Median age in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Median age was 16.94 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
16.94
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
225th
of 236 countries
All-time high
18.39
in 1950
All-time low
13.9
in 2002
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Median age in Afghanistan, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for median age in Afghanistan is 16.94, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 12.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, median age in Afghanistan peaked at 18.39 in 1950 and was at its lowest, 13.9, in 2002.
Afghanistan ranks 225th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Median age in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 18.39 | — |
| 1951 | 18.37 | -0.1% |
| 1952 | 18.33 | -0.2% |
| 1953 | 18.29 | -0.2% |
| 1954 | 18.24 | -0.3% |
| 1955 | 18.19 | -0.3% |
| 1956 | 18.14 | -0.3% |
| 1957 | 18.08 | -0.3% |
| 1958 | 18.02 | -0.3% |
| 1959 | 17.95 | -0.4% |
| 1960 | 17.86 | -0.5% |
| 1961 | 17.78 | -0.5% |
| 1962 | 17.71 | -0.4% |
| 1963 | 17.64 | -0.4% |
| 1964 | 17.58 | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 17.52 | -0.3% |
| 1966 | 17.46 | -0.4% |
| 1967 | 17.38 | -0.5% |
| 1968 | 17.26 | -0.7% |
| 1969 | 17.11 | -0.8% |
| 1970 | 16.97 | -0.8% |
| 1971 | 16.84 | -0.8% |
| 1972 | 16.71 | -0.8% |
| 1973 | 16.59 | -0.7% |
| 1974 | 16.47 | -0.7% |
| 1975 | 16.36 | -0.7% |
| 1976 | 16.25 | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 16.15 | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 16.04 | -0.7% |
| 1979 | 15.94 | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 15.82 | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 15.71 | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 15.61 | -0.7% |
| 1983 | 15.51 | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 15.41 | -0.6% |
| 1985 | 15.32 | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 15.24 | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 15.17 | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 15.11 | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 15.06 | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 15 | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 14.93 | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 14.85 | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 14.77 | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 14.67 | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 14.56 | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 14.44 | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 14.32 | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 14.2 | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 14.08 | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 13.99 | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 13.93 | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 13.9 | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 13.9 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 13.92 | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 13.98 | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 14.06 | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 14.17 | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 14.3 | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 14.45 | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 14.61 | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 14.78 | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 14.95 | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 15.12 | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 15.3 | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 15.49 | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 15.68 | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 15.87 | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 16.05 | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 16.23 | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 16.41 | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 16.57 | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 16.75 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 16.94 | +1.1% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 16.94 is below the median for low income countries, which is 17.97, 94% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 16.94 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 28.32, 60% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 18.2 | 17.95 | 18.39 | 10 |
| 1960s | 17.53 | 17.11 | 17.86 | 10 |
| 1970s | 16.43 | 15.94 | 16.97 | 10 |
| 1980s | 15.4 | 15.06 | 15.82 | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.58 | 14.08 | 15 | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.06 | 13.9 | 14.45 | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.41 | 14.61 | 16.23 | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.67 | 16.41 | 16.94 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More reference data data for Afghanistan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.8991 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.89 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4362 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 6.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.847 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 18.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 26.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.38 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is median age in Afghanistan?
- Median age in Afghanistan was 16.94 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest median age recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 18.39 in 1950.
- What is the lowest median age recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.9 in 2002.
- How does Afghanistan rank for median age?
- Afghanistan ranks 225th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is median age rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Median age. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).