Society

The world is getting older

Every country's population by age, 1950 to 2023: one small pyramid per country, children at the base, elders at the top, youngest countries first. Press play and the triangles narrow into towers as birth rates fall and lifespans grow. The rust bands are people over 65. In 1950, 18 countries had a median age over 30; today it is 108. Tap or hover any country.

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Data & source

Source: UN World Population Prospects 2024, population by single age and sex, medium-variant estimates 1950–2023 (not projections) · CC BY 3.0 IGO · fetched —. Single ages binned to 5-year bands (80+ pooled); the wall shows the 201 countries and areas with a complete series and at least ninety thousand people in 2023, sorted by 2023 median age. Median ages computed from the binned bands, so they can differ from the UN's published single-age medians by a few tenths of a year.