Statizoid

Median age in South Africa

South Africa: Median age was 28.21 years in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
28.21 years
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
143rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
28.21 years
in 2023
All-time low
17.71 years
in 1971
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Median age in South Africa, 1950–2023

0102030195019862023

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for median age in South Africa is 28.21 years, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 14.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, median age in South Africa peaked at 28.21 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 17.71 years, in 1971.

South Africa ranks 143rd of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Median age in South Africa, year by year

Year years Change
1950 19.21 years —
1951 19.1 years -0.5%
1952 18.99 years -0.6%
1953 18.86 years -0.7%
1954 18.72 years -0.7%
1955 18.57 years -0.8%
1956 18.43 years -0.8%
1957 18.29 years -0.8%
1958 18.14 years -0.8%
1959 18.02 years -0.7%
1960 17.93 years -0.5%
1961 17.87 years -0.3%
1962 17.82 years -0.3%
1963 17.79 years -0.2%
1964 17.77 years -0.1%
1965 17.77 years -0.0%
1966 17.77 years +0.0%
1967 17.77 years +0.0%
1968 17.77 years -0.1%
1969 17.73 years -0.2%
1970 17.71 years -0.1%
1971 17.71 years -0.0%
1972 17.73 years +0.1%
1973 17.76 years +0.2%
1974 17.8 years +0.3%
1975 17.86 years +0.3%
1976 17.93 years +0.4%
1977 18.01 years +0.5%
1978 18.11 years +0.6%
1979 18.21 years +0.6%
1980 18.37 years +0.8%
1981 18.57 years +1.1%
1982 18.77 years +1.1%
1983 18.97 years +1.1%
1984 19.18 years +1.1%
1985 19.36 years +1.0%
1986 19.51 years +0.7%
1987 19.65 years +0.7%
1988 19.82 years +0.8%
1989 20.02 years +1.0%
1990 20.26 years +1.2%
1991 20.46 years +1.0%
1992 20.49 years +0.2%
1993 20.88 years +1.9%
1994 20.94 years +0.3%
1995 20.49 years -2.1%
1996 20.2 years -1.4%
1997 20.11 years -0.5%
1998 20.33 years +1.1%
1999 20.56 years +1.1%
2000 20.8 years +1.2%
2001 21.07 years +1.2%
2002 21.33 years +1.3%
2003 21.61 years +1.3%
2004 21.88 years +1.2%
2005 22.14 years +1.2%
2006 22.42 years +1.3%
2007 22.71 years +1.3%
2008 23 years +1.3%
2009 23.31 years +1.3%
2010 23.64 years +1.4%
2011 23.98 years +1.4%
2012 24.33 years +1.4%
2013 24.68 years +1.5%
2014 25.03 years +1.4%
2015 25.36 years +1.4%
2016 25.69 years +1.3%
2017 26.06 years +1.4%
2018 26.47 years +1.6%
2019 26.87 years +1.5%
2020 27.27 years +1.5%
2021 27.61 years +1.3%
2022 27.92 years +1.1%
2023 28.21 years +1.1%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 28.21 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 29.94 years, 94% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 28.21 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.22 years, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 18.63 years 18.02 years 19.21 years 10
1960s 17.8 years 17.73 years 17.93 years 10
1970s 17.88 years 17.71 years 18.21 years 10
1980s 19.22 years 18.37 years 20.02 years 10
1990s 20.47 years 20.11 years 20.94 years 10
2000s 22.03 years 20.8 years 23.31 years 10
2010s 25.21 years 23.64 years 26.87 years 10
2020s 27.75 years 27.27 years 28.21 years 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 140 American Samoa 28.43 years compare
  2. 141 Ecuador 28.41 years compare
  3. 142 Lebanon 28.32 years compare
  4. 144 Algeria 28.19 years compare
  5. 145 Suriname 28.1 years compare
  6. 146 India 28.06 years compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is median age in South Africa?
Median age in South Africa was 28.21 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest median age recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 28.21 years in 2023.
What is the lowest median age recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 17.71 years in 1971.
How does South Africa rank for median age?
South Africa ranks 143rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is median age rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa 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 South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/median-age/south-africa/

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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.