The United Kingdom Demographics: Median age, Gender, Race, Religion

Median age history and projection chart in
United Kingdom vs World

Table

Year	Median age
	United Kingdom	World
1960	35.5	22.5
1961	35.4	22.5
1962	35.3	22.4
1963	35.3	22.2
1964	35.2	22
1965	35.1	21.8
1966	34.9	21.7
1967	34.8	21.6
1968	34.6	21.5
1969	34.4	21.5
1970	34.2	21.4
1971	34.1	21.4
1972	34	21.5
1973	34	21.5
1974	34	21.6
1975	34	21.7
1976	34	21.9
1977	34.1	22
1978	34.2	22.2
1979	34.3	22.3
1980	34.4	22.5
1981	34.5	22.6
1982	34.8	22.7
1983	35	22.9
1984	35.2	23
1985	35.3	23.2
1986	35.4	23.3
1987	35.4	23.4
1988	35.7	23.6
1989	35.9	23.8
1990	36	23.9
1991	36.1	24.1
1992	36.2	24.3
1993	36.3	24.5
1994	36.5	24.7
1995	36.6	25
1996	36.8	25.2
1997	37	25.4
1998	37.2	25.7
1999	37.4	25.9
2000	37.7	26.1
2001	37.9	26.3
2002	38.1	26.5
2003	38.2	26.7
2004	38.4	27
2005	38.5	27.2
2006	38.6	27.4
2007	38.8	27.6
2008	38.9	27.8
2009	39	28
2010	39.2	28.2
2011	39.3	28.4
2012	39.5	28.6
2013	39.6	28.9
2014	39.7	29.1
2015	39.8	29.3
2016	39.8	29.5
2017	39.9	29.8
2018	40	30
2019	40.1	30.3
2020	40.2	30.6
2021	40.3	30.8
2022	40.5	31
2023	40.8	31.3
2024	41	31.6
2025	41.1	31.9
2026	41.2	32.1
2027	41.4	32.3
2028	41.5	32.6
2029	41.6	32.8
2030	41.7	33
2031	41.8	33.2
2032	42	33.4
2033	42.2	33.6
2034	42.3	33.8
2035	42.5	34
2036	42.7	34.2
2037	42.8	34.4
2038	42.9	34.6
2039	43	34.8
2040	43.1	35
2041	43.2	35.2
2042	43.3	35.4
2043	43.4	35.6
2044	43.4	35.8
2045	43.5	36
2046	43.5	36.2
2047	43.5	36.4
2048	43.6	36.6
2049	43.7	36.8
2050	43.9	37.1

In 1960, the median age in the United Kingdom was 35.5 years compared to the world's average of 22.5 years. As of 2024, the median age had increased to 41 years compared to the world's average of 31.6 years. Ranked 4th for median age 64 years ago (old to young), the United Kingdom ranks 41st currently.

According to the United Nations projections, the median age in the United Kingdom is expected to increase to around 43.9 years by 2050. The aging demographics forecast is based on previous years' birth rates and increasing life expectancy.

The United Kingdom demographic pyramid: age and gender distribution

Table

Age range	Share of population
	United Kingdom
	Male	Female
0-4	2.63%	2.5%
5-9	3%	2.85%
10-14	3.18%	3.03%
15-19	3.04%	2.9%
20-24	2.96%	2.8%
25-29	3.31%	3.13%
30-34	3.45%	3.36%
35-39	3.27%	3.33%
40-44	3.25%	3.33%
45-49	2.99%	3.02%
50-54	3.23%	3.35%
55-59	3.16%	3.43%
60-64	2.89%	3.13%
65-69	2.53%	2.77%
70-74	2.18%	2.46%
75-79	1.99%	2.27%
80+	2.19%	3.1%

The chart above is a variation of the population pyramid and represents the age and gender structure. The United Kingdom has low demographic potential with 42.1% of people in the 0-34 age group (ranked 151/196).

