Global ageing population statistics & facts

The ageing world at a glance

The world has never been older. In 2026, about 892 million people are aged 65 or over, 10.7 percent of the global population, according to UN projections. That is seven times the number in 1950, when 127 million people, or 5.1 percent, had reached 65. The number of people aged 80 or over has grown even faster, from 16 million to 177 million, and the number of centenarians has passed 690,000. The median age of the world population, the age that divides it into two equal halves, has risen from 21.7 years in 1975 to 32.2 years in 2026.

Ageing is the result of two of the great successes of the past century: longer lives and smaller families. It also brings some of the biggest challenges of the next, from pensions and health care to labour shortages. This report covers the older population worldwide, the oldest and youngest countries, centenarians, the ratio of older people to the working-age population and the projections to 2100. It goes further than the age overview in our world population statistics.

How fast the older population is growing

The older population has grown steadily for seven decades and is now growing faster than ever. The number of people aged 65 and over rose from 127 million in 1950 to 427 million in 2000 and 749 million in 2020. It is projected to pass 1 billion around 2030 and to reach 1.59 billion by 2050 and 2.44 billion by 2100. In 2026 alone, the world adds about 31 million people aged 65 or over.

One billion by 2030: The 65-plus population is set to pass 1 billion around 2030 and the 80-plus population to reach 453 million by 2050.

The oldest old are the fastest-growing group. The population aged 80 and over is projected to more than double from 177 million in 2026 to 453 million in 2050 and reach almost 950 million by 2100. Women make up 61 percent of people aged 80 and over and more than 80 percent of centenarians, because they live longer than men. The gender balance at older ages is explored in our report on the world population by gender.

A symbolic milestone has already passed. The US Census Bureau, which publishes its own international population estimates, reported in August 2026 that between 2020 and 2025 the population aged 65 and older exceeded the population aged 5 and younger for the first time in recorded history. On UN projections, the population aged 65 and over will also outnumber all children under 18 by the late 2070s.

The changing shape of the world population

As the older population grows, the share of children shrinks. In 1950, 34.9 percent of the world population was under 15 and 5.1 percent was 65 or older. In 2026, the shares are 23.9 percent and 10.7 percent. By 2050, the UN expects 20.3 percent of people to be under 15 and 16.4 percent to be 65 or older, and by 2100 the older group, at 24.0 percent, will be larger than the group of children, at 16.5 percent.

Fewer children, more grandparents: By 2100, people aged 65 and over will make up a larger share of the world than children under 15.

The working-age population, aged 15 to 64, makes up 65.4 percent of the world in 2026, close to its historical peak, which the UN projects for 2027. This bulge has given many countries a demographic dividend: a large workforce relative to the number of dependants. As ageing continues, that share is projected to fall to 63.2 percent by 2050 and 59.5 percent by 2100.

The oldest countries in the world

Japan is the oldest country in the world. In 2026, 30.3 percent of its population is aged 65 or over and 11.2 percent is 80 or over, according to UN projections. Puerto Rico (26.1 percent), Italy (25.8 percent), Portugal (25.6 percent) and Hong Kong (25.2 percent) follow, ahead of Greece, Finland, Germany and Croatia. In total, 46 countries and areas have at least one in five people aged 65 or over.

Japan leads: Almost a third of people in Japan are 65 or older, and more than one in nine are 80 or older.

Most of the oldest countries are in Europe and East Asia, where fertility has been low for decades and life expectancy is high. Emigration of young adults has added to ageing in southern and eastern Europe and in Puerto Rico. The ranking is set to change: by 2050, the UN projects that Hong Kong (46.8 percent), South Korea (39.9 percent) and Taiwan (39.0 percent) will overtake Japan (37.5 percent). The US Census Bureau projects that South Korea will be the oldest country in the world by 2060, with 41 percent of its population aged 65 or over.

Median age: from 15 to 51

The median age shows how wide the gap between the oldest and youngest societies has become. In Japan, half the population is older than 51.4 years. Italy (49.8), Hong Kong (49.3), Portugal (48.4) and Greece (48.3) follow. At the other end, half the population of the Central African Republic is younger than 15.7 years, and Somalia, Chad, Niger, DR Congo and Mali all have median ages of 17 or less.

Over 50 in Japan: Half of all people in Japan are older than 51.4 years.

Under 16 in CAR: Half the population of the Central African Republic is younger than 15.7 years.

The difference between Japan and the Central African Republic is more than 35 years. Among the largest countries, the median age is 41.9 years in China (see our report on the population of China), 39.8 in the United States, 30.4 in India and 19.5 in Nigeria. Age structure in the United States is covered in more detail in our report on the US population by sex and age.

Ageing by continent

Europe is the oldest continent, with 21.6 percent of its population aged 65 and over in 2026 and a median age of 44.2 years. Northern America follows with 19.3 percent and Oceania with 14.3 percent. Asia and Latin America are at about 10.7 percent but are ageing fastest: both are projected to reach about 19 percent by 2050. Africa remains young, with only 3.8 percent of its population aged 65 or over and a median age of 20.6 years.

Asia and Latin America catch up: Both continents are set to nearly double their older share by 2050, reaching the level Europe has today.

The speed of ageing matters as much as the level. Europe aged gradually over many decades, while many countries in Asia and Latin America are ageing within a few decades, often at lower income levels, which leaves less time to build pension and care systems. Between 2026 and 2050, the older share in Asia and Latin America is projected to rise by about 8 percentage points, against about 7 points in Europe, which starts from a much higher level.

Fewer workers per older person

The old-age dependency ratio measures the number of people aged 65 and over for every 100 people aged 15 to 64. Worldwide, it has risen from 8.4 in 1950 to 16.4 in 2026, meaning there are about six people of working age for every older person. The UN projects a ratio of 26.0 by 2050, or fewer than four working-age people per older person, and 40.3 by 2100.

From 12 to 2.5: The number of working-age people per older person is set to fall from about 12 in 1950 to about 2.5 in 2100.

The ratio is already 33.9 in Europe and 30.0 in Northern America in 2026, and is projected to reach 49.8 in Europe by 2050, when there will be about two working-age people for every person aged 65 and over. In Africa the ratio is just 6.5. Rising dependency ratios put pressure on pay-as-you-go pension systems and health budgets, and many countries have responded by raising the retirement age, encouraging older people to keep working and relying more on immigration, as in the United States.

The rise of centenarians

The number of people aged 100 or over has grown faster than any other age group. The UN estimates about 96,000 centenarians worldwide in 1990, 168,000 in 2000 and 566,000 in 2023. In 2026 the projected number is about 693,000. By 2050 it is expected to approach 2.7 million, and by 2100 more than 18 million.

Japan has the most: About 127,000 Japanese are aged 100 or over, more than in the United States, which has almost three times the population.

Japan has by far the largest number of centenarians, about 127,000 in 2026, followed by the United States with 79,000, China with 54,000 and India with 45,000. France, Russia, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom and Thailand complete the top ten. Four in five centenarians are women. Counting the very old is difficult, especially where birth registration was incomplete a century ago, so these estimates carry more uncertainty than those for younger ages.

What an older world means

Population ageing is now irreversible for most of the world. The UN projects that the number of countries and areas where at least one in five people is aged 65 or over will rise from 46 in 2026 to 112 by 2050. Older populations will change demand for health care, housing and consumer goods, and will shape labour markets and public finances. The drivers of ageing are covered in our reports on the global fertility rate and life expectancy by country, and its consequences for the number of deaths in our report on the global death rate. For country-level growth and decline, see population growth by country.

The ageing world in numbers

Frequently Asked Questions