Population aged 65 and over — all countries

Population aged 65 and over — Western Africa

Population aged 65 and over in Western Africa in 2025 — 14,293,960 people. Since 1960, the indicator has risen by 420.3%.

2025 14.29M people +3.11% vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 14.29M people2025
Period minimum 2.75M people1960

Trend over time

1960–2025 · people

Population aged 65 and over — Western Africa, 1960–202505M10M15M19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 2,747,115 people1962: 2,895,056 people1964: 3,048,732 people1966: 3,189,927 people1968: 3,320,983 people1970: 3,461,879 people1972: 3,591,760 people1974: 3,754,024 people1976: 3,944,144 people1978: 4,175,882 people1980: 4,427,521 people1982: 4,673,692 people1984: 4,945,280 people1986: 5,217,896 people1988: 5,495,888 people1990: 5,780,187 people1992: 6,063,183 people1994: 6,358,862 people1996: 6,664,875 people1998: 6,993,124 people2000: 7,335,086 people2002: 7,717,996 people2004: 8,133,334 people2006: 8,577,137 people2008: 9,068,040 people2010: 9,615,605 people2012: 10,165,606 people2014: 10,653,989 people2016: 11,154,470 people2018: 11,734,520 people2020: 12,354,661 people2022: 13,044,574 people2024: 13,863,493 people2025: 14,293,960 people
Change over the period: +11.55M (+420.33%) Average annual rate: 2.57 %

Comparison, 2025

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Western Africa

Western Africa 14.29M people
World 855M people
Population aged 65 and over — Western Africa, by year Western Africa All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 14.29M +430,467 +3.11%
2024 13.86M +415,409 +3.09%
2023 13.45M +403,510 +3.09%
2022 13.04M +370,070 +2.92%
2021 12.67M +319,843 +2.59%
2020 12.35M +308,196 +2.56%
2019 12.05M +311,945 +2.66%
2018 11.73M +297,181 +2.6%
2017 11.44M +282,869 +2.54%
2016 11.15M +264,131 +2.43%
2015 10.89M +236,350 +2.22%
2014 10.65M +232,031 +2.23%
2013 10.42M +256,352 +2.52%
2012 10.17M +272,354 +2.75%
2011 9.89M +277,647 +2.89%
2010 9.62M +276,702 +2.96%
2009 9.34M +270,863 +2.99%
2008 9.07M +254,712 +2.89%
2007 8.81M +236,191 +2.75%
2006 8.58M +226,295 +2.71%
2005 8.35M +217,508 +2.67%
2004 8.13M +209,553 +2.64%
2003 7.92M +205,785 +2.67%
2002 7.72M +198,060 +2.63%
2001 7.52M +184,850 +2.52%
2000 7.34M +173,656 +2.42%
1999 7.16M +168,306 +2.41%
1998 6.99M +167,397 +2.45%
1997 6.83M +160,852 +2.41%
1996 6.66M +154,746 +2.38%
1995 6.51M +151,267 +2.38%
1994 6.36M +147,969 +2.38%
1993 6.21M +147,710 +2.44%
1992 6.06M +144,214 +2.44%
1991 5.92M +138,782 +2.4%
1990 5.78M +140,986 +2.5%
1989 5.64M +143,313 +2.61%
1988 5.5M +140,084 +2.62%
1987 5.36M +137,908 +2.64%
1986 5.22M +136,817 +2.69%
1985 5.08M +135,799 +2.75%
1984 4.95M +134,270 +2.79%
1983 4.81M +137,318 +2.94%
1982 4.67M +130,281 +2.87%
1981 4.54M +115,890 +2.62%
1980 4.43M +122,204 +2.84%
1979 4.31M +129,435 +3.1%
1978 4.18M +123,023 +3.04%
1977 4.05M +108,715 +2.76%
1976 3.94M +97,130 +2.52%
1975 3.85M +92,990 +2.48%
1974 3.75M +85,284 +2.32%
1973 3.67M +76,980 +2.14%
1972 3.59M +66,097 +1.87%
1971 3.53M +63,784 +1.84%
1970 3.46M +70,283 +2.07%
1969 3.39M +70,613 +2.13%
1968 3.32M +65,894 +2.02%
1967 3.26M +65,162 +2.04%
1966 3.19M +69,166 +2.22%
1965 3.12M +72,029 +2.36%
1964 3.05M +75,423 +2.54%
1963 2.97M +78,253 +2.7%
1962 2.9M +79,040 +2.81%
1961 2.82M +68,901 +2.51%
1960 2.75M

About the indicator

The population aged 65 and over. In absolute numbers this group is growing faster than any other: it expands both from the rise in life expectancy and from the entry of the large cohorts born in the middle of the 20th century. Japan and Italy lead by share of population, China and India by absolute number, and the divergence of the two rankings shows where the load on health care and pensions is larger in scale and where it is sharper.

Important: The threshold of 65 years is an international convention and is not tied to the retirement age of any particular country.

Source: World Population Prospects (UN), license CC BY 3.0 IGO.