Afghanistan vs China: Median age

Median age in 2023: 16.9 years in Afghanistan and 39.1 years in China, by UN estimates. In 2023 the value was higher in China, by 22.1 years, or 2.31 times that in Afghanistan.

Watch it change on the map

years · UN

AfghanistanChinaUN projection (medium variant)95% prediction intervalWorld

What the numbers say

China has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1950.
In 2023, Afghanistan ranked 219 and China ranked 60 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (medium variant) puts Afghanistan at 34.8 years and China at 60.7 years in 2100.
The world as a whole: 30.4 years in 2023.

Every year

years · UN

Year	Afghanistan	China	World
2023	16.9	39.1	30.4
2022	16.8	38.5	30.1
2021	16.6	38	29.8
2020	16.4	37.5	29.6
2019	16.2	37	29.3
2018	16.1	36.6	29
2017	15.9	36.3	28.8
2016	15.7	36	28.5
2015	15.5	35.7	28.3
2014	15.3	35.4	28.1
2013	15.1	35.1	27.8
2012	15	34.9	27.6
2011	14.8	34.5	27.4
2010	14.6	34.1	27.2
2009	14.5	33.7	27
2008	14.3	33.3	26.7
2007	14.2	32.8	26.5
2006	14.1	32.3	26.3
2005	14	31.8	26.1
2004	13.9	31.2	25.9
2003	13.9	30.7	25.7
2002	13.9	30.1	25.5
2001	13.9	29.5	25.3
2000	14	29	25.1
1999	14.1	28.4	24.9
1998	14.2	27.8	24.7
1997	14.3	27.2	24.4
1996	14.4	26.7	24.2
1995	14.6	26.1	24
1994	14.7	25.6	23.8
1993	14.8	25.1	23.5
1992	14.9	24.6	23.3
1991	14.9	24.1	23.1
1990	15	23.7	22.9
1989	15.1	23.4	22.8
1988	15.1	23	22.6
1987	15.2	22.6	22.4
1986	15.2	22.2	22.2
1985	15.3	21.7	22
1984	15.4	21.4	21.9
1983	15.5	21.2	21.8
1982	15.6	21.2	21.7
1981	15.7	21.1	21.6
1980	15.8	20.9	21.5
1979	15.9	20.6	21.3
1978	16	20.2	21.1
1977	16.2	19.8	21
1976	16.3	19.4	20.8
1975	16.4	19.1	20.7
1974	16.5	18.8	20.5
1973	16.6	18.5	20.4
1972	16.7	18.3	20.4
1971	16.8	18.1	20.3
1970	17	18	20.3
1969	17.1	18	20.3
1968	17.3	18.1	20.4
1967	17.4	18.1	20.5
1966	17.5	18.2	20.6
1965	17.5	18.5	20.8
1964	17.6	18.9	21
1963	17.6	19.4	21.2
1962	17.7	19.9	21.4
1961	17.8	20	21.4
1960	17.9	19.9	21.5
1959	18	19.9	21.5
1958	18	19.9	21.5
1957	18.1	20.2	21.6
1956	18.1	20.5	21.7
1955	18.2	20.7	21.8
1954	18.2	21	21.9
1953	18.3	21.3	22
1952	18.3	21.6	22.1
1951	18.4	22	22.1
1950	18.4	22.3	22.2

