Median Age by Continent, Mapped From 2000 to 2100

Median age, the age that splits a population exactly in half with younger people on one side and older people on the other, currently ranges from 17.9 in Africa to 44.7 in Europe. Pulled back to 2000 and forward to 2100, the numbers show South America climbing faster than any other continent, closing in on Europe by the end of the century after starting the 2000s as one of the youngest regions on the list.

Key Takeaways

• Europe has the highest median age of any continent today at 44.7, and stays highest through 2050, though the gap with South America narrows to almost nothing by 2100
• South America’s median age is projected to rise by roughly 25 years between 2000 and 2100, the largest full century increase of any continent on this list
• Africa remains the youngest continent throughout, still projected to land at roughly 35 in 2100 while every other continent has already climbed well past 40
• North America and Oceania see the smallest full century increases of the six, both adding under eleven years between 2000 and 2100

2000 figures come from Atlasocio’s compilation of UN World Population Prospects data. The world’s 2050 and 2100 figures come from UN and Pew Research Center’s analysis of UN population projections.