Golden Years.

From 2001 to 2026, 93 of the 199 people who won a Nobel Prize in physics, chemistry or medicine were 70 or older in the year they won: 46.7%. In 1901–1925 it was 2 of 75. Three in four recent laureates, 75.4%, were at least 60.

The young went the other way. In 1901–1925, 14 of 75 science laureates were under 40 (18.7%); since 2001, 2 have been. The median rose in every period, from 49 to 51, 54, 59 and 68.

In 1901–1925 the median physics laureate was 46, and 17 of 30 were under 50. Since 2001 the median is 72: 37 of the 69 physics laureates were 70 or older and 5 were under 50. Chemistry went from 49.5 to 69 and medicine from 49 to 67.

Most of the change came late. The physics median was 45.5 in 1926–1950 and 49.5 in 1951–1975, then 59.5 in 1976–2000. The data shows when laureates were older, not why.

John B. Goodenough was 97 when he shared the 2019 chemistry prize. Arthur Ashkin was 96 in 2018, and Henri B. Kagan, who shares this year's chemistry prize, turns 96 in 2026. John J. Hopfield was 91 in 2024; Klaus Hasselmann and Syukuro Manabe were both 90 in 2021. Before 2001, 2 science laureates were 85 or older. Since then 19 have been.

The youngest science laureate is still Lawrence Bragg, 25 when he shared the 1915 physics prize. Nobody under 35 has won a science prize since 1973. The youngest since 2001 are Konstantin Novoselov, 36 in 2010, and John Jumper, 39 in 2024.

Set the first half of the 20th century against the years since 2001. The median physics laureate went from 45.5 to 72, chemistry from 50 to 69, medicine from 54 to 67 and literature from 60 to 70.

Peace went the other way, from 65.5 to 60. Malala Yousafzai, 17 when she shared the 2014 prize, is the youngest laureate of any prize; Nadia Murad was 25 in 2018. Economics, first awarded in 1969, had a median of 67 in 1969–1990 and 68 since 2001.