The 30 Oldest Countries On Earth

Population and Social Characteristics

Published: May 15, 2024 12:50 pm

The global population has aged considerably in recent decades. Between 1960 and 2022, the share of people 65 and older worldwide doubled from 5% to 10%, according to the World Bank. While the increase is partially attributable to improved living standards and advances in medicine, it is also a product of falling birth rates. On average, women are now having half as many children in their lifetimes as they were in the 1960s. Partially as a result, many countries now face a looming crisis.

An aging population can have far-reaching social and economic consequences. As populations age and workers retire, there are fewer young people to fill job openings. Fewer workers also means fewer people paying taxes that fund social safety net programs. As revenue for public pension and health care programs decline, a growing retired population will mean greater demand for their benefits and services.

According to data from the CIA’s World Factbook, the median age in a typical country is 31.5 years. But in dozens of countries around the world, over half of the population are well over 40 years old.

Using CIA data for the latest available year, 24/7 Wall St. identified the oldest countries on Earth. We reviewed the median age in 193 countries and ranked the 30 with the oldest populations. All supplemental data is from the World Bank and is also for the most recent available year.

Among the countries on this list, the age of a typical resident ranges from 42.8 years to nearly 57 years. The countries on this list are almost all in Europe, and most are highly-developed and relatively wealthy. In all but three countries on this list, GDP per capita exceeds the $12,688 global average. (Here is a look at the countries with the most millionaires per capita.)

For a country to maintain a steady population size — immigration notwithstanding — the average fertility rate should stand at around 2.1 children per woman. In every country on this list with available data, fertility rates are below that threshold. In these countries, low birth rates have given way to a disproportionately large, and growing, retirement age population. (Here is a look at the countries with devastatingly low birth rates.)

Globally, the old age dependency ratio, or the number of residents aged 65 and up for every 100 working age residents, stands at 15 per 100. Among the countries on this list, the old age dependency ratio ranges from about 21 per 100, up to over 70 per 100.

Why It Matters

Demographic trends, like an aging population, can have far-reaching consequences. In any given country, more older residents can mean fewer people to fill essential jobs, and fewer workers to support a growing number of retirees. The problem is expected to get worse before it gets better. According to U.N. estimates, there were 727 million people aged 65 or older in 2020, a number that is expected to more than double by mid-century.