Statizoid

Median age in India

India: Median age was 28.06 years in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
28.06 years
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
146th
of 236 countries
All-time high
28.06 years
in 2023
All-time low
18.08 years
in 1969
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Median age in India, 1950–2023

0102030195019862023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

India recorded 28.06 years for median age in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.

The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 14.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, median age in India peaked at 28.06 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 18.08 years, in 1969.

That places India 146th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.

Median age in India, year by year

Year years Change
1950 20.02 years —
1951 19.98 years -0.2%
1952 19.93 years -0.2%
1953 19.87 years -0.3%
1954 19.8 years -0.4%
1955 19.72 years -0.4%
1956 19.63 years -0.4%
1957 19.54 years -0.5%
1958 19.44 years -0.5%
1959 19.35 years -0.5%
1960 19.23 years -0.6%
1961 19.09 years -0.7%
1962 18.93 years -0.8%
1963 18.77 years -0.9%
1964 18.61 years -0.9%
1965 18.45 years -0.8%
1966 18.31 years -0.8%
1967 18.18 years -0.7%
1968 18.1 years -0.4%
1969 18.08 years -0.1%
1970 18.1 years +0.1%
1971 18.13 years +0.2%
1972 18.16 years +0.2%
1973 18.22 years +0.3%
1974 18.3 years +0.4%
1975 18.39 years +0.5%
1976 18.48 years +0.5%
1977 18.58 years +0.5%
1978 18.68 years +0.5%
1979 18.78 years +0.5%
1980 18.87 years +0.5%
1981 18.96 years +0.4%
1982 19.04 years +0.4%
1983 19.12 years +0.4%
1984 19.2 years +0.4%
1985 19.27 years +0.4%
1986 19.34 years +0.4%
1987 19.41 years +0.4%
1988 19.49 years +0.4%
1989 19.59 years +0.5%
1990 19.69 years +0.5%
1991 19.8 years +0.5%
1992 19.91 years +0.6%
1993 20.05 years +0.7%
1994 20.19 years +0.7%
1995 20.34 years +0.7%
1996 20.49 years +0.8%
1997 20.66 years +0.8%
1998 20.83 years +0.8%
1999 21.01 years +0.9%
2000 21.19 years +0.9%
2001 21.37 years +0.9%
2002 21.57 years +0.9%
2003 21.77 years +1.0%
2004 22 years +1.0%
2005 22.24 years +1.1%
2006 22.5 years +1.2%
2007 22.77 years +1.2%
2008 23.05 years +1.2%
2009 23.34 years +1.2%
2010 23.64 years +1.3%
2011 23.95 years +1.3%
2012 24.27 years +1.3%
2013 24.59 years +1.3%
2014 24.93 years +1.4%
2015 25.27 years +1.4%
2016 25.61 years +1.4%
2017 25.96 years +1.4%
2018 26.31 years +1.4%
2019 26.67 years +1.3%
2020 27.02 years +1.3%
2021 27.35 years +1.2%
2022 27.68 years +1.2%
2023 28.06 years +1.4%

India compared with similar countries

  • India's 28.06 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21.43 years, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • India's 28.06 years is below the median for South Asia, which is 28.72 years, 98% of the median. (6 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 19.73 years 19.35 years 20.02 years 10
1960s 18.58 years 18.08 years 19.23 years 10
1970s 18.38 years 18.1 years 18.78 years 10
1980s 19.23 years 18.87 years 19.59 years 10
1990s 20.3 years 19.69 years 21.01 years 10
2000s 22.18 years 21.19 years 23.34 years 10
2010s 25.12 years 23.64 years 26.67 years 10
2020s 27.53 years 27.02 years 28.06 years 4

Countries ranked near India

  1. 143 South Africa 28.21 years compare
  2. 144 Algeria 28.19 years compare
  3. 145 Suriname 28.1 years compare
  4. 147 Cape Verde 27.87 years compare
  5. 148 Fiji 27.67 years compare
  6. 149 Dominican Republic 27.65 years compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is median age in India?
Median age in India was 28.06 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest median age recorded in India?
The highest recorded value was 28.06 years in 2023.
What is the lowest median age recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 18.08 years in 1969.
How does India rank for median age?
India ranks 146th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is median age rising or falling in India?
Over the last ten years it is up 14.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this India data come from?
The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Median age. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Median age in India. Statizoid, drawing on UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/median-age/india/

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About this data

Indicator
Median age
Unit
years
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

Age that divides the population into two halves of equal size — half are younger and half are older.