Age dependency chart

Table

Year	Age dependency ratio
	United Kingdom			World
	Total	Young	Old	Total	Young	Old
1960	54%	35.9%	18%	73.5%	64.9%	8.62%
1961	54%	35.9%	18.1%	73.8%	65.1%	8.67%
1962	53.9%	35.8%	18.2%	74.1%	65.4%	8.73%
1963	54.1%	35.7%	18.3%	74.9%	66.1%	8.79%
1964	54.6%	36%	18.6%	75.5%	66.6%	8.85%
1965	55.3%	36.3%	19%	75.8%	66.8%	8.93%
1966	56%	36.7%	19.3%	75.9%	66.9%	9%
1967	56.8%	37.2%	19.7%	75.9%	66.8%	9.07%
1968	57.7%	37.6%	20.1%	75.8%	66.6%	9.14%
1969	58.5%	38%	20.5%	75.7%	66.5%	9.2%
1970	59.1%	38.3%	20.9%	75.5%	66.2%	9.26%
1971	59.7%	38.4%	21.3%	75.2%	65.9%	9.33%
1972	60%	38.4%	21.6%	74.9%	65.6%	9.39%
1973	60.2%	38.2%	21.9%	74.6%	65.1%	9.46%
1974	60.1%	37.8%	22.3%	74.4%	64.9%	9.54%
1975	59.7%	37.2%	22.5%	74.2%	64.6%	9.64%
1976	59.1%	36.4%	22.8%	74%	64.3%	9.72%
1977	58.4%	35.5%	22.9%	73.5%	63.7%	9.79%
1978	57.7%	34.5%	23.1%	72.4%	62.5%	9.84%
1979	56.9%	33.6%	23.3%	71.3%	61.4%	9.88%
1980	56.2%	32.8%	23.4%	70.4%	60.5%	9.89%
1981	55.4%	31.9%	23.4%	69.5%	59.6%	9.85%
1982	54.4%	31.1%	23.3%	68.7%	58.9%	9.79%
1983	53.3%	30.4%	23%	67.9%	58.1%	9.72%
1984	52.6%	29.8%	22.8%	67%	57.3%	9.68%
1985	52.4%	29.3%	23%	66.3%	56.6%	9.68%
1986	52.4%	29%	23.3%	65.7%	55.9%	9.71%
1987	52.4%	28.8%	23.6%	65.2%	55.4%	9.75%
1988	52.9%	29%	23.9%	64.8%	54.9%	9.81%
1989	53.5%	29.3%	24.3%	64.4%	54.5%	9.89%
1990	53.9%	29.5%	24.4%	64.2%	54.3%	9.97%
1991	54.3%	29.8%	24.6%	64%	53.9%	10.1%
1992	54.8%	30.1%	24.7%	63.7%	53.6%	10.2%
1993	55.1%	30.3%	24.8%	63.5%	53.2%	10.3%
1994	55.1%	30.3%	24.8%	63.1%	52.7%	10.4%
1995	55%	30.2%	24.8%	62.7%	52.2%	10.5%
1996	54.8%	30.1%	24.8%	62.1%	51.5%	10.6%
1997	54.6%	29.9%	24.7%	61.5%	50.8%	10.7%
1998	54.3%	29.7%	24.6%	60.7%	50%	10.7%
1999	54%	29.5%	24.5%	60%	49.2%	10.8%
2000	53.4%	29.1%	24.4%	59.3%	48.4%	10.9%
2001	52.9%	28.6%	24.3%	58.5%	47.6%	11%
2002	52.5%	28.2%	24.3%	57.8%	46.7%	11.1%
2003	52.4%	28.1%	24.3%	57%	45.9%	11.1%
2004	52.2%	27.9%	24.3%	56.3%	45.1%	11.2%
2005	51.8%	27.6%	24.2%	55.6%	44.3%	11.3%
2006	51.4%	27.3%	24.1%	55%	43.6%	11.4%
2007	51.2%	27%	24.1%	54.5%	43.1%	11.4%
2008	51.2%	26.9%	24.2%	54.1%	42.6%	11.5%
2009	51.4%	26.9%	24.5%	53.8%	42.2%	11.6%
2010	51.7%	26.9%	24.8%	53.5%	41.9%	11.6%
2011	52.3%	27%	25.3%	53.4%	41.6%	11.8%
2012	53.2%	27.2%	26%	53.3%	41.4%	11.9%
2013	54.2%	27.4%	26.7%	53.4%	41.2%	12.1%
2014	54.8%	27.6%	27.2%	53.5%	41.1%	12.4%
2015	55.4%	27.8%	27.6%	53.6%	40.9%	12.7%
2016	55.9%	28%	27.9%	53.7%	40.7%	13%
2017	56.5%	28.2%	28.3%	53.9%	40.6%	13.3%
2018	57%	28.3%	28.7%	54.1%	40.4%	13.7%
2019	57.4%	28.4%	29.1%	54.2%	40.1%	14%
2020	57.7%	28.3%	29.3%	54.2%	39.8%	14.4%
2021	57.6%	28.1%	29.5%	54.2%	39.5%	14.7%
2022	57.6%	27.8%	29.8%	54%	39%	15%
2023	57.8%	27.5%	30.4%	53.9%	38.5%	15.4%
2024	57.9%	27.1%	30.8%	53.7%	38%	15.7%

Age dependency is the ratio of people not in the labor force (children under 15 and adults 64+) to people aged 15 to 64. Age dependency in the United Kingdom increased from 52.2% to 57.9% between 2004 and 2024 with a decreased share of children and an increased proportion of people aged 65+

