Karachi: A new global survey conducted by the Worldwide Independent Network of Market Research (WIN) reveals significant shifts in how people perceive youth and old age across different regions. As per findings released by WIN, the average age at which individuals stop feeling young is now 42, two years earlier than in 2018, and they begin to feel old by 54, a year sooner than previously reported.

According to Gallup Pakistan, the WIN World Survey 2024 involved 33,866 participants from 39 countries, providing insights into global and regional perceptions of aging. The study indicates a nearly decade-long gap between when people stop feeling young and when they start feeling old, with significant regional variations.

Europeans reportedly feel old later in life, around age 59, compared to their counterparts in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region who start feeling old at 50. In the Americas, the age people feel old has decreased from 57 to 53 since 2018. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and Africa also saw decreases in this age, highlighting a global trend of feeling older at a younger age.

The survey also explores the age at which people in different regions stop feeling young. While the Americas recorded a decline from 46 to 40, Europe saw a decrease from 46 to 43. In contrast, Africa saw an increase, where people now stop feeling young at 43, up from 40.

Notably, Finland and South Korea are outliers, with Finns not feeling old until 72 and South Koreans feeling young until 52. Conversely, people in the Philippines stop feeling young the earliest, at 30.

Richard Colwell, President of WIN International Association, commented on the findings, noting, “This subject provides fascinating insights into how age is perceived differently around the world, influenced by cultural, geographic, and temporal factors.”