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Africa's Youngest Countries by Median Age

Half the people in these ten African nations are teenagers or younger.

Updated 2026 · Data year 2024
Figure 1
Half the people in these ten African nations are teenagers or younger.
16.7
Uganda · yrs
Central African Republic14.4Niger15.4Somalia15.5Mali15.6Chad15.7DR Congo15.8Burundi16.1Mozambique16.4Angola16.5Uganda16.7
Source: United Nations · 2024 · Median age of population, 2024 (UN World Population Prospects 2024 revision).

The Central African Republic has the world's youngest population, with a median age of about 14.4 years in 2024. Every country shown has a median age below 17, meaning at least half the population is younger than a typical high-school student.

Takeaways
  • Central African Republic leads with a median age of roughly 14.4 years.
  • Niger (15.4) and Somalia (15.5) are the next youngest.
  • All ten countries have median ages under 17 years.
  • Uganda, the oldest in this group, still has a median age of just 16.7 years.
Countries in this chart
Central African Republic Niger Somalia Mali Chad DR Congo Burundi Mozambique Angola Uganda
Sources
  • TIER A United Nations, World Population Prospects 2024 - Median age of population (2024). https://population.un.org/wpp/
    2024 values from the WPP 2024 revision (medium variant), accessed via the Our World in Data mirror of UN WPP.

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