TOP 10 Countries with Oldest Median Age (2025)
2025 Median Age Ranking: Key Findings
Among sovereign-country entries in UN World Population Prospects 2024, the Holy See has the highest projected median age in 2025 at 57.375 years, followed by Monaco at 53.620 years and Japan at 49.792 years. Dependent territories and other non-sovereign areas are excluded from this country-only ranking.
Median age is the age that divides a population into two equal halves: half is younger and half is older. Higher values rank higher. All ten figures are directly published UN projections for 2025 using the WPP 2024 Median projection variant; they are not observed 2025 census values.
Coverage: 10 sovereign-country entries · Unit: years · Target year: 2025 · Direction: higher is older · Source: UN DESA Population Division, World Population Prospects 2024 · Status: 10 official_forecast · Data checked: September 18, 2026.
Holy See ranks first after non-sovereign areas are excluded.
Republic of Korea completes the sovereign-country Top 10.
Dependent territories and other non-sovereign areas are excluded.
WPP 2024 Median variant; data checked September 18, 2026.
Scope changes the result. The UN WPP dataset covers countries and areas, so an unrestricted ranking also contains high-median-age non-sovereign entries such as Saint Helena, Martinique, Hong Kong SAR, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Guadeloupe, Isle of Man, Bermuda and Puerto Rico. They are excluded here.
How to Read the 2025 Median Age Ranking
Median age describes the midpoint of a population's age distribution. It is different from average age, life expectancy and the share of residents aged 65 and older.
Eight of the ten countries in this ranking are European. Japan and the Republic of Korea are the two Asian entries, and five countries have projected median ages above 48 years.
In World Population Prospects 2024, 2025 falls within the projection period. The values are therefore classified as official UN projections rather than observed 2025 census values.
Top Three Oldest Median Ages in 2025
Highest projected median ages among sovereign-country entries
| Rank | Country | Median age | Region / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Holy See | 57.375 years | Europe; UN WPP 2024; target year 2025; Median projection variant. Official UN projection |
| 2 | Monaco | 53.620 years | Europe; UN WPP 2024; target year 2025; Median projection variant. Official UN projection |
| 3 | Japan | 49.792 years | Asia; UN WPP 2024; target year 2025; Median projection variant. Official UN projection |
Ranks use unrounded source values in descending order. Display values are rounded to three decimals.
Chart: Top 10 Sovereign Countries by Median Age
The chart uses the same raw 2025 values as the main ranking. The Holy See leads at 57.375 years, while the Republic of Korea ranks tenth at 45.619 years.
Methodology
The metric is the UN Population Division indicator “Median age of population.” The unit is years, the target year is 2025, and the ranking is descending: the highest raw median-age value receives rank 1.
Source and data status
All values come from UN DESA Population Division, World Population Prospects 2024. The UN Data Portal displays the Median variant by default for projected indicators. Because 2025 falls within the WPP 2024 projection period, every row has the status official_forecast.
Projection method
The 2025 values are published directly by the UN. WPP population projections use demographic assumptions for fertility, mortality and international migration within a cohort-component framework.
Country-only scope
WPP covers countries and areas. This ranking retains sovereign-country entries, including the Holy See, while excluding dependent territories, overseas areas, crown dependencies and special administrative regions.
Ranking and rounding
Ranks are based on raw source values before rounding. Display values are rounded to three decimals. No values are averaged across sources, and no synthetic 2025 estimates are created.
Median age does not measure life expectancy, population size, the share aged 65 and older, old-age dependency, pension-system sustainability or the speed of population ageing. Very small sovereign states can also be less directly comparable with large national populations.
