How Old Is Someone Born In 98

Born in '98? Here's the math, and what it actually means depending on when you're asking.

If someone was born in 1998, they're either 26 or 27 years old in 2025. In practice, that's the short version. But honestly, the question "how old is someone born in 98" comes up more often than you'd think, and the answer isn't always as simple as subtracting. Let me walk through it properly — because context actually changes the number.

How to Calculate the Age of Someone Born in 1998

The math itself is basic: take the current year, subtract 1998. But birthdays throw a wrench in things. Until they've had their birthday that year, the person is one year younger than the calendar math suggests.

So for 2025:

• If their birthday has already passed → they're 27.
• If their birthday hasn't happened yet → they're 26.

Same person, different age, depending on the month you ask. It trips people up constantly.

A Quick Example

Say you're born October 15, 1998. In June 2025, you're still 26. So your birthday hasn't come around yet. But by November, you're 27. Two different answers, both correct.

This is the part most people skip when they ask the question. They want a single number, but age doesn't really work that way — it's a moving target until the birthday lands.

Why People Ask "How Old Is Someone Born in 98?"

It's not just idle curiosity. The reason behind the question usually tells you something about what's actually being figured out. A few common scenarios:

Age for Legal or Official Purposes

Drinking age, voting, signing contracts, joining the military — a lot of these milestones hinge on whether someone has already turned a specific age this calendar year*. The exact date matters here, not just the year. And that's really what it comes down to.

Generational Identity

A lot of folks born in 1998 feel caught between two worlds. Too young to be a 90s kid in any meaningful sense, but old enough to remember dial-up, DVD rentals, and waiting for songs to download off Napster. Also, they're often grouped loosely with millennials, sometimes with Gen Z, depending on who's defining the cutoff. And honestly, that ambiguity is part of why the age question comes up — people are trying to place themselves, or someone else, on a cultural map.

Work and Career Context

If you're hiring, mentoring, or just trying to relate to someone born in '98, knowing they're in their mid-to-late twenties helps frame the conversation. They've likely finished college, maybe grad school, and are somewhere in the early stages of a career — or still figuring that out, which is also pretty normal.

What Milestones Has Someone Born in 1998 Already Hit?

This depends on their exact birthday, but let's talk through it generally. At 26 or 27:

• They're legally an adult in basically every country.
• They've been able to drink in the US for a few years now (since age 21).
• They've finished — or should have finished — any typical college education.
• They were old enough to remember 9/11 happening, but only barely. Most kids that age have fuzzy memories at best.
• They grew up alongside the rise of smartphones, social media, and streaming. The iPhone came out when they were about 9. Instagram launched when they were 12. TikTok showed up well into their twenties.
• They entered the workforce in a world still recovering from the 2008 recession, and they've watched — or lived through — the COVID disruption to early career life.

That last point isn't small. Worth adding: being 22 in 2020 meant launching a career into a pandemic. It's shaped how a lot of people in this age bracket think about work, money, and stability.

Common Confusions About the Year 1998

"Born in 98" — Which Century's 98?

This almost never comes up, but technically, yes, "98" could refer to 1898 or 1998. In practice, if you're reading this in 2025, you almost certainly mean 1998. But if you're filling out a historical document or doing genealogy, the full four-digit year matters.

The Cutoff for "Twenties"

Someone born in 1998 is technically in their twenties from age 20 to 29. So they're in their late twenties right now — not mid-twenties, not early thirties. Consider this: it's a small distinction but it changes the vibe. Late twenties hits different than mid-twenties, especially culturally.

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Age vs. Year Confusion

People sometimes confuse "born in 98" with "class of 98" — which would imply they graduated high school or college that year, meaning they were born around 1980. Totally different generation. Worth clarifying if the question ever seems off.

How Old Is Someone Born in 1998 in Different Years?

Quick reference, since this changes every year:

• 2024: 25 or 26
• 2025: 26 or 27
• 2030: 31 or 32
• 2040: 41 or 42
• 2050: 51 or 52

If you're asking the question because you're trying to calculate something forward — like retirement planning, age-related eligibility for something — just run the math from the current year. Don't overthink it.

A Few Things Worth Knowing

If you're trying to figure out someone born in 1998 — whether that's you, a friend, a sibling, or a hypothetical — a couple of things might help:

The Exact Birthday Changes Everything

If you're filling in a form or making a decision that depends on age, get the actual birthday, not just the year. Half the time, "born in '98" is shorthand, and the actual date matters.

Generational Labels Are Fuzzy

Anyone born in 1998 is technically a millennial by most standard definitions, though some researchers push the millennial cutoff to 2000 or even 2001. That's why the boundaries are arbitrary anyway. Don't get hung up on the label — what matters more is the cultural moment someone grew up in, and 1998 puts you right at the cusp of analog childhood and digital adolescence.

Cultural Reference Points Actually Matter Here

This is the cohort that watched the transition happen in real time. VHS tapes, then DVDs. Now, aIM, then Facebook. In real terms, mySpace, then everything after. In practice, they remember the before times, but not that well. And they're fluent in everything that came after. That's a specific cultural position that doesn't quite match anyone older or younger.

FAQ

What generation is someone born in 1998?

By most standard definitions, they're a millennial — sometimes called "Generation Y." Some researchers stretch the millennial range to include 2000 or even 2001, so 1998 sits solidly inside the millennial window. They're on the younger end of that group.

How old were they when 9/11 happened?

They were about 3 years old. Most people born in 1998 have only vague or no memory of the event. It's something they learned about, not something they lived through consciously.

How old were they when the iPhone came out?

The original iPhone launched in 2007, when someone born in 1998 was around 8 or 9. Old enough to remember the early smartphones entering the household, young enough that smartphones weren't a defining part of their childhood.

Are people born in 1998 considered young adults?

Yes — they're typically classified as "emerging adults" or young adults, which generally covers the late teens through late twenties. 26 or 27 sits right in the middle of that range.

When will someone born in 1998 turn 30?

In 2028. If their birthday has already passed in 2028, they're 30. If not, they're still 29. Same logic as always.

So, the real answer to "how old is someone born in 98" depends on when you're asking and what you're using it for. And honestly, that's a pretty specific place to be — old enough to remember a world without smartphones, young enough to have built a life entirely around them. In 2025, the answer is 26 or 27. It's a strange and interesting age, whether you're living it or just curious about it.