Roughly 10% of the world's population is older than 65 (2023 data)

Monaco has the world's oldest population, with more than 36% of residents aged 65 or older, according to World Bank data.

Global life expectancy has more than doubled since the 1850s

The human species experienced a dramatic increase in expected lifespan over the past 150 years. Antibiotics, improved sanitation, and better worldwide food distribution are a few factors contributing to this rapid transformation. Use this interactive resource to explore longevity gains over time and compare these improvements across the globe.

Roughly 70.5 million Americans were enrolled in Social Security benefits as of December 2025.

The average retirement age by country, visualized

In the US, the average retirement age was 64 as of 2020. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development projects a two-year increase in the average retirement age by the mid-2060s.

Each part of the human body experiences aging differently

With global average life expectancy cresting at 73 years, understanding how the body ages is imperative to effective medical treatment and maintaining a desired quality of life. This 13-minute video dives into how the body and its organs age "from head to toe."

Superbugs could claim 1.9 million lives per year by 2050

The increased use of antibiotics combined with an aging population, is projected to result in an almost 50% increase in global deaths from antimicrobial resistance each year. At the same time, antibiotic use for livestock is expected to increase by 30% over the same time frame.

See which countries have already reached their peak population, and when others will eventually reach theirs.

By 2030, roughly 6% of the world's population will be in menopause

An estimated 25 million women pass through menopause annually, with a projected increase in the number of women in menopause in both lower-resource and higher-income populations in the years ahead, highlighting the social and economic value of focusing on menopause care.

Four global trends in shifting demographics

This UN summary outlines four global trends in shifting demographics. The world’s population is expected to peak by the end of the century as fertility rates continue to decline. Between now and 2050, the global population is projected to become...

Data visualizations showing population growth around the world

This page presents data, charts, and analysis on changes in population growth around the world. Over the last few centuries, the human population has gone through an extraordinary change. In 1800, there were 1 billion people; today, there are more...

The disparity in life expectancy between wealthy and impoverished nations has notably narrowed

In 1950, people in Norway lived to age 72, on average, while those in Mali lived to just 26. By 2015, the countries with the worst conditions had made such significant progress that the global average life expectancy had surpassed the rate of any nation in 1950.

Eight demographic trends to watch

This list highlights eight demographic trends expected to shape the world in the coming decades. The world’s population is projected to hit 9 billion in 2037. In that time, India will overtake China in population, and the Democratic Republic of...

Nearly 1 in 4 Americans over age 65 is still working

While many of these Americans are often working part-time, the share varies significantly by US state. While roughly 29% of those over the age of 65 work in Vermont, only about 17% do the same in West Virginia.

Super-agers: seniors 80 and above with the memory ability of people in their 50s

Studies show the number one indicator of whether someone is a "super-ager" is not diet or genetics, but the extent of their social relationships. Moreover, scans reveal noticeable physical differences in certain parts of the brain in patients with extensive social networks.

Global population growth peaked six decades ago, at 2.3%.

As of 2022, scientists estimate that 117 billion people have been born on Earth

Although no demographic data exist for more than 99% of the time humans have existed, this value can be estimated by tracking approximate population sizes over different periods and the birth rates within those periods. In 2022, about 6.8% of humans that have ever been born were alive.

Americans are retiring later than they used to

A Gallup poll from 2022 found that the percentage of adults between the ages of 55 and 74 who are retired is declining.

See worldwide hearing loss by age group and country

This 2023 data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation shows the estimated number of people with complete hearing loss in different age groups per 100,000 people in the population. Individuals aged 70 or older make up the largest group with this type of hearing deficit.

World health experts expect more than 240 million global cases of AMD in 2030

The World Health Organization estimated in 2019 that by 2020 there would be roughly 195.6 million cases of age-related macular degeneration and projected that the number would continue to grow. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

Millions of aging Americans are facing dementia or cognitive impairment—alone

An estimated 4.3 million people aged 55 or older who have cognitive impairment or dementia live alone in the US. The individuals facing these challenges are more likely to be women, people of color, and to generally be poorer and less educated than other older adults who are also living alone.

Extending the worldwide lifespan by one healthy year is worth $38T

This econometric study attempts to estimate the economic value of increasing the global healthy lifespan by one year—and to answer the question of whether it is better to extend lifespans or slow the rate of healthy aging.

Visualizing cause of death over time in America

As people age, their life expectancy decreases, but the timing and speed of this decline have evolved over the years. Check out this chart which shows the shift in various causes of death of Americans over the last few decades. Data from the...

Doctors shift focus from extending lifespan to lengthening health span

As scientific advances extend the average human lifespan, many are turning their attention toward extending "health span." Health span refers to the number of years one is active and disease-free. The ultimate goal is to extend one’s health span to match one’s lifespan.

Obesity rates have more than doubled worldwide since 1990

In the US alone, the percentage of the population meeting the clinical standard of obesity rose from less than 20% to more than 40% over the past three decades. This rise has been matched by many countries across the globe, from industrialized to developing nations.

Aging is a complex biological process affecting our cells, tissues, and organs.

The Dog Aging Project uses information from over 50,000 dogs to explore longevity

The study gathers health, lifestyle, and genetic data to understand what helps dogs live longer, healthier lives. Findings could also provide human health insights due to our shared surroundings and biology.

One in 10 adults worldwide has diabetes.

