We asked people in 18 mostly middle-income countries what they think is the best age to get married. On average, respondents say 25.9 years old is the ideal age for marriage. But opinions vary by country. For instance, Argentine adults say the best age to get married is 28.9 – on the older end when compared with other country averages. People in Chile, Colombia, Peru, South Africa and Tunisia also suggest ages on the older end, saying it is best to marry around 28 years old. Conversely, Bangladeshis say it’s best to get married younger – at 21.2 years old,…
Author: Janakee Chavda
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Across mostly middle-income survey countries, people say it’s ideal to be a spouse, parent and homeowner by 30, and to retire by 60 How we did this This Pew Research Center analysis examines what people see as the best age to get married, have a first child, buy a home and retire. It draws on nationally representative surveys of 23,022 adults across 18 countries: Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tunisia and Turkey. The surveys were conducted face-to-face from Jan. 5 to May 22, 2024. To analyze…
People across the 18 mostly middle-income countries surveyed say, on average, that 26.1 is the best age to have a first child. There is a lot of agreement on this timing, and in most countries, average ideal ages fall between 25 and 27. But there are some that stand out. People in Tunisia say the ideal age to have a first child is just under 30, on the higher end of the average ages suggested. And adults in Argentina say it is best to have a child at 27.7 years old. By comparison, people in Bangladesh and South Africa say…
When asked about the ideal age to buy a home, people’s answers vary more than on other milestones we measured. Brazilian adults suggest the youngest age for this life event (saying 24.9 years old is best, on average), while Ghanaian adults suggest the oldest age (36.3). Across the 18 mostly middle-income countries surveyed, people think the best age to buy a home is 29.9. Adults in other Latin American countries agree with Brazilians that becoming a homeowner before 30 is ideal: People in Chile and Mexico, on average, say the best age for buying a home is around 27, while…
On average across 18 mostly middle-income countries surveyed, the ideal age for retirement is 57.9. Nigerians suggest the oldest ideal age for retirement (62.7, on average). Respondents in Ghana and Kenya also suggest a relatively high age (60.6 in each). Colombians give the youngest ideal age, saying 52.1 is the best age to retire. The ideal age is similarly low in Turkey (52.7). By comparison, the real retirement age – defined here as the age people become eligible for age-related pensions – varies widely across countries. And in most nations surveyed, people say the best age to retire is younger…
To help place the ideal ages provided by respondents in context, we compiled data on when in life people around the world actually get married, have their first child and become eligible for certain retirement benefits. Average age at first marriage comes from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Population Division. Data points come from different years, most recently 2019. Ages are calculated separately for men and women. Average age at first child also comes from the UN Population Division and is only available for women. In this analysis, we use the minimum age at which…
This report is a collaborative effort based on the input and analysis of the following individuals. Janell Fetterolf, Senior ResearcherChristine Huang, Research AssociateJordan Lippert, Research AnalystSofia Hernandez Ramones, Research Assistant Peter Bell, Associate Director, Design and ProductionJanakee Chavda, Associate Digital ProducerLaura Clancy, Research AnalystManolo Corichi, Research AnalystJonathan Evans, Senior ResearcherMoira Fagan, Research AssociateShannon Greenwood, Digital Production ManagerSneha Gubbala, Research AnalystJenn Hatfield, Writer/EditorAnna Jackson, Editorial AssistantGar Meng Leong, Communications ManagerKirsten Lesage, Research AssociateCarolyn Lau, International Research MethodologistJohn Carlo Mandapat, Information Graphics DesignerWilliam Miner, Research AnalystPatrick Moynihan, Associate Director, International Research MethodsGeorgina Pizzolitto, Research MethodologistJacob Poushter, Associate Director, Global Attitudes ResearchAndrew Prozorovsky,…
Vendors wait for customers at Black Owned Bos.’s weekend market in Boston’s Seaport neighborhood on Sept. 22, 2024. (Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) More than one-in-five Black adults in the United States say owning a business is essential to their personal definition of financial success, according to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey. While Black-owned businesses have grown significantly in the U.S. in recent years, they still make up a small share of overall firms and revenue, according to our analysis of federal data. How we did this Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to examine the characteristics of…
By global standards, the U.S. has a relatively low level of religious nationalism, but it stands out from other high-income countries National and royal flags fly outside religious sites in Thailand, Turkey, the U.S. and Israel. (Clockwise from top left: Vera Tikhonova, Westend61, Samuel Corum and Paul Souders, all via Getty Images) Pew Research Center conducted this survey to examine the role of religion in public life in 36 countries across the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East-North Africa region, North America and sub-Saharan Africa. The countries have a variety of historically predominant religions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism,…
Large shares of adults in most of the 36 countries we surveyed say religion helps society rather than harms it. Most also say religion encourages tolerance, not intolerance. But people are slightly more divided about whether religion encourages superstitious thinking. Religion is generally seen more positively by: People in middle-income countries, compared with those in high-income countries Religiously affiliated people, compared with those who are unaffiliated People who say they pray daily, compared with those who pray less often Does religion help society? Views of religion’s impact on society are broadly positive. A 36-country median of 77% say religion mostly…