A 2018 meta-analysis by Orth, U., Erol, R. Y., and Luciano, E. C. explored how our self-esteem evolves between ages 4 and 94.
Soaring and Stagnant Trends
The study included nearly 165,000 children and adults aged 4 to 94, covering a wide range. The findings revealed that our confidence steadily rises during childhood, between ages 4 and 11, then dips slightly during adolescence. But don’t worry—self-esteem doesn’t actually drop on average during those teen years; it mostly plateaus. As adolescence winds down and high school begins—the gateway to adulthood—our self-esteem starts climbing again. In fact, it takes off and soars until around age 30.
Many believe this is the peak—age 30 marks a turning point—and from many angles, it does. By then, lucky ones have achieved some of their early, important goals.
It makes sense: the more goals we achieve, the more our self-esteem grows.
By 30, most of us know our worth and successes, and have learned that hard work pays off. It’s easy to get caught in a positive cycle: the more wins we rack up, the more confident we become. With growing confidence, we tackle bigger challenges. Sounds great, right? Even better, the study shows growth doesn’t stop when we hit our thirties.
How Long Does This Idyllic Phase Last?
Looking at the numbers, self-esteem increased by 0.34 between ages 4 and 11, 1.05 between 15 and 30, and 1.30 after 30. This means we actually boost our self-esteem more as adults than when we’re young. Even more amazing, this continues up to age 60, proving we’re not most aware of our value at the start of adulthood.
The peak is expected around age 60.
After that, between ages 60 and 70, self-esteem tends to decline. Unfortunately, this positive trend breaks down as people often need more help, face health challenges, and become less active in later years. It’s no surprise this affects how we feel about ourselves.
What Else Shapes Our Self-Esteem?
To sum up, self-esteem rises in early and late childhood, stays steady during adolescence (contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t drop), grows strongly in young adulthood, continues increasing in middle age, peaks around 60, then declines in older age. Since this was a meta-analysis, the results are broad and reliable. The researchers confidently stated that gender, country, or ethnicity didn’t affect these age-related patterns. Though we can’t control our age, stats show people worldwide share similar confidence levels at the same life stages.
While age is the main factor shaping our self-esteem, the researchers emphasized it’s not fixed. People change over time—not just because they get older. Our self-esteem also shifts with life’s ups and downs. School achievements, work conflicts, tragedies, and family disagreements naturally cause fluctuations. Likewise, love, parenthood, and health challenges impact how we see ourselves.
There’s still much to explore, as key questions about how self-esteem develops remain unanswered. The journey of self-esteem is ongoing and fascinating.
