Statizoid

Median age in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Median age was 39.78 years in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
39.78 years
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
56th
of 236 countries
All-time high
39.78 years
in 2023
All-time low
32.9 years
in 1975
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Median age in United Kingdom, 1950–2023

010203040195019862023

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

Analysis

In 2023, median age in United Kingdom stood at 39.78 years. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.

The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 3.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, median age in United Kingdom peaked at 39.78 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 32.9 years, in 1975.

United Kingdom ranks 56th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Median age in United Kingdom, year by year

Year years Change
1950 33.89 years —
1951 33.91 years +0.1%
1952 33.9 years -0.0%
1953 33.83 years -0.2%
1954 33.89 years +0.2%
1955 34.07 years +0.5%
1956 34.26 years +0.6%
1957 34.4 years +0.4%
1958 34.48 years +0.2%
1959 34.51 years +0.1%
1960 34.51 years -0.0%
1961 34.45 years -0.2%
1962 34.34 years -0.3%
1963 34.27 years -0.2%
1964 34.2 years -0.2%
1965 34.08 years -0.4%
1966 33.93 years -0.4%
1967 33.76 years -0.5%
1968 33.56 years -0.6%
1969 33.37 years -0.6%
1970 33.22 years -0.4%
1971 33.1 years -0.3%
1972 33.02 years -0.3%
1973 32.97 years -0.2%
1974 32.94 years -0.1%
1975 32.9 years -0.1%
1976 32.91 years +0.0%
1977 33.01 years +0.3%
1978 33.12 years +0.4%
1979 33.21 years +0.3%
1980 33.34 years +0.4%
1981 33.54 years +0.6%
1982 33.8 years +0.8%
1983 34.03 years +0.7%
1984 34.18 years +0.5%
1985 34.3 years +0.3%
1986 34.38 years +0.2%
1987 34.46 years +0.2%
1988 34.66 years +0.6%
1989 34.86 years +0.6%
1990 34.95 years +0.2%
1991 35.04 years +0.3%
1992 35.13 years +0.3%
1993 35.25 years +0.3%
1994 35.42 years +0.5%
1995 35.6 years +0.5%
1996 35.79 years +0.5%
1997 35.98 years +0.5%
1998 36.19 years +0.6%
1999 36.41 years +0.6%
2000 36.63 years +0.6%
2001 36.84 years +0.6%
2002 37.04 years +0.5%
2003 37.22 years +0.5%
2004 37.38 years +0.4%
2005 37.51 years +0.4%
2006 37.64 years +0.3%
2007 37.77 years +0.3%
2008 37.91 years +0.4%
2009 38.06 years +0.4%
2010 38.19 years +0.4%
2011 38.33 years +0.4%
2012 38.49 years +0.4%
2013 38.63 years +0.4%
2014 38.73 years +0.3%
2015 38.78 years +0.1%
2016 38.82 years +0.1%
2017 38.87 years +0.1%
2018 38.95 years +0.2%
2019 39.09 years +0.3%
2020 39.22 years +0.3%
2021 39.32 years +0.2%
2022 39.5 years +0.5%
2023 39.78 years +0.7%

United Kingdom compared with similar countries

  • United Kingdom's 39.78 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 39.36 years, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
  • United Kingdom's 39.78 years is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 41.35 years, 96% of the median. (56 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 34.11 years 33.83 years 34.51 years 10
1960s 34.05 years 33.37 years 34.51 years 10
1970s 33.04 years 32.9 years 33.22 years 10
1980s 34.16 years 33.34 years 34.86 years 10
1990s 35.58 years 34.95 years 36.41 years 10
2000s 37.4 years 36.63 years 38.06 years 10
2010s 38.69 years 38.19 years 39.09 years 10
2020s 39.46 years 39.22 years 39.78 years 4

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 53 Malta 40.28 years compare
  2. 54 North Macedonia 40.26 years compare
  3. 55 Sweden 39.91 years compare
  4. 57 Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba 39.66 years compare
  5. 58 Thailand 39.66 years compare
  6. 59 Norway 39.54 years compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is median age in United Kingdom?
Median age in United Kingdom was 39.78 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest median age recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 39.78 years in 2023.
What is the lowest median age recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 32.9 years in 1975.
How does United Kingdom rank for median age?
United Kingdom ranks 56th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is median age rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom 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 United Kingdom. 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/united-kingdom/

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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.