Country rankings

Children in the World by Country

Central African Republic has the highest % Children in 2023 (49.2%), followed by Niger (47.0%) and Chad (46.7%). Hong Kong has the lowest (10.7%).

Year 2023195 of 235 countries

% Children, 2023

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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Ranking

Highest first: the first 15 and last 5 of 195 countries.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one country; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
24.5%
Middle half 17.1% – 35.9%
Average
26.2%
195 countries
Highest
49.2%
Central African Republic
Lowest
10.7%
Hong Kong

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

195 countries · # = rank by % Children
#
1Central African Republic49.2%2,823,496
2Niger47.0%12,777,175
3Chad46.7%8,543,403
4Somalia46.7%8,469,329
5Mali46.5%10,822,252
6DR Congo46.1%47,132,928
7Burundi45.4%6,005,010
8Mozambique44.8%15,169,066
9Angola44.6%16,350,149
10Uganda43.9%21,347,078
11Afghanistan43.2%18,260,289
12Mauritania43.0%2,093,030
13Tanzania42.7%28,809,559
14Burkina Faso42.4%9,858,630
15Malawi42.3%8,858,317
16Zambia42.0%8,631,062
17Benin41.8%5,737,447
18Cameroon41.8%11,963,110
19Nigeria41.5%92,856,542
20Zimbabwe41.3%6,886,147
21Ivory Coast41.3%11,918,788
22Guinea41.2%5,852,208
23Yemen41.2%14,203,663
24Republic of the Congo40.9%2,496,488
25Gambia40.7%1,129,511
26Sudan40.7%19,556,311
27Liberia40.0%2,167,351
28Togo39.9%3,610,655
29Madagascar39.6%11,999,892
30Ethiopia39.4%49,813,704
31Guinea-Bissau39.2%843,990
32Samoa38.7%87,406
33Eritrea38.7%1,450,075
34Senegal38.6%6,861,910
35Vanuatu38.6%129,153
36Sierra Leone38.5%3,387,208
37Palestine38.4%2,060,941
38Sao Tome and Principe38.3%88,754
39Rwanda37.7%5,317,924
40Equatorial Guinea37.5%642,659
41Kenya37.5%20,635,169
42Comoros37.4%318,676
43Solomon Islands37.4%276,622
44Namibia37.3%971,096
45Iraq37.1%16,877,641
46Pakistan37.0%89,075,888
47Gabon36.7%893,245
48Tajikistan36.5%3,703,408
49Ghana36.2%12,345,334
50Tonga35.6%38,389
51Kiribati34.9%46,637
52Lesotho34.9%813,747
53Papua New Guinea33.8%3,491,517
54Eswatini33.7%407,684
55Kyrgyzstan32.7%2,200,438
56Mongolia32.6%1,125,152
57Tuvalu32.6%3,715
58Egypt32.4%36,565,264
59Botswana32.3%863,604
60Guatemala32.1%5,814,777
61Micronesia32.1%37,021
62Turkmenistan31.7%2,063,649
63Haiti31.6%3,701,508
64Jordan31.2%3,540,561
65Honduras31.0%3,284,077
66Uzbekistan30.9%10,855,110
67Algeria30.6%13,973,825
68Laos30.6%2,332,883
69Syria30.3%7,047,076
70Bolivia30.1%3,733,915
71Cambodia30.1%5,102,087
72Djibouti29.6%336,050
73Kazakhstan29.5%5,791,799
74Guyana29.3%238,616
75Nicaragua29.2%2,057,523
76Paraguay28.8%1,974,747
77Nepal28.7%8,870,411
78Philippines28.6%33,570,221
79Bangladesh28.4%49,049,845
80Libya28.0%1,925,993
81Israel27.6%2,533,085
82Fiji27.4%256,473
83Belize27.0%110,882
84Dominican Republic26.9%3,049,703
85Lebanon26.7%1,430,570
86Cape Verde26.4%157,872
87Venezuela26.2%7,541,267
88South Africa26.1%15,756,100
89Morocco26.0%9,853,547
90Suriname26.0%161,730
91Panama25.3%1,129,532
92Oman25.2%1,171,778
93El Salvador25.2%1,604,602
94India25.1%358,014,092
95Ecuador25.0%4,547,621
96Indonesia24.9%69,189,257
97Mexico24.9%32,011,127
98Myanmar24.5%13,382,525
99Tunisia24.4%3,043,544
100Peru24.4%8,368,322
101Saudi Arabia24.1%8,904,233
102Vietnam23.6%23,340,598
103Iran22.8%20,367,060
104Sri Lanka22.4%4,895,404
105Azerbaijan22.3%2,326,186
106Malaysia22.3%7,647,370
107Argentina22.2%10,157,225
108Turkey21.8%18,742,258
109Saint Vincent and the Grenadines21.7%22,451
110New Caledonia21.5%63,081
111Bhutan21.5%168,981
112Georgia21.0%784,431
113Brunei21.0%95,121
114Colombia20.6%10,729,545
115Faroe Islands20.2%10,739
116Seychelles20.1%21,683
117Maldives20.1%104,465
118Moldova20.0%686,843
119Brazil19.9%43,154,636
120Grenada19.9%25,047
121Armenia19.6%543,093
122Costa Rica19.3%1,007,513
123Jamaica19.1%540,527
124Ireland19.0%961,829
125Bahrain19.0%282,098
126North Korea19.0%4,965,324
127Uruguay18.7%639,779
128Kuwait18.6%801,680
129Palau18.5%3,348
130New Zealand18.4%960,402
131Montenegro18.3%114,835
131Bahamas18.3%75,634
133Antigua and Barbuda18.2%17,181
134Dominica18.1%13,228
135Iceland18.1%67,782
136Australia18.0%4,766,972
136Trinidad and Tobago18.0%276,749
138Saint Lucia17.9%32,211
139Gibraltar17.8%5,815
140United States17.6%59,805,395
141Russia17.5%25,292,207
142Barbados17.5%49,321
143United Kingdom17.4%11,792,977
144Chile17.4%3,411,623
145Sweden17.3%1,830,585
146Aruba17.2%18,269
147North Macedonia17.1%356,025
148Albania17.0%482,648
149France16.8%10,866,155
150Belarus16.7%1,584,306
151China16.6%236,518,877
152Norway16.5%903,817
153United Arab Emirates16.3%1,555,057
154Belgium16.3%1,903,672
155Cyprus16.1%202,252
156Estonia16.0%211,246
157Slovakia15.9%922,016
158Romania15.9%3,158,979
159Denmark15.9%938,062
160Luxembourg15.8%103,584
161Latvia15.7%287,160
162Czechia15.7%1,644,613
163Canada15.3%5,933,538
164Netherlands15.2%2,672,696
165Qatar15.2%411,805
166Mauritius15.1%196,644
167Poland15.1%6,194,936
168Thailand15.1%10,834,813
169Switzerland15.0%1,320,380
170Finland14.9%828,494
171Slovenia14.9%316,467
172Lithuania14.9%404,763
173Bulgaria14.5%972,394
174Hungary14.5%1,471,639
175Serbia14.4%1,025,893
175Liechtenstein14.4%5,680
177Ukraine14.3%5,254,483
177Austria14.3%1,281,131
179Croatia14.1%566,818
180Germany13.9%11,594,613
181Bermuda13.9%8,893
182Greece13.6%1,405,380
183Spain13.3%6,301,103
184Bosnia and Herzegovina13.2%424,474
185Monaco13.2%4,784
186Malta13.2%70,361
187Portugal12.9%1,320,916
188San Marino12.7%4,273
189Andorra12.3%9,811
190Italy12.1%7,146,911
191Puerto Rico12.0%391,238
192Singapore11.8%709,136
193Japan11.7%14,363,811
194South Korea11.0%5,680,711
195Hong Kong10.7%801,602