Main Ranking: Top 10 Sovereign Countries by Median Age in 2025
Sovereign-country ranking by projected median age, 2025
| Rank | Country | Median age | Region / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Holy See | 57.375 years | Europe; UN WPP 2024; source release 2024; target year 2025; Median projection variant; very small sovereign population. Official UN projection |
| 2 | Monaco | 53.620 years | Europe; UN WPP 2024; source release 2024; target year 2025; Median projection variant. Official UN projection |
| 3 | Japan | 49.792 years | Asia; UN WPP 2024; source release 2024; target year 2025; Median projection variant. Official UN projection |
| 4 | San Marino | 48.574 years | Europe; UN WPP 2024; source release 2024; target year 2025; Median projection variant. Official UN projection |
| 5 | Italy | 48.231 years | Europe; UN WPP 2024; source release 2024; target year 2025; Median projection variant. Official UN projection |
| 6 | Portugal | 46.915 years | Europe; UN WPP 2024; source release 2024; target year 2025; Median projection variant. Official UN projection |
| 7 | Greece | 46.775 years | Europe; UN WPP 2024; source release 2024; target year 2025; Median projection variant. Official UN projection |
| 8 | Spain | 45.851 years | Europe; UN WPP 2024; source release 2024; target year 2025; Median projection variant. Official UN projection |
| 9 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 45.712 years | Europe; UN WPP 2024; source release 2024; target year 2025; Median projection variant. Official UN projection |
| 10 | Republic of Korea | 45.619 years | Asia; UN WPP 2024; source release 2024; target year 2025; Median projection variant. Official UN projection |
Source: UN DESA Population Division, World Population Prospects 2024. Values are 2025 Median-variant projections and are ranked before display rounding. Data checked September 18, 2026.
Insights from the Top 10
Key Insight
The Holy See leads Monaco by 3.755 years and the tenth-ranked Republic of Korea by 11.756 years.
Notable Pattern
Positions six through ten are tightly grouped: Portugal through the Republic of Korea span only 1.297 years.
Regional Concentration
Eight of the ten entries are European countries. Japan and the Republic of Korea are the two Asian countries in the Top 10.
Outlier
The Holy See is the clearest numerical outlier, standing 3.755 years above second-ranked Monaco.
What the Ranking Does and Does Not Show
A higher median age means the midpoint of the population's age distribution is older. It does not by itself show life expectancy, the absolute number of older residents or the share of the population above a specific age threshold.
Future WPP revisions can update projected values as new census, registration and survey information becomes available. The figures should therefore be read as the UN WPP 2024 projection snapshot for 2025.
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Download Excel + CSV Data PackFAQ
Which country has the oldest median age in 2025?
Among sovereign-country entries in this ranking, the Holy See is first at 57.375 years, followed by Monaco at 53.620 years and Japan at 49.792 years.
Are these observed 2025 values?
No. They are official UN projections for 2025 from World Population Prospects 2024. In WPP 2024, 2025 falls within the projection period.
Which UN projection variant is used?
The ranking uses the WPP 2024 Median projection variant displayed by the UN Population Division Data Portal for projected indicators.
Why are some territories missing even though they have high median ages?
This page ranks sovereign-country entries only. Dependent territories, overseas areas, crown dependencies and special administrative regions are excluded.
Why is the Holy See included?
The Holy See is retained as a sovereign entry. Its very small population makes direct comparison with large countries less straightforward, so its result should be read with that limitation in mind.
Is median age the same as average age?
No. Median age is the midpoint of the age distribution: half of the population is younger and half is older. An arithmetic average is calculated differently.
Why can another 2025 ranking show a different Top 10?
Rankings can differ because of source revision, projection variant, rounding or whether non-sovereign areas are included. This table fixes the source to UN WPP 2024, the year to 2025 and the scope to sovereign-country entries.
Sources
UN Population Division Data Portal — Median age of population
Primary numeric source for the 2025 median-age values used in the ranking. Indicator 67; Median projection variant.
United Nations — World Population Prospects 2024
Official release for the United Nations population estimates and projections used in this ranking.
UN Population Division Data Portal — User Guide
Documents Data Portal table settings and the Median variant used by default for projected indicators.
World Population Prospects 2024 — Methodology
Official methodological documentation for the projection period, demographic assumptions and cohort-component framework.
https://population.un.org/wpp/assets/Files/WPP2024_Methodology-Report_Final.pdf
