Median Age by Country in 2086

In the year 2086, the world is projected to have a median age of 40.68 years.

The country with the highest median age is projected to be ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ทPuerto Rico where the median is 61.34 years. Closely followed by ๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ทRepublic of Korea with a median age of 60.91 years, and ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฑAlbania with 60.17.

The country with the lowest median age for the year is projected to be ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ชNiger where the median is 26.65 years. Followed by ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฉChad with a median age of 28.37, and ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฉDemocratic Republic of the Congo with 28.61 years.

The geographic region with the highest median age is projected to be Europe with a median of 48.72 years. Closely followed by Latin America and the Caribbean with a median age of 47.72 years, and Northern America with 46.77 years of median age.

When devided into sub-subregions we can see that Eastern Asia had the highest median age of 56.22 years. Closely followed by Southern Europe with a median age of 53.52 years, and Western Europe with 49.25 years of median age.

If we devide the global population into income groups we can see that Upper-middle-income countries has the highest median age of 50.06 years. While the lowest median age is recorded by Low-income countries with a median age of only 31.72.

Countries with the Highest Median Age in 2086

Rank Country Median Age (Years)
1 ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ทPuerto Rico 61.3372
2 ๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ทRepublic of Korea 60.9149
3 ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฑAlbania 60.1739
4 ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฑSaint Barthรฉlemy 59.7159
5 ๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ฐChina, Hong Kong SAR 58.9372
6 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณChina 56.6815
7 ๐Ÿ‡ฝ๐Ÿ‡ฐKosovo (under UNSC res. 1244) 55.977
8 ๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ฒJamaica 55.935
9 ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡นMalta 55.1518
10 ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ญThailand 54.8077
11 ๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ฆHoly See 54.1525
12 ๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ตJapan 53.9907
13 ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธSpain 53.9657
14 ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ผChina, Taiwan Province of China 53.8084
15 ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฉAndorra 53.7322
16 ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡นItaly 53.6997
17 ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌSingapore 53.519
18 ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฎAnguilla 53.471
19 ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ผAruba 53.3402
20 ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ทGreece 52.8284
21 ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฝSint Maarten (Dutch part) 52.7781
22 ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฒBermuda 52.6824
23 ๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ทCroatia 52.6081
24 ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฐNorth Macedonia 52.5878
25 ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฆBosnia and Herzegovina 52.5074
26 ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ธSerbia 52.3614
27 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ทCosta Rica 52.3198
28 ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ซFrench Polynesia 52.1726
29 ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฒSan Marino 52.1504
30 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡บCuba 51.9996
31 ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡นPortugal 51.9856
32 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฑChile 51.9725
33 ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฌBulgaria 51.8818
34 ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡พUruguay 51.6711
35 ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฎGibraltar 51.5266
36 ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑPoland 51.3537
37 ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฌGuernsey 51.3262
38 ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฌAntigua and Barbuda 51.0909
39 ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฒArmenia 51.0817
40 ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฐFalkland Islands (Malvinas) 51.0
41 ๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ฌBritish Virgin Islands 50.992
42 ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ปMaldives 50.9392
43 ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ถMartinique 50.8473
44 ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ธAmerican Samoa 50.7057
45 ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡บMauritius 50.6697
46 ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡นBhutan 50.6298
47 ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡จSaint Lucia 50.6298
48 ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ธMontserrat 50.5017
49 ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฒDominica 50.3922
50 ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ปEl Salvador 50.3895
51 ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฎLiechtenstein 50.295
52 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ดColombia 50.1284
53 ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฎFinland 50.0827
54 ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝMexico 50.0649
55 ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡นAustria 49.8613
56 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡พCyprus 49.8573
57 ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆUkraine 49.8213
58 ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ธIceland 49.6256
59 ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ชGermany 49.6128
60 ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ชMontenegro 49.5921
61 ๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ฎUnited States Virgin Islands 49.5452
62 ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ทBrazil 49.4846
63 ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฐSri Lanka 49.2908
64 ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฐSlovakia 49.2125
65 ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡งBarbados 49.1928
66 ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ทFrance 49.1525
67 ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ชEstonia 49.0538
68 ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฒSaint Pierre and Miquelon 48.9293
69 ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑNetherlands 48.9207
70 ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎSlovenia 48.9042
71 ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡นTrinidad and Tobago 48.7939
72 ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ดChina, Macao SAR 48.7242
73 ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ทIran (Islamic Republic of) 48.6102
74 ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ทTรผrkiye 48.5139
75 ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ชBelgium 48.473
76 ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟNew Zealand 48.4651
77 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ญSwitzerland 48.4023
78 ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ปLatvia 48.3168
79 ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡งUnited Kingdom 48.2921
80 ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ตGuadeloupe 48.2668
81 ๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡บHungary 48.164
82 ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฒIsle of Man 48.1299
83 ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡บLuxembourg 48.0129
84 ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡นLithuania 47.9949
85 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ปCabo Verde 47.9843
86 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆCanada 47.8684
87 ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฟAzerbaijan 47.8542
88 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ผCuraรงao 47.8463
89 ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ดNorway 47.7982
90 ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ดRomania 47.7454
91 ๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡จSaint Vincent and the Grenadines 47.7383
92 ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฉBangladesh 47.6804
93 ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ชIreland 47.6317
94 ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ญSaint Helena 47.4893
95 ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ตNorthern Mariana Islands 47.4402
96 ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ธBahamas 47.401
97 ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ชSweden 47.3882
98 ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ทArgentina 47.3123
99 ๐Ÿ‡ผ๐Ÿ‡ซWallis and Futuna Islands 47.2527
100 ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ณBrunei Darussalam 47.2491
101 ๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ชJersey 47.2457
102 ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡จEcuador 47.218
103 ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บAustralia 47.2051
104 ๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ณSaint Kitts and Nevis 47.1711
105 ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡พMalaysia 46.9483
106 ๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ตDem. People's Republic of Korea 46.7283
107 ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡จNew Caledonia 46.7174