UN projection (medium variant) · 2024–2100

Year	Afghanistan	China	World
2024	17.116.9–17.3	39.639.6–39.6	30.6
2025	17.316.7–17.8	40.140–40.2	30.9
2026	17.416.5–18.2	40.740.5–40.7	31.1
2027	17.616.4–18.5	41.241.1–41.3	31.3
2028	17.816.5–18.8	41.841.6–41.9	31.6
2029	1816.6–19.1	42.342.2–42.5	31.8
2030	18.216.7–19.4	42.942.7–43.1	32
2031	18.417–19.7	43.543.3–43.7	32.2
2032	18.617.2–19.9	44.143.8–44.3	32.4
2033	18.817.4–20.1	44.744.4–44.9	32.6
2034	19.117.6–20.4	45.345–45.5	32.8
2035	19.317.9–20.5	45.845.5–46.1	33
2036	19.518.2–20.7	46.446.1–46.7	33.2
2037	19.718.5–20.7	4746.6–47.3	33.4
2038	2018.8–20.7	47.547.2–47.8	33.6
2039	20.219.1–20.8	48.147.7–48.4	33.8
2040	20.519.5–21	48.648.2–49	34
2041	20.719.8–21.1	49.148.6–49.5	34.2
2042	2120.2–21.2	49.549–50	34.4
2043	21.220.6–21.3	49.949.3–50.4	34.6
2044	21.521–21.5	50.349.6–50.8	34.8
2045	21.721.4–21.6	50.649.9–51.2	35
2046	2221.7–21.8	5150.2–51.6	35.2
2047	22.221.8–22.2	51.350.5–51.9	35.4
2048	22.522–22.5	51.650.7–52.3	35.6
2049	22.822.1–22.9	51.951–52.6	35.9
2050	2322.2–23.2	52.151.2–52.9	36.1
2051	23.322.5–23.6	52.451.4–53.2	36.3
2052	23.622.7–23.9	52.751.6–53.5	36.5
2053	23.822.9–24.2	52.951.8–53.8	36.7
2054	24.123.2–24.5	53.252.1–54.1	36.9
2055	24.323.4–24.7	53.452.3–54.4	37.1
2056	24.623.6–24.9	53.752.5–54.7	37.3
2057	24.923.8–25.2	53.952.8–55	37.5
2058	25.123.9–25.5	54.253–55.2	37.6
2059	25.424–25.8	54.453.2–55.5	37.8
2060	25.624.2–25.9	54.753.4–55.8	37.9
2061	25.924.4–25.9	54.953.6–56.1	38
2062	26.124.7–25.9	55.253.8–56.4	38.1
2063	26.424.8–26	55.554.1–56.8	38.3
2064	26.625–26.2	55.854.4–57.1	38.4
2065	26.925.1–26.3	56.154.7–57.5	38.5
2066	27.125.3–26.7	56.454.9–57.9	38.6
2067	27.425.4–27.2	56.755.2–58.3	38.7
2068	27.625.6–27.5	57.155.5–58.7	38.8
2069	27.925.7–27.8	57.455.7–59.1	38.9
2070	28.125.9–27.9	57.756–59.5	39
2071	28.326–27.9	58.156.3–60	39.1
2072	28.626.3–28.1	58.556.6–60.4	39.2
2073	28.826.5–28.5	58.956.9–60.9	39.3
2074	2926.7–28.7	59.257.2–61.3	39.4
2075	29.326.9–28.9	59.657.5–61.8	39.5
2076	29.527.1–29.3	6057.7–62.3	39.6
2077	29.827.2–29.7	60.357.9–62.7	39.7
2078	3027.3–30	60.758.1–63.2	39.8
2079	30.227.3–30.3	61.158.1–63.7	40
2080	30.527.4–30.5	61.457.9–64.2	40.1
2081	30.727.5–30.8	61.757.6–64.7	40.2
2082	30.927.7–31	6257.2–65.2	40.3
2083	31.227.8–31.2	62.257.1–65.7	40.4
2084	31.427.9–31.6	62.256.9–66.3	40.5
2085	31.628.1–31.9	62.256.7–66.8	40.6
2086	31.828.2–32.3	6256.6–67.3	40.7
2087	32.128.3–32.3	61.956.4–67.8	40.9
2088	32.328.4–32.4	61.756.3–68.2	41
2089	32.528.6–32.8	61.656.2–68.6	41.1
2090	32.728.8–33.2	61.456.1–69	41.2
2091	32.928.9–33.5	61.356.1–69.3	41.3
2092	33.229.1–33.8	61.256–69.6	41.4
2093	33.429.3–34.1	61.156–69.7	41.5
2094	33.629.5–34.2	6156–69.8	41.6
2095	33.829.7–34.2	60.956–69.8	41.7
2096	3429.9–34.3	60.856.1–69.7	41.8
2097	34.230–34.4	60.856.2–69.6	41.9
2098	34.430.2–34.6	60.756.3–69.5	42
2099	34.630.4–34.6	60.756.4–69.3	42
2100	34.830.5–34.6	60.756.5–69.1	42.1

Each country on its own

Good to know

Half the people are older than this age and half are younger.
Source: UN DESA, World Population Prospects 2024.
The dashed line is the UN projection (medium variant), a scenario rather than a forecast; the band is its 95% prediction interval.
Ranks count the 229 countries with a value in 2023, highest first.
The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Afghanistan vs China: Median age

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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