Statizoid

Median age in South Sudan

South Sudan: Median age was 17.97 years in 2023. ▬ Flat

Latest (2023)
17.97 years
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
215th
of 236 countries
All-time high
18.28 years
in 2013
All-time low
15.39 years
in 1987
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Median age in South Sudan, 1950–2023

05101520195019862023

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

Analysis

South Sudan recorded 17.97 years for median age in 2023.

That represents a change of up 2.2% on the previous year and down 1.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, median age in South Sudan peaked at 18.28 years in 2013 and was at its lowest, 15.39 years, in 1987.

That places South Sudan 215th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Median age in South Sudan, year by year

Year years Change
1950 17.5 years —
1951 17.54 years +0.2%
1952 17.56 years +0.1%
1953 17.58 years +0.1%
1954 17.58 years +0.0%
1955 17.58 years +0.0%
1956 17.58 years -0.0%
1957 17.57 years -0.1%
1958 17.54 years -0.1%
1959 17.5 years -0.2%
1960 17.47 years -0.2%
1961 17.44 years -0.2%
1962 17.41 years -0.1%
1963 17.39 years -0.1%
1964 17.37 years -0.1%
1965 17.34 years -0.2%
1966 17.25 years -0.5%
1967 17.09 years -0.9%
1968 16.92 years -1.0%
1969 16.76 years -0.9%
1970 16.62 years -0.8%
1971 16.51 years -0.7%
1972 16.42 years -0.5%
1973 16.35 years -0.4%
1974 16.3 years -0.3%
1975 16.25 years -0.3%
1976 16.21 years -0.3%
1977 16.16 years -0.3%
1978 16.11 years -0.3%
1979 16.05 years -0.4%
1980 15.98 years -0.4%
1981 15.91 years -0.4%
1982 15.84 years -0.5%
1983 15.75 years -0.5%
1984 15.65 years -0.6%
1985 15.56 years -0.6%
1986 15.48 years -0.5%
1987 15.39 years -0.6%
1988 15.66 years +1.7%
1989 15.96 years +2.0%
1990 15.94 years -0.2%
1991 15.94 years +0.0%
1992 15.91 years -0.2%
1993 15.85 years -0.4%
1994 15.83 years -0.1%
1995 15.82 years -0.0%
1996 15.78 years -0.3%
1997 15.78 years -0.0%
1998 15.9 years +0.8%
1999 16.06 years +1.0%
2000 16.17 years +0.7%
2001 16.26 years +0.6%
2002 16.34 years +0.5%
2003 16.4 years +0.3%
2004 16.41 years +0.1%
2005 16.42 years +0.1%
2006 16.55 years +0.8%
2007 16.8 years +1.5%
2008 17.08 years +1.7%
2009 17.31 years +1.3%
2010 17.64 years +1.9%
2011 18 years +2.0%
2012 18.19 years +1.1%
2013 18.28 years +0.5%
2014 17.96 years -1.7%
2015 17.52 years -2.5%
2016 16.96 years -3.2%
2017 16.14 years -4.9%
2018 16.08 years -0.4%
2019 16.59 years +3.2%
2020 17.02 years +2.6%
2021 17.31 years +1.7%
2022 17.59 years +1.6%
2023 17.97 years +2.2%

South Sudan compared with similar countries

  • South Sudan's 17.97 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 17.97 years, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • South Sudan's 17.97 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.22 years, 99% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 17.55 years 17.5 years 17.58 years 10
1960s 17.24 years 16.76 years 17.47 years 10
1970s 16.3 years 16.05 years 16.62 years 10
1980s 15.72 years 15.39 years 15.98 years 10
1990s 15.88 years 15.78 years 16.06 years 10
2000s 16.57 years 16.17 years 17.31 years 10
2010s 17.34 years 16.08 years 18.28 years 10
2020s 17.47 years 17.02 years 17.97 years 4

Countries ranked near South Sudan

  1. 212 Togo 18.14 years compare
  2. 213 Cote d'Ivoire 18.1 years compare
  3. 214 Guinea 17.98 years compare
  4. 216 Zimbabwe 17.81 years compare
  5. 217 Benin 17.77 years compare
  6. 218 Nigeria 17.75 years compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for South Sudan

All data for South Sudan →

Frequently asked questions

What is median age in South Sudan?
Median age in South Sudan was 17.97 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 Sudan?
The highest recorded value was 18.28 years in 2013.
What is the lowest median age recorded in South Sudan?
The lowest recorded value was 15.39 years in 1987.
How does South Sudan rank for median age?
South Sudan ranks 215th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is median age rising or falling in South Sudan?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this South Sudan 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 Sudan. 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-sudan/

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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.