Median age in South Africa
South Africa: Median age was 28.21 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
28.21
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
143rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
28.21
in 2023
All-time low
17.71
in 1971
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Median age in South Africa, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for median age in South Africa is 28.21, 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 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 17.71, 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 | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 19.21 | — |
| 1951 | 19.1 | -0.5% |
| 1952 | 18.99 | -0.6% |
| 1953 | 18.86 | -0.7% |
| 1954 | 18.72 | -0.7% |
| 1955 | 18.57 | -0.8% |
| 1956 | 18.43 | -0.8% |
| 1957 | 18.29 | -0.8% |
| 1958 | 18.14 | -0.8% |
| 1959 | 18.02 | -0.7% |
| 1960 | 17.93 | -0.5% |
| 1961 | 17.87 | -0.3% |
| 1962 | 17.82 | -0.3% |
| 1963 | 17.79 | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 17.77 | -0.1% |
| 1965 | 17.77 | -0.0% |
| 1966 | 17.77 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 17.77 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 17.77 | -0.1% |
| 1969 | 17.73 | -0.2% |
| 1970 | 17.71 | -0.1% |
| 1971 | 17.71 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | 17.73 | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 17.76 | +0.2% |
| 1974 | 17.8 | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 17.86 | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 17.93 | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 18.01 | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 18.11 | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 18.21 | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 18.37 | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 18.57 | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 18.77 | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 18.97 | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 19.18 | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 19.36 | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 19.51 | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 19.65 | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 19.82 | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 20.02 | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 20.26 | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 20.46 | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 20.49 | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 20.88 | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 20.94 | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 20.49 | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 20.2 | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 20.11 | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 20.33 | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 20.56 | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 20.8 | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 21.07 | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 21.33 | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 21.61 | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 21.88 | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 22.14 | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 22.42 | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 22.71 | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 23 | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 23.31 | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 23.64 | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 23.98 | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 24.33 | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 24.68 | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 25.03 | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 25.36 | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 25.69 | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 26.06 | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 26.47 | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 26.87 | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 27.27 | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 27.61 | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 27.92 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 28.21 | +1.1% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 28.21 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 29.94, 94% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 28.21 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.22, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 18.63 | 18.02 | 19.21 | 10 |
| 1960s | 17.8 | 17.73 | 17.93 | 10 |
| 1970s | 17.88 | 17.71 | 18.21 | 10 |
| 1980s | 19.22 | 18.37 | 20.02 | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.47 | 20.11 | 20.94 | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.03 | 20.8 | 23.31 | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.21 | 23.64 | 26.87 | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.75 | 27.27 | 28.21 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is median age in South Africa?
- Median age in South Africa was 28.21 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest median age recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 28.21 in 2023.
- What is the lowest median age recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.71 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 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).