TOP 10 Countries with Youngest Median Age (2025)
The median age divides a population into two equal halves: one half is younger, the other half older. In 2025 the world’s youngest populations are concentrated in Africa’s Sahel, Great Lakes and Central African regions, where half of all people are still teenagers.
All ten youngest countries have a median age below 17 years — far below the global median of around 31, underlining just how extreme their youth bulge is.
Median age as a signal of demographic pressure
A very low median age usually reflects high fertility, declining child mortality, and rapid population growth. In these countries, large cohorts of children and teenagers are entering school and, soon, the labour market.
If education, health systems, and job creation keep pace, a young population can become a demographic dividend — boosting growth as many people reach working age. If opportunities fall short, the same youth bulge can fuel unemployment, migration and social unrest.
In many of these countries, more than two thirds of people are under 25
A low median age is driven by the sheer weight of children and young adults in the population. In Niger, Uganda and several other countries on this list, roughly half of all residents are under 15, and another fifth are between 15 and 24. Older adults are a relatively small minority.
What a “youth-heavy” pyramid looks like
These countries’ population pyramids are very wide at the bottom and narrow at the top. Large cohorts of children are moving into school, then into upper secondary or vocational training, and finally into a labour market that is often dominated by agriculture, informal services and small-scale trade.
- Education systems must expand quickly to avoid overcrowded classrooms and early school dropout.
- Health systems face pressure from maternal and child health needs, as well as infectious diseases.
- Labour markets need to absorb millions of new entrants each decade to prevent rising youth unemployment.
The same population structure can become a tremendous asset if investments in skills, health and infrastructure are made in time — or a source of instability if those investments lag behind.
Charts: how young are the youngest populations?
The bar chart compares median ages across the ten youngest countries in 2025. The pie charts show how each age pyramid is composed of children, youth and adults in three typical cases.
Median age in the 10 youngest countries (2025)
Even within this group of very young countries, the Central African Republic stands out with a median age below 15.
Age structure examples (2020–2025)
Each chart groups the population into children (0–14), youth (15–24) and adults (25+).
Data sources
- United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division — World Population Prospects 2024 (median age by country, 2025)
- StatisticsTimes — Countries by Median Age 2025 (compiled from UN WPP)
- UNFPA — World Population Dashboard (age-structure indicators)
- CIA World Factbook / IndexMundi — Country demographic profiles (age structure 0–14, 15–24, 25+)
Note: figures are rounded and may differ slightly from national statistical office estimates.
