Median age in Western Sahara
Western Sahara: Median age was 32.04 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
32.04 years
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
120th
of 236 countries
All-time high
32.04 years
in 2023
All-time low
16.54 years
in 1976
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Median age in Western Sahara, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Western Sahara recorded 32.04 years for median age in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 13.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, median age in Western Sahara peaked at 32.04 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 16.54 years, in 1976.
That places Western Sahara 120th 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 Western Sahara, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 18.28 years | — |
| 1951 | 19.31 years | +5.6% |
| 1952 | 20.08 years | +4.0% |
| 1953 | 20.68 years | +3.0% |
| 1954 | 21.18 years | +2.4% |
| 1955 | 21.58 years | +1.9% |
| 1956 | 21.91 years | +1.5% |
| 1957 | 22.18 years | +1.2% |
| 1958 | 22.37 years | +0.9% |
| 1959 | 22.5 years | +0.6% |
| 1960 | 22.58 years | +0.4% |
| 1961 | 22.61 years | +0.1% |
| 1962 | 22.6 years | -0.0% |
| 1963 | 22.57 years | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 22.51 years | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 22.41 years | -0.4% |
| 1966 | 22.29 years | -0.6% |
| 1967 | 22.34 years | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 22.53 years | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 22.65 years | +0.5% |
| 1970 | 20.26 years | -10.5% |
| 1971 | 18.15 years | -10.4% |
| 1972 | 17.39 years | -4.2% |
| 1973 | 16.8 years | -3.4% |
| 1974 | 16.62 years | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 16.66 years | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 16.54 years | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 17.73 years | +7.2% |
| 1978 | 19.51 years | +10.0% |
| 1979 | 20.6 years | +5.6% |
| 1980 | 21.16 years | +2.7% |
| 1981 | 21.35 years | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 21.34 years | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 21.18 years | -0.8% |
| 1984 | 20.91 years | -1.3% |
| 1985 | 20.56 years | -1.7% |
| 1986 | 20.16 years | -1.9% |
| 1987 | 19.77 years | -1.9% |
| 1988 | 19.43 years | -1.7% |
| 1989 | 19.14 years | -1.5% |
| 1990 | 18.89 years | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 18.73 years | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 18.61 years | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 18.49 years | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 18.43 years | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 18.75 years | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 19.41 years | +3.5% |
| 1997 | 20.07 years | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 20.67 years | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 21.23 years | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 21.77 years | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 22.3 years | +2.5% |
| 2002 | 22.84 years | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 23.38 years | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 23.91 years | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 24.45 years | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 24.97 years | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 25.48 years | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 25.97 years | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 26.45 years | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 26.91 years | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 27.36 years | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 27.79 years | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 28.2 years | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 28.61 years | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 29.02 years | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 29.42 years | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 29.81 years | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 30.19 years | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 30.56 years | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 30.94 years | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 31.33 years | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 31.7 years | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 32.04 years | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 21.01 years | 18.28 years | 22.5 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 22.51 years | 22.29 years | 22.65 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 18.02 years | 16.54 years | 20.6 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 20.5 years | 19.14 years | 21.35 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 19.33 years | 18.43 years | 21.23 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.15 years | 21.77 years | 26.45 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.79 years | 26.91 years | 30.56 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.5 years | 30.94 years | 32.04 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Western Sahara
More reference data data for Western Sahara
- Free country 0 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating 7 (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Exposure to extreme temperature — Annual temperature change 1.35 Degrees celsius (2023)
- Land area in hectares 26.60 million hectares (2023)
- Area of permanent meadows and pastures 5.00 million hectares (2023)
- Average age of mothers at childbirth 29.99 years (2023)
- Area of permanent meadows and pastures, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is median age in Western Sahara?
- Median age in Western Sahara was 32.04 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest median age recorded in Western Sahara?
- The highest recorded value was 32.04 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest median age recorded in Western Sahara?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.54 years in 1976.
- How does Western Sahara rank for median age?
- Western Sahara ranks 120th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is median age rising or falling in Western Sahara?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Western Sahara 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Age that divides the population into two halves of equal size — half are younger and half are older.