What correlates with % Children (2023)?

Pearson r against 1,410 other country metrics sharing at least 117 countries. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher % Children tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. Young ADRAge Dependency Ratio by Country
    r = +0.99 · very strong · n = 195
    Plot
  2. Crude Birth Rate (CIA)Birth Rate by Country
    r = +0.98 · very strong · n = 194
    Plot
  3. Crude Birth Rate (UN)Birth Rate by Country
    r = +0.98 · very strong · n = 192
    Plot
  4. Aged 0-14Age Structure by Country
    r = +0.97 · very strong · n = 195
    Plot
  5. Natural Population IncreaseNatural Population Increase by Country
    r = +0.96 · very strong · n = 184
    Plot
  6. Total Fertility Rate (Avg. Births Per Woman) 2015-2020Pronatalist Countries
    r = +0.95 · very strong · n = 181
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher % Children tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. Median AgeMedian Age by Country
    r = −0.95 · very strong · n = 193
    Plot
  2. Social Progress IndexSocial Progress Index by Country
    r = −0.91 · very strong · n = 165
    Plot
  3. LP Living ConditionsLegatum Prosperity IndexA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.90 · very strong · n = 164
    Plot
  4. Human Development IndexStandard of Living by Country
    r = −0.90 · very strong · n = 187
    Plot
  5. GDI Female Human DevelopmentGender Development Index by Country
    r = −0.90 · very strong · n = 179
    Plot
  6. LP EducationLegatum Prosperity IndexA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.90 · very strong · n = 164
    Plot

Quick answers

Which country has the highest % Children?
Central African Republic has the highest % Children in 2023, at 49.2%, followed by Niger (47.0%) and Chad (46.7%).
Which country has the lowest % Children?
Hong Kong has the lowest % Children in 2023, at 10.7%.
What is the median % Children across countries?
The median is 24.5% across the 195 countries with data in 2023.
Where does this children in the world by country data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Percent Children Country rankings - The Global Economy; Help and Information - City Population; Total number of people aged 0 to 14 worldwide from 1950 to 2100 - Statista; Fertility rate: 'Jaw-dropping' global crash in children being born - BBC News.