The countries with the youngest populations in the world

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The countries with the youngest populations in the world

Uganda

Ben Curtis / Associated Press

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The world's population is aging, thanks to improving vaccines, antibiotics, and other medical technologies.

But some countries are still disproportionately young - with children comprising as much as 50% of their populations.

According to the United Nations, disproportionately young populations typically belong to developing countries due to poverty, high child mortality rates, and a lack of infrastructure, medical resources, and education.

In recent years, scholars such as economist Andre Gunder Frank have also cited European colonization of these countries during the 16th to 20th centuries as a cause to the overall lack of resources leading to disproportionately young populations.

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The World Bank tracks the percentage of each country's population under the age of 15, allowing us to see which countries had disproportionately young populations in 2018, the most recent year for which data is available.

Read on to see the 25 nations where children make up the biggest percentage of the population.

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25. Guinea — 42.03% under 15

25. Guinea — 42.03% under 15

24. Republic of Congo — 42.11% under 15

24. Republic of Congo — 42.11% under 15
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23. Cote d'Ivoire — 42.28% under 15

23. Cote d'Ivoire — 42.28% under 15

22. Sao Tome and Principe — 42.44% under 15

22. Sao Tome and Principe — 42.44% under 15
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21. Benin — 42.48% under 15

21. Benin — 42.48% under 15

20. Cameroon — 42.50% under 15

20. Cameroon — 42.50% under 15
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19. Afghanistan — 42.64% under 15

19. Afghanistan — 42.64% under 15

18. Senegal — 42.73% under 15

18. Senegal — 42.73% under 15
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17. Central African Republic — 42.84% under 15

17. Central African Republic — 42.84% under 15

16. Timor-Leste — 43.52% under 15

16. Timor-Leste — 43.52% under 15
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15. Malawi — 43.74% under 15

15. Malawi — 43.74% under 15

14. Nigeria — 43.84% under 15

14. Nigeria — 43.84% under 15
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13. Zambia — 44.46% under 15

13. Zambia — 44.46% under 15

12. Mozambique — 44.53% under 15

12. Mozambique — 44.53% under 15
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11. Tanzania — 44.69% under 15

11. Tanzania — 44.69% under 15

10. Burkina Faso — 44.95% under 15

10. Burkina Faso — 44.95% under 15
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9. The Gambia — 45.07% under 15

9. The Gambia — 45.07% under 15

8. Burundi — 45.09% under 15

8. Burundi — 45.09% under 15
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7. Democratic Republic of Congo — 46.16% under 15

7. Democratic Republic of Congo — 46.16% under 15

6. Somalia — 46.33% under 15

6. Somalia — 46.33% under 15
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5. Angola - 46.62% under 15

5. Angola - 46.62% under 15

4. Chad - 46.86% under 15

4. Chad - 46.86% under 15
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3. Uganda - 47.41% under 15

3. Uganda - 47.41% under 15

2. Mali - 47.53% under 15

2. Mali - 47.53% under 15
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1. Niger — 50.12% under 15

1. Niger — 50.12% under 15