108 ๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ผKuwait 46.7148
109 ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐDenmark 46.6781
110 ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡พBelarus 46.6284
111 ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธUnited States of America 46.626
112 ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ชRรฉunion 46.3837
113 ๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡พCayman Islands 46.286
114 ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณIndia 45.954
115 ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ถBonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba 45.9431
116 ๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ณViet Nam 45.8432
117 ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ณTunisia 45.8363
118 ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡งLebanon 45.8288
119 ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฉGrenada 45.6641
120 ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ชPeru 45.6372
121 ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ชGeorgia 45.6186
122 ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฟBelize 45.5208
123 ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ดDominican Republic 45.3693
124 ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡จTurks and Caicos Islands 45.3356
125 ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ตNepal 45.2738
126 ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฆSaudi Arabia 45.1243
127 ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฆMorocco 44.9592
128 ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡จMonaco 44.8934
129 ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฆPanama 44.845
130 ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฑGreenland 44.7591
131 ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡บGuam 44.6784
132 ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บRussian Federation 44.5734
133 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฐCook Islands 44.4359
134 ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฎNicaragua 44.379
135 ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ซSaint Martin (French part) 44.2646
136 ๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ชVenezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 44.1491
137 ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡พLibya 43.9538
138 ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡นGuatemala 43.8991
139 ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡จSeychelles 43.6154
140 ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡พGuyana 43.5955
141 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟCzechia 43.4376
142 ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฉRepublic of Moldova 43.0694
143 ๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ณHonduras 42.9456
144 ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฟAlgeria 42.9044
145 ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฒMicronesia (Fed. States of) 42.6576
146 ๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ดJordan 42.6495
147 ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฉIndonesia 42.6154
148 ๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ญCambodia 42.5642
149 ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ญWestern Sahara 42.4064
150 ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡พParaguay 42.1369
151 ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฆLao People's Democratic Republic 42.0404
152 ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡พSyrian Arab Republic 41.8961
153 ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ทSuriname 41.8894
154 ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฒMyanmar 41.8517
155 ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ดFaroe Islands 41.7577
156 ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฑTimor-Leste 41.3631
157 ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฐTokelau 41.269
158 ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ณMongolia 41.2446
159 ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡บNiue 40.7098
160 ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฑIsrael 39.9402
161 ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญPhilippines 39.8888
162 ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฒTurkmenistan 39.5658
163 ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ผPalau 39.4775
164 ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฏFiji 39.3196
165 ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ดBolivia (Plurinational State of) 39.3003
166 ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฟUzbekistan 39.2705
167 ๐Ÿ‡ด๐Ÿ‡ฒOman 39.1951
168 ๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ฆSouth Africa 38.9973
169 ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ญMarshall Islands 38.5785
170 ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ญBahrain 38.4952
171 ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ฌEgypt 38.4346
172 ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ธState of Palestine 38.4156
173 ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฏDjibouti 38.2681
174 ๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡นHaiti 37.6839
175 ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ผBotswana 37.5396
176 ๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฌKyrgyzstan 37.4311
177 ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ดTonga 36.5635
178 ๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฟKazakhstan 36.2557
179 ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฟEswatini 36.2503
180 ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ซFrench Guiana 36.1818
181 ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฏTajikistan 36.138
182 ๐Ÿ‡พ๐Ÿ‡ชYemen 36.0539
183 ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ทEritrea 35.8953
184 ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฌPapua New Guinea 35.7274
185 ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฐPakistan 35.591
186 ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ชUnited Arab Emirates 35.5717
187 ๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฒComoros 35.5143
188 ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฑSierra Leone 35.2957
189 ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ถIraq 35.2464
190 ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡นEthiopia 35.1034
191 ๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ชKenya 35.0732
192 ๐Ÿ‡ถ๐Ÿ‡ฆQatar 35.064
193 ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ถEquatorial Guinea 34.8375
194 ๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฎKiribati 34.7686
195 ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ผRwanda 34.4553
196 ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฆGabon 34.4178
197 ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฒGambia 34.1847
198 ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ญGhana 33.9888
199 ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฆNamibia 33.9178
200 ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ซAfghanistan 33.8392
201 ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธLesotho 33.8063
202 ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ผGuinea-Bissau 33.4421
203 ๐Ÿ‡ผ๐Ÿ‡ธSamoa 33.4
204 ๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ผZimbabwe 33.342
205 ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ปTuvalu 33.3337
206 ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ธSouth Sudan 33.3289
207 ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฌUganda 33.1697
208 ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฌMadagascar 33.1653
209 ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡นSao Tome and Principe 33.0294
210 ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ผMalawi 33.0216
211 ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ณGuinea 32.9414
212 ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ทLiberia 32.4894
213 ๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡บVanuatu 32.4527
214 ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ทMauritania 32.2601
215 ๐Ÿ‡พ๐Ÿ‡นMayotte 32.1851
216 ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ทNauru 32.1038
217 ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ซBurkina Faso 32.0607
218 ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡งSolomon Islands 32.0273
219 ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฎBurundi 31.8314
220 ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฌNigeria 31.776
221 ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฟMozambique 31.7558
222 ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ณSenegal 31.575
223 ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฉSudan 31.1915
224 ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฟUnited Republic of Tanzania 31.1143
225 ๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ฒZambia 30.7067
226 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ซCentral African Republic 30.5827
227 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฌCongo 30.55
228 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฒCameroon 30.2726
229 ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ดAngola 30.13
230 ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฌTogo 29.8949
231 ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฑMali 29.4553
232 ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ดSomalia 29.4375
233 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฎCรดte d'Ivoire 29.3325
234 ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฏBenin 29.0049
235 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฉDemocratic Republic of the Congo 28.6098
236 ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฉChad 28.3702
237 ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ชNiger 26.6518

