In 2023, there were around 211 million children aged 0-4 years in Africa. In total, the population aged 17 years and younger amounted to approximately 680 million. In contrast, only approximately 52 million individuals were aged 65 years and older as of the same year. The youngest continent in the world Africa is the continent with the youngest population worldwide. As of 2024, around 40 percent of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa was aged 15 years and younger, compared to a global average of 25 percent. Although the median age on the continent has been increasing annually, it remains low at around 20 years. There are several reasons behind the low median age. One factor is the low life expectancy at birth: On average, the male and female populations in Africa live between 61 and 65 years, respectively. In addition, poor healthcare on the continent leads to high mortality, also among children and newborns, while the high fertility rate contributes to lowering the median age. Cross-country demographic differences Africa’s demographic characteristics are not uniform across the continent. The age structure of the population differs significantly from one country to another. For instance, Niger and Uganda have the lowest median age in Africa, at 15.1 and 16.1 years, respectively. Not surprisingly, these countries also register a high crude birth rate. On the other hand, North Africa is the region recording the highest life expectancy at birth, with Tunisia and Algeria leading the ranking in 2025.

In 2024, around ** percent of the total population of Sub-Saharan Africa was aged 15 to 64 years. Moreover, children younger than 15 years constituted nearly ** percent of the inhabitants. Overall, Africa has a young population. Only ***** percent of the individuals in the Sub-Saharan region were aged 65 years and older. As of 2023, Niger, Uganda, Angola, and Mali had a median age below 16.5 years, the lowest on the continent.

As of 2024, South Africa's population increased, counting approximately 63 million inhabitants. Of these, roughly 27.5 million were aged 0-24, while 654,000 people were 80 years or older. Gauteng and Cape Town are the most populated South Africa’s yearly population growth has been fluctuating since 2013, with the growth rate dropping below the world average in 2024. The majority of people lived in the borders of Gauteng, the smallest of the nine provinces in terms of land area. The number of people residing there amounted to 16.6 million in 2023. Although the Western Cape was the third-largest province, the city of Cape Town had the highest number of inhabitants in the country, at 3.4 million. An underemployed younger population South Africa has a large population under 14, who will be looking for job opportunities in the future. However, the country's labor market has had difficulty integrating these youngsters. Specifically, as of the fourth quarter of 2024, the unemployment rate reached close to 60 percent and 384 percent among people aged 15-24 and 25–34 years, respectively. In the same period, some 27 percent of the individuals between 15 and 24 years were economically active, while the labor force participation rate was higher among people aged 25 to 34, at 74.3 percent.

Africa has the youngest population in the world. Among the 35 countries with the lowest median age worldwide, only three fall outside the continent. In 2023, the median age in Niger was 15.1 years, the youngest country. This means that at this age point, half of the population was younger and half older. A young population reflects several demographic characteristics of a country. For instance, together with a high population growth, life expectancy in Western Africa is low: this reached 58 years for men and 60 for women in 2024. Overall, Africa has the lowest life expectancy in the world.

Africa’s population is still growing Africa’s population growth can be linked to a high fertility rate, along with a drop in death rates. Despite the fertility rate on the continent following a constant declining trend, it remains far higher compared to all other regions worldwide. It was forecast to reach 4.02 children per woman, compared to a worldwide average of 2.25 children per woman in 2024. Furthermore, the crude death rate in Africa overall dropped, only increasing slightly during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The largest populations on the continent Nigeria, Ethiopia, Egypt, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are the most populous African countries. In 2025, people living in Nigeria amounted to over 237 million, while the number for the three other countries exceeded 100 million each. Of those, the Democratic Republic of Congo sustained the fourth-highest fertility rate in Africa in 2023. Nigeria and Ethiopia also had high rates, with 4.48 and 3.99 births per woman, respectively. Although such a high fertility rate is expected to slow down, it will still impact the population structure, growing younger nations.