United Kingdom working age demographic chart

Table

Year	Working age population share
	United Kingdom	World
1960	65%	57.6%
1961	64.9%	57.5%
1962	65%	57.4%
1963	64.9%	57.2%
1964	64.7%	57%
1965	64.4%	56.9%
1966	64.1%	56.8%
1967	63.8%	56.9%
1968	63.4%	56.9%
1969	63.1%	56.9%
1970	62.8%	57%
1971	62.6%	57.1%
1972	62.5%	57.2%
1973	62.4%	57.3%
1974	62.5%	57.3%
1975	62.6%	57.4%
1976	62.8%	57.5%
1977	63.1%	57.7%
1978	63.4%	58%
1979	63.7%	58.4%
1980	64%	58.7%
1981	64.4%	59%
1982	64.8%	59.3%
1983	65.2%	59.6%
1984	65.5%	59.9%
1985	65.6%	60.1%
1986	65.6%	60.4%
1987	65.6%	60.5%
1988	65.4%	60.7%
1989	65.1%	60.8%
1990	65%	60.9%
1991	64.8%	61%
1992	64.6%	61.1%
1993	64.5%	61.2%
1994	64.5%	61.3%
1995	64.5%	61.5%
1996	64.6%	61.7%
1997	64.7%	61.9%
1998	64.8%	62.2%
1999	64.9%	62.5%
2000	65.2%	62.8%
2001	65.4%	63.1%
2002	65.6%	63.4%
2003	65.6%	63.7%
2004	65.7%	64%
2005	65.9%	64.3%
2006	66%	64.5%
2007	66.2%	64.7%
2008	66.1%	64.9%
2009	66%	65%
2010	65.9%	65.1%
2011	65.7%	65.2%
2012	65.3%	65.2%
2013	64.9%	65.2%
2014	64.6%	65.2%
2015	64.3%	65.1%
2016	64.1%	65.1%
2017	63.9%	65%
2018	63.7%	64.9%
2019	63.5%	64.9%
2020	63.4%	64.8%
2021	63.4%	64.9%
2022	63.4%	64.9%
2023	63.4%	65%
2024	63.3%	65.1%
2025	63.3%	65.2%
2026	63.3%	65.3%
2027	63.3%	65.4%
2028	63.3%	65.4%
2029	63.3%	65.4%
2030	63.2%	65.4%
2031	63.2%	65.4%
2032	63.1%	65.4%
2033	62.9%	65.4%
2034	62.8%	65.3%
2035	62.6%	65.2%
2036	62.4%	65%
2037	62.2%	64.9%
2038	62%	64.7%
2039	61.9%	64.6%
2040	61.8%	64.5%
2041	61.7%	64.4%
2042	61.6%	64.3%
2043	61.5%	64.2%
2044	61.4%	64.1%
2045	61.2%	63.9%
2046	61%	63.8%
2047	60.8%	63.7%
2048	60.6%	63.6%
2049	60.4%	63.4%
2050	60.3%	63.3%

The share of working-age demographics aged 15-64 in the United Kingdom changed from 65.7% to 63.3% between 2004 and 2024.

Share of young population (0-14 years)

Table

Year	Share of population 0-14 years old
	United Kingdom	World
1960	23.3%	37.4%
1961	23.3%	37.5%
1962	23.2%	37.6%
1963	23.2%	37.8%
1964	23.3%	38%
1965	23.4%	38%
1966	23.5%	38%
1967	23.7%	38%
1968	23.9%	37.9%
1969	24%	37.8%
1970	24.1%	37.7%
1971	24.1%	37.6%
1972	24%	37.5%
1973	23.9%	37.3%
1974	23.6%	37.2%
1975	23.3%	37.1%
1976	22.9%	36.9%
1977	22.4%	36.7%
1978	21.9%	36.3%
1979	21.4%	35.9%
1980	21%	35.5%
1981	20.6%	35.2%
1982	20.2%	34.9%
1983	19.8%	34.6%
1984	19.5%	34.3%
1985	19.3%	34%
1986	19.1%	33.8%
1987	18.9%	33.6%
1988	18.9%	33.4%
1989	19.1%	33.2%
1990	19.1%	33%
1991	19.3%	32.9%
1992	19.4%	32.7%
1993	19.5%	32.5%
1994	19.6%	32.3%
1995	19.5%	32.1%
1996	19.4%	31.8%
1997	19.3%	31.5%
1998	19.3%	31.1%
1999	19.2%	30.8%
2000	18.9%	30.4%
2001	18.7%	30%
2002	18.5%	29.6%
2003	18.4%	29.2%
2004	18.3%	28.8%
2005	18.2%	28.5%
2006	18%	28.1%
2007	17.9%	27.9%
2008	17.8%	27.6%
2009	17.8%	27.5%
2010	17.8%	27.3%
2011	17.7%	27.1%
2012	17.8%	27%
2013	17.8%	26.9%
2014	17.8%	26.8%
2015	17.9%	26.6%
2016	18%	26.5%
2017	18%	26.4%
2018	18.1%	26.2%
2019	18%	26%
2020	18%	25.8%
2021	17.8%	25.6%
2022	17.6%	25.3%
2023	17.4%	25%
2024	17.2%	24.7%
2025	17%	24.4%
2026	16.7%	24.1%
2027	16.5%	23.8%
2028	16.2%	23.4%
2029	16%	23.1%
2030	15.7%	22.8%
2031	15.5%	22.6%
2032	15.3%	22.3%
2033	15.2%	22.1%
2034	15.1%	21.9%
2035	15%	21.7%
2036	14.9%	21.6%
2037	14.9%	21.5%
2038	14.8%	21.4%
2039	14.8%	21.3%
2040	14.8%	21.2%
2041	14.8%	21.1%
2042	14.8%	21%
2043	14.9%	21%
2044	14.9%	20.9%
2045	14.9%	20.8%
2046	15%	20.7%
2047	15%	20.7%
2048	15%	20.6%
2049	15%	20.5%
2050	15.1%	20.4%