More than 39 million people are expected to die from antimicrobial resistance by 2050

In 2024, researchers published an incredibly detailed study aimed at predicting the real-world impact of antimicrobial resistance over the next 25 years. The key findings were clear: the superbug crisis is poised to get much worse and needs to be addressed. This article offers a clear, concise overview of the study, which was published in The Lancet.

See how populations across the world could change in the 21st century

This tool lets you model the populations of individual countries by adjusting key demographic inputs. See how changes in birth rates, mortality, and migration affect the size and structure of future populations.

The formula behind super agers—those possessing health and cognitive skills of people decades younger

A study of about 1,400 super agers did not identify any underlying genetic mechanism for longevity. While researchers instead emphasized that sustainable habits involving positive social connections, sleep, mood, diet, exercise, and personal fulfillment help reduce long-term risks, there is no one-size-fits-all formula for everyone.

Health span: The number of years one is active and disease-free

As scientific advances continue to extend the average human lifespan, many are now turning their attention toward extending "health span." The ultimate goal would be to extend one's health span to match one's lifespan, which would necessitate a shift in focus toward the pursuit of healthy aging. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

Visualize population densities around the world represented as geographic terrain and how those densities changed from 1900 to 1975 to 2015.

America's financial burden from dementia in 2025 was $781 billion

That figure, calculated by researchers at the University of Southern California, includes medical and long-term care costs, unpaid family and friend caretaking, lost productivity for patients and their families, and the economic loss in quality of life for patients and their families. In 2025, they estimate there were 5.6 million people living with dementia.

Mapping how human population has grown throughout history

It took 200,000 years for our human population to reach 1 billion—and only 200 years to reach 7 billion. When will our global population peak? And how can we minimize our impact on Earth's resources, even as we approach 11 billion?

The UN’s interactive site analyzing the world’s population

The 2022 revision of World Population Prospects contains the official population estimates and projections from the United Nations. It presents population estimates from 1950 to present for 237 countries or areas around the world. The data consider...

Drug-resistant infections worldwide have increased by about 65% since 2000

Since 1990, antibiotic resistance has claimed at least one million lives annually and is projected to account for 39 million deaths between now and 2050 if current trends continue. The expanded use of antibiotics, particularly in agriculture, combined with a slowing pipeline of new drugs has led to the crisis.

Three ways the US population will change over the next decade

This article lists the top three ways the US population will change over the next decade. Using population data from the US Census Bureau and the UN Population Division, the piece explores what America might look like 10 years from now, which...

Perceived isolation ages you

Mounting evidence suggests that socialization is a vital component of maintaining good health. Research published in 2024 from Mayo Clinic researchers analyzed the social lives of more than 280,000 adults and concluded that individuals that weren't likely to participate in extracurricular social activities and get-togethers were more likely to have a biological age older than their actual age—meaning that you may be 60 but health indicators would suggest you're older.

See preferred supplements across different countries in 2025, by generation

Millennials and Gen Z typically took more supplements than other age groups across vitamins, proteins, minerals, and herbal supplements, according to 2025 data from a Global Consumer Insights Survey conducted in 55 countries. Roughly two-thirds of Gen Z respondents stated they'd taken vitamins in the past 12 months. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

Do people really look younger than they used to?

Why do people today look younger than they used to? From style to science, there are 3 surprising reasons we age differently now.

Five to ten percent of Alzheimer's cases are early-onset

Early-onset Alzheimer’s typically emerges around 40 to 50 years of age, with devastating effects. This video follows Brian, diagnosed with the disease at age 54, as he travels the country as an advocate for research and discusses the progressive mental fog of Alzheimer’s.

How global conditions have improved over 200 years

In an era of 24-hour news, it can feel as if the world is on a perpetual downward spiral. This set of visualizations zoom out, and show how global living conditions have improved in recent centuries. The percentage of people living in extreme...

In the US, 3.6 million babies were born in 2023

That year, about 40% of the babies were born to unmarried parents, and about 32% of the births were born via cesarean. On average, mothers were 27.5 years old when they had their first child.

View the countries with the most internet users, including 94% of those in high-income nations

As of 2025, the four most populous nations—China, India, the US, and Indonesia—are also the ones with the most internet users, collectively accounting for almost half of the 6.04 billion internet users worldwide. This suggests that population size, rather than adoption rate, is a better predictor of online activity.

8 key milestone ages in retirement

At age 50, you can make catch-up contributions to retirement accounts. At age 65, you become eligible for Medicare.

Read the main paper criticizing the concept of blue zones, which argues recordkeeping errors, pension fraud, and natural disasters likely explain the high numbers of purported healthy centenarians in certain locations.

Most self-reported claims of exceptional longevity are exaggerated, but read how demographers verify age claims and why some of the original blue zone demographers say blue zone regions are real and worth studying.

Antibiotic resistance is a growing global health problem

Over decades, bacteria have grown increasingly resistant to antibiotics. This resistance now causes an estimated 1.27 million deaths each year and is associated with nearly 5 million deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

Calculate your Social Security full retirement age

The year you were born determines when you become eligible for your Social Security full retirement age benefit. Spoiler alert, that age is no longer always 65. If you want to use this calculator to determine your full retirement age—and learn more about the drawbacks of claiming Social Security early—click here.

Heat-related deaths may have climbed by more than 50% over 20 years

Between 2000 and 2009 one study suggests annual heat deaths averaged around 2,670, but between 2010 and 2020 that figure was likely more than 4,000. Researchers studied 54 million death records from the contiguous US and created mathematical models to arrive at these figures, noting that a combination of aging populations and climate change drove that increase.