Regions with the Highest Median Age in 2086

Rank Region Median Age (years)
1 Europe 48.7187
2 Latin America and the Caribbean 47.7195
3 Northern America 46.7726
4 Asia 45.4208
5 Oceania 42.8601
6 Africa 32.2506

Sub-regions with the Highest Median Age in 2086

Rank Sub-region Median Age (years)
1 Eastern Asia 56.2234
2 Southern Europe 53.5228
3 Western Europe 49.2458
4 Central America 48.2272
5 Northern Europe 48.1067
6 South America 47.818
7 Australia/New Zealand 47.3818
8 Eastern Europe 46.3926
9 Caribbean 44.3706
10 Southern Asia 43.474
11 South-Eastern Asia 43.2732
12 Western Asia 40.5069
13 Polynesia 40.112
14 Micronesia 39.9059
15 Southern Africa 38.3995
16 Central Asia 37.8377
17 Northern Africa 37.7715
18 Melanesia 35.6155
19 Eastern Africa 33.044
20 Western Africa 30.8867
21 Middle Africa 29.2033

Income Groups with the Highest Median Age in 2086

Rank Income Group Median Age (years)
1 Upper-middle-income countries 50.0629
2 High-income countries 48.4011
3 No income group available 44.1008
4 Middle-income countries 42.4408
5 Lower-middle-income countries 39.5945
6 Low-income countries 31.7247

Data Information

Data found on this page is based on the medium fertility variant of the United Nations Revision of World Population Prospects 2022.

Data Sources

The United Nations - Department of Economic and Social Affairs (Population Division)

UN Revision of World Population Prospects 2022

Data Disclaimer

People at database.earth has not verified data entry and collection processes in person. We take all open data provided by governmental and non-governmental organization at face value.

This data is the foundation for most content and visualization found on this page. If you find errors in the representation of the data, please contact us and we will correct it.

All data from sources are archived for future reference.