The share of children aged 0-14 in the United Kingdom decreased from 18.3% to 17.2% between 2004 and 2024 due to changes in birth rates.

Share of old population (65+)

Table

Year	Share of population 65+ years old
	United Kingdom	World
1960	11.7%	4.97%
1961	11.8%	4.99%
1962	11.8%	5.01%
1963	11.9%	5.02%
1964	12.1%	5.04%
1965	12.2%	5.08%
1966	12.4%	5.12%
1967	12.5%	5.16%
1968	12.7%	5.2%
1969	12.9%	5.24%
1970	13.1%	5.28%
1971	13.3%	5.32%
1972	13.5%	5.37%
1973	13.7%	5.42%
1974	13.9%	5.47%
1975	14.1%	5.53%
1976	14.3%	5.59%
1977	14.5%	5.65%
1978	14.7%	5.71%
1979	14.9%	5.77%
1980	15%	5.81%
1981	15.1%	5.81%
1982	15.1%	5.8%
1983	15%	5.79%
1984	15%	5.8%
1985	15.1%	5.82%
1986	15.3%	5.86%
1987	15.5%	5.91%
1988	15.7%	5.95%
1989	15.8%	6.01%
1990	15.9%	6.07%
1991	15.9%	6.14%
1992	16%	6.21%
1993	16%	6.29%
1994	16%	6.37%
1995	16%	6.45%
1996	16%	6.53%
1997	16%	6.61%
1998	15.9%	6.68%
1999	15.9%	6.76%
2000	15.9%	6.84%
2001	15.9%	6.92%
2002	15.9%	7.01%
2003	15.9%	7.1%
2004	16%	7.18%
2005	16%	7.26%
2006	15.9%	7.34%
2007	15.9%	7.41%
2008	16%	7.47%
2009	16.2%	7.52%
2010	16.3%	7.58%
2011	16.6%	7.66%
2012	17%	7.78%
2013	17.3%	7.92%
2014	17.6%	8.08%
2015	17.8%	8.26%
2016	17.9%	8.45%
2017	18.1%	8.65%
2018	18.3%	8.88%
2019	18.5%	9.1%
2020	18.6%	9.33%
2021	18.7%	9.53%
2022	18.9%	9.74%
2023	19.2%	9.98%
2024	19.5%	10.2%
2025	19.7%	10.4%
2026	19.9%	10.6%
2027	20.2%	10.8%
2028	20.5%	11.1%
2029	20.7%	11.5%
2030	21%	11.7%
2031	21.3%	12%
2032	21.6%	12.3%
2033	21.9%	12.6%
2034	22.2%	12.8%
2035	22.4%	13.1%
2036	22.7%	13.4%
2037	22.9%	13.7%
2038	23.2%	13.9%
2039	23.3%	14.1%
2040	23.4%	14.3%
2041	23.5%	14.5%
2042	23.6%	14.7%
2043	23.6%	14.9%
2044	23.7%	15%
2045	23.9%	15.2%
2046	24%	15.4%
2047	24.2%	15.7%
2048	24.4%	15.9%
2049	24.5%	16.1%
2050	24.7%	16.3%

The share of older people aged 65 and over in the United Kingdom increased from 16% to 19.5% between 2004 and 2024 due to changes in life expectancy.