In 2024, the median age in Africa was **** years, meaning that half of the population was older and half was younger than that age. The median age on the continent increased compared to 2000 when it was around ** years. Africa is the youngest continent in the world and presents the highest share of inhabitants aged 14 years and younger, that is, ** percent of the total population. Niger, Uganda, and Angola were the countries with the youngest population in Africa as of 2023.

South Africa Population: Mid Year: African: Male: 45 to 49 Years data was reported at 1,032,933.000 Person in 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 990,750.913 Person for 2017. South Africa Population: Mid Year: African: Male: 45 to 49 Years data is updated yearly, averaging 817,513.595 Person from Jun 2001 (Median) to 2018, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,032,933.000 Person in 2018 and a record low of 627,842.000 Person in 2001. South Africa Population: Mid Year: African: Male: 45 to 49 Years data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics South Africa. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.G003: Population: Mid Year: by Group, Age and Sex.

Population By Age

Graph and download economic data for Infra-Annual Labor Statistics: Working-Age Population Total: From 25 to 54 Years for South Africa (LFWA25TTZAQ647S) from Q1 2008 to Q1 2025 about working-age, 25 to 54 years, South Africa, and population.

South Africa Population: Mid Year: African: Female: 0 to 4 Years data was reported at 2,565,832.000 Person in 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 2,517,269.910 Person for 2017. South Africa Population: Mid Year: African: Female: 0 to 4 Years data is updated yearly, averaging 2,415,866.734 Person from Jun 2001 (Median) to 2018, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,565,832.000 Person in 2018 and a record low of 1,963,652.489 Person in 2002. South Africa Population: Mid Year: African: Female: 0 to 4 Years data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics South Africa. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.G003: Population: Mid Year: by Group, Age and Sex.

South Africa ZA: Age Dependency Ratio: % of Working-Age Population: Young data was reported at 44.137 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 44.469 % for 2016. South Africa ZA: Age Dependency Ratio: % of Working-Age Population: Young data is updated yearly, averaging 69.827 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 78.491 % in 1966 and a record low of 44.137 % in 2017. South Africa ZA: Age Dependency Ratio: % of Working-Age Population: Young data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Age dependency ratio, young, is the ratio of younger dependents--people younger than 15--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average;

This scatter chart displays median age (year) against population (people) in Africa. The data is about countries.

Age dependency ratio (% of working-age population) in South Africa was reported at 48.31 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Africa - Age dependency ratio (% of working-age population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

This dataset contains the distribution of population (Age 10 and above) disaggregated by sex, Age Group and marital status in Edo State.

Distribution of Population (Age 6 and Above) by Sex, Age Group and Literary Status in Edo State

State population distribution showing Schooling status of citizens from ages of 6 and above desegregated by Local Government Area

Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male (number) in South Africa was reported at 590215 Persons in 2020, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Africa - Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

In South Africa, children aged up to four made up the largest age group: *** percent of males and *** percent of females. Similarly, people between 30 and 34 years old held the second-largest share of the population. On the other hand, people aged 60 years and older represented a small portion of the population.

Population of the official entrance age to secondary general education, male (number) in South Africa was reported at 529288 Persons in 2020, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Africa - Population of the official entrance age to secondary general education, male - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

List of African countries by median age of the total population and male and female median ages. Niger with an average age of 14.8 years old is the youngest country in Africa and the youngest country in the world.

South Africa Population: Mid Year: African: Male: 30 to 34 Years data was reported at 2,281,671.000 Person in 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 2,208,498.111 Person for 2017. South Africa Population: Mid Year: African: Male: 30 to 34 Years data is updated yearly, averaging 1,583,319.067 Person from Jun 2001 (Median) to 2018, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,281,671.000 Person in 2018 and a record low of 1,114,709.000 Person in 2001. South Africa Population: Mid Year: African: Male: 30 to 34 Years data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics South Africa. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.G003: Population: Mid Year: by Group, Age and Sex.