Born in the 1980s
People born in the 1980s are 36 to 46 years old in 2026 and belong to Generation X and Millennials. The world population went from about 4.45 billion in 1980 to 5.23 billion in 1989, and the U.S. population from 229.9 million to 250.7 million.
| Born | Age in 2026 | President | Top song | Top movie | Best Picture | Top names (boy / girl) | Min. wage | Gas | Median new home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 36 or 37 | Reagan / Bush | Look Away | Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade | Driving Miss Daisy | Michael / Jessica | $3.35 | $1.02 | $120,425 |
| 1988 | 37 or 38 | Reagan | Faith | Rain Man | Rain Man | Michael / Jessica | $3.35 | $0.95 | $112,225 |
| 1987 | 38 or 39 | Reagan | Walk Like An Egyptian | Three Men and a Baby | The Last Emperor | Michael / Jessica | $3.35 | $0.95 | $104,700 |
| 1986 | 39 or 40 | Reagan | That's What Friends Are For | Top Gun | Platoon | Michael / Jessica | $3.35 | $0.93 | $92,025 |
| 1985 | 40 or 41 | Reagan | Careless Whisper | Back to the Future | Out of Africa | Michael / Jessica | $3.35 | $1.20 | $84,275 |
| 1984 | 41 or 42 | Reagan | When Doves Cry | Beverly Hills Cop | Amadeus | Michael / Jennifer | $3.35 | $1.21 | $79,950 |
| 1983 | 42 or 43 | Reagan | Every Breath You Take | Return of the Jedi | Terms of Endearment | Michael / Jennifer | $3.35 | $1.24 | $75,375 |
| 1982 | 43 or 44 | Reagan | Physical | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | Gandhi | Michael / Jennifer | $3.35 | $1.30 | $69,225 |
| 1981 | 44 or 45 | Carter / Reagan | Bette Davis Eyes | Raiders of the Lost Ark | Chariots of Fire | Michael / Jennifer | $3.35 | $1.38 | $68,950 |
| 1980 | 45 or 46 | Carter | Call Me | The Empire Strikes Back | Ordinary People | Michael / Jennifer | $3.10 | $1.25 | $64,750 |
Most popular names of the 1980s
Combined counts of Social Security card applicants born 1980 to 1989.
| Rank | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael (663,824) | Jessica (469,518) |
| 2 | Christopher (554,886) | Jennifer (440,916) |
| 3 | Matthew (458,953) | Amanda (369,728) |
| 4 | Joshua (396,530) | Ashley (352,185) |
| 5 | David (383,702) | Sarah (272,647) |
| 6 | James (356,498) | Stephanie (218,175) |
| 7 | Daniel (345,559) | Melissa (217,929) |
| 8 | Robert (321,672) | Nicole (210,498) |
Events that defined the 1980s
- August 25, 1980. Zimbabwe joins the United Nations.
- October 9, 1980. Pope John Paul II greets the Dalai Lama during a private audience in Vatican City.
- January 15, 1981. Pope John Paul II receives a delegation from the Polish trade union Solidarity at the Vatican led by Lech Wałęsa.
- September 3, 1981. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, an international bill of rights for women, is instituted by the United Nations.
- September 25, 1981. Belize joins the United Nations.
- November 11, 1981. Antigua and Barbuda joins the United Nations.
- March 10, 1982. Syzygy: All nine planets recognized at this time — Mercury to Pluto — align on the same side of the Sun.
- January 10, 1984. Holy See–United States relations: The United States and Holy See (Vatican City) re-establish full diplomatic relations after almost 117 years, overturning the United States Congress's 1867 ban on public funding for such a…
- February 22, 1986. Start of the People Power Revolution in the Philippines.
- February 25, 1986. People Power Revolution: President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos flees the nation after 20 years of rule; Corazon Aquino becomes the Philippines' first female president.
- April 14, 1988. In a United Nations ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, the Soviet Union signs an agreement pledging to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.
- December 20, 1988. War on drugs: The United Nations agrees upon and promulgates the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, one of three major drug control treaties currently in force.
Famous people born in the 1980s
- Beyoncé, American singer-songwriter (1981)
- Roger Federer, Swiss tennis player (1981)
- Basshunter, Swedish singer, record producer and DJ (1984)
- Mark Zuckerberg, American computer programmer and businessman, co-founder of Facebook (1984)
- Scarlett Johansson, American actress (1984)
- Cristiano Ronaldo, Portuguese footballer (1985)
- Lana Del Rey, American singer-songwriter (1985)
- Lady Gaga, American singer-songwriter and actress (1986)
- Rafael Nadal, Spanish tennis player (1986)
- Lionel Messi, Argentine footballer (1987)
- Novak Djokovic, Serbian tennis player (1987)
- Rihanna, Barbadian singer, songwriter, businesswoman, and actress (1988)
- Corbin Bleu, American actor, model, dancer, film producer and singer-songwriter (1989)
- Taylor Swift, American singer-songwriter (1989)