As people around the world live longer and birth rates go down in many countries, some nations now have much older populations. One way to understand this is by looking at the median age, which shows the middle age of the population. In this article, we will explore the top-10 countries with the oldest populations based on median age and learn why their people are growing older.
What is Median Age?
The median age is the age that splits a population into two equal parts:
- Half of the people are younger than this age
- The other half are older
This number helps us understand whether a country has more young people or more older adults.
How is Median Age Calculated?
To find the median age:
- List all ages in a country’s population
- Sort the list from youngest to oldest
- Find the middle age:
- If there’s an odd number of people, the middle age is the median
- If even, take the average of the two middle ages
Top-10 Countries with the Oldest Populations
These are the countries with the highest median age in the world:
| Rank | Country | Median Age |
| 1. | Monaco | 56.9 years |
| 2. | Japan | 49.9 years |
| 3. | Andorra | 48.8 years |
| 4. | Italy | 48.4 years |
| 5. | Hong Kong | 47.2 years |
| 6. | Germany | 46.8 years |
| 7. | Spain | 46.8 years |
| 8. | Greece | 46.5 years |
| 9. | Portugal | 46.4 years |
| 10. | Slovenia | 46.3 years |
Why are these Populations So Old?
There are several reasons:
- People are living longer because of better healthcare and lifestyles
- Fewer babies are being born, so younger age groups are shrinking
- Many younger people are moving abroad, leaving more elder people behind
These things combined make the average age go up over time.


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