germany	Europe	45.7 years	13.9%
220	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Europe	46.1 years	12.7%
221	Puerto Rico	Latin America and the Caribbean	46.2 years	10.9%
221	South Korea	Asia	46.2 years	9.8%
223	Isle of Man	Europe	46.3 years	13.6%
223	Spain	Europe	46.3 years	12.3%
225	Bermuda	Northern America	46.4 years	13.1%
226	Greece	Europe	47.1 years	12.6%
227	Portugal	Europe	47.2 years	12.6%
228	Guadeloupe	Latin America and the Caribbean	47.4 years	15.9%
229	Saint Pierre and Miquelon	Northern America	47.6 years	12.3%
230	Hong Kong	Asia	47.9 years	10.0%
231	Italy	Europe	48.6 years	11.4%
232	San Marino	Europe	49.1 years	11.4%
233	Japan	Asia	50.2 years	11.0%
233	Martinique	Latin America and the Caribbean	50.2 years	14.5%
235	Saint Helena	Africa	51.0 years	13.2%
236	Monaco	Europe	53.1 years	14.1%
237	Vatican City	Europe	56.2 years	7.4%

What this ranking measures—and what it does not

Definition

A median age of 18 means half the population is younger than 18 and half is older. It is not the average age and does not describe the age of the largest cohort.

Why it matters

Very young age structures create momentum: large cohorts moving into adulthood can sustain growth even after fertility begins to fall. They also increase near-term demand for schooling, health services, and future jobs.

Read with care

A low median age is not a development score. National medians conceal differences within countries and say nothing by themselves about education, health, income, or opportunity.

What stands out in this comparison

Central African Republic leads with 14.6 years, while Uganda is at rank 10 with 17.1 years. At the other end of the complete table, Vatican City has 56.2 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

Central African Republic — rank 1, 14.6 years; under age 15 48.2%.
Somalia — rank 2, 15.6 years; under age 15 46.5%.
Chad — rank 3, 15.7 years; under age 15 46.0%.
Niger — rank 3, 15.7 years; under age 15 45.8%.
Democratic Republic of the Congo — rank 5, 15.9 years; under age 15 45.8%.

Other end of the table

Vatican City — rank 237, 56.2 years; under age 15 7.4%.
Monaco — rank 236, 53.1 years; under age 15 14.1%.
Saint Helena — rank 235, 51.0 years; under age 15 13.2%.
Martinique — rank 233, 50.2 years; under age 15 14.5%.
Japan — rank 233, 50.2 years; under age 15 11.0%.

Questions about this ranking

Which country or area ranks first for median age?

Central African Republic ranks first in this comparison with 14.6 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.