This one chart shows an unprecedented recent spike in age for Congress, posing a huge problem for American democracy

• The 117th Congress is the oldest it's ever been, with close to a quarter over the age of 70.
• Congress' leadership is particularly aged, including 82-year-old House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
• Meanwhile, half the country is aged 38 or younger. Only about 5% of Congress can say the same.

The number of lawmakers in Congress over the age of 70 has rapidly grown over the past 20 years, Insider's "Red, White, and Gray" project found.

It's jumped from 8% in 2002 to 23% — nearly a quarter — in 2022.

That septuagenarian spike during the past two decades is made more stark because it's completely out of step with the decidedly more gradual aging of the nation's population.

On average, 10% of Congress was under the age of 40 from 1950 to 1990. The percentage of Congress under the age of 40 grew as high as 17% in the early 1980s.

But as the oldest members of Congress cling to power, their longevity has come at the expense of generational representation for younger Americans.

Throughout congressional sessions since 2000, just 4% of Congress is under 40, on average. Meanwhile, nearly half of all Americans are under the age of 40.

How Congress is aging

Congress has long been older than the population it governs and had for the bulk of the 19th and 20th centuries increased slightly in age apace with the population as a whole. But in the early 1990s, something unexpected happened: Congress began to age significantly faster than the population as a whole.

This was not only the result of members getting older, but also because older members are holding on to their seats longer. It came at the expense of younger members, who are rarer now than

Half of the country is aged 38 years old or below, yet only 5 percent of American lawmakers can say the same right now. The median grew from 51.8 years old in 1980 to 61.5 years old in 2022 in an unprecedented 40-year period of growth.

The gerontocracy in Congress is especially present in its leadership roles, where House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell are also over the age of 70. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and House Whip James Clyburn are both over 80.

Leadership roles in committees are also often granted by way of seniority, meaning older members in Congress also wield more legislative power.

It's become increasingly difficult to defeat older, sitting or former members of Congress due to their already-established donor and support bases, especially from donors who are retired.

Retirees have increasingly donated more and more to congressional candidates over the last 10 election cycles, Insider's project found.