Top 10 Best Years to Be Born

Imagine growing up with Saturday morning cartoons that weren't just on streaming apps but part of a weekly ritual. Or having your childhood photos taken on film, then rediscovered years later in a shoebox instead of your camera roll.

The year you're born shapes so much. Your tech, your toys, your slang, even how you learned to flirt. And let's not forget the music. There's just something different about saying, "I was born when that was a hit."

Some years are stacked with perks. Booming economies, low tuition, the sweet spot of tech and freedom before everything got tracked. Others have the bragging rights of being born when the coolest stuff came out or during a quieter, simpler time that's now basically vintage. Then there are those middle years where everything just seemed to click. Not too early, not too late, just right.

You get to decide which years nailed it. Cast your vote, argue your case, and see how others ranked the luckiest entry points into the timeline.

The Top Ten

  1. 2000

    The year 2000 (MM) was a century leap year that began on a Saturday in the Gregorian calendar. It marked the 2000th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations. It was the final year of the 2nd millennium and the 20th century, as well as the first year of the 2000s decade.

    This is the last year of the second millennium and the last year of the 20th century. Kids born in this year already lived in two millennia and two centuries before their first birthday had even come around. If they live to 101 to see the 2101, then that's three centuries. Plus, 2000s kids get to say their age is just the year.

    Old enough to have actually seen the evolution of smartphones and technology. Grew up with some of the greatest movie franchises of all time including Harry Potter and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Old enough to have experienced all the trends of the 2000s and the 2010s in childhood and adolescence. And, along with some 2001 babies, were the last graduating class to have an uninterrupted grade school education due to COVID-19 for the next 13 years.

  2. 1992

    1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1992nd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 992nd year of the 2nd millennium, the 92nd year of the 20th century, and the 3rd year of the 1990s decade. It was officially declared the... read more

    I was born on Valentine's Day of this year and am old enough to remember lots of great 90s Saturday morning cartoons when they first came out when I was a kid!

  3. 1989

    1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1989th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 989th year of the 2nd millennium, the 89th year of the 20th century, and the 10th and last year of the 1980s decade. The fall of the Berlin... read more

    You are influenced by the '80s if you are born in 1989. Childhood and elementary school were in the mid to late '90s. Middle school and preteen years were in the early 2000s. Spending your teen years and high school in the mid-2000s was really good. University years were during the late 2000s, and you began working and getting employed in the early 2010s. I think 1989 is the perfect year to be born.

    The cartoons, the cereal, and the food were amazing. Christmas was the best in the 80s, and it gives me memorable, happy, great-feeling vibes!

    Living your teenage years in the 2000s would be peak, and you get to have a vivid image of the New Year on December 31st, 1999, into 2000.

  4. 2003

    2003 (MMIII) was a common year that began on a Wednesday, according to the Gregorian calendar. It marked the 2003rd year of the Common Era and Anno Domini designations. The year was the third of the third millennium, the 21st century, and the fourth of the 2000s decade.

    Late 2003 is currently aged 17 years (as of this writing in March of 2021). Amazing birth year anyway, especially the latter part of the year (after July). Memories of the 2006 summer were the first. YouTube was already beginning to become popular, but some VCR exists in first memories. Much better than 2004, but definitely better than 2001 (imagine having 9/11 in your birth year).

    The second half was the best when it comes to 2003. The first half would mean people could remember late 2005, which is not nearly as modern as spring/summer of 2006. Having the internet since toddler years really makes for a different experience. Graduating in 2021/2022 is pretty good, especially graduating in 2022. Covid will hopefully be gone by then. But either way, 2003 borns, and late 2002, were the first to experience a full year of covid/post-covid schooling. 2001/early 2002 will only have had a couple of months in the very last year.

    On the other hand, having had Covid begin in 10th grade is far more interesting, as there was quite a long time, and the 2021/2022 school year will probably be in school, so the last year of schooling will be a reunion of sorts. Also, spending more than half of teenhood in the 20s (only late 2003 born after July were less than 16.5 years as of January 2020, 16.5 being the midpoint of the teen years given teens are 13-19, and that is 7 years, and half of 7 is 3.5, and 3.5 years before turning 20 is age 16.5, and 3.5 years after turning 13 is age 16.5) is an interesting thought. It is also interesting to consider that digital cameras really took off in 2003, as well as camera phones. 2002 is not very different from 2003, although late 2003 had more social media sites that would later become popular.

  5. 2002

    2002 (MMII) was a common year that began on a Tuesday in the Gregorian calendar. It was the 2002nd year of the Common Era and Anno Domini designations. It was also the 2nd year of the 3rd millennium, the 21st century, and the 3rd year of the 2000s decade.

    Better than 2001. First, it is safe to say 2002 onwards, post-9/11, and solidly in the 2000s (some consider 2000 not to be in the 2000s, and those born in 2001 were probably largely conceived in late 2000 and therefore not as solidly in the 2000s), is nearly akin to a different generation, especially with people born prior to August 2001 not even experiencing COVID-19 in high school. Also, late 2001 would have entered the 2020s as an adult, so really 2002-born onwards was markedly different. Someone born at midnight on January 1st, 2002, would still have experienced some nanoseconds in 2020 as a 17-year-old. This really highlights how different 2001-born and 2002-born individuals are from each other.

    Also, 2002 borns would have had more than half of their childhood in the 2010s, given that there are 10 whole years from age 3-12 (counting both 12 and 3) and 2002 borns would have been still 7 when 2010 started. They would have had the entirety of 8-12 with some of 7 in the 2010s, while anyone born before 2002 would have had more childhood in the 2000s. So, really the first year of a new group.

  6. 1999

    This is the final year before the 21st century. Anyone born here that lives to be 101 will have lived in three different centuries. People born in this year also were deprived of some technologies, just like everyone else in the 20th century. We grew up without phones as well and didn't even know what social media was until late middle school. We didn't care about our looks growing up and we just focused on having a normal childhood like everyone else.

    Not only are we the last of the 90s babies, but we are also one of the last generations to have a childhood without crazy amounts of technology. Now when I see 6-year-olds playing on iPads and kids in elementary school on smartphones... not that technology is bad, I'm glad that I had a chance to experience part of my life solely on my imagination.

    Also, CLASS OF 2017 unite!

  7. 2007

    2007 (MMVII) was a common year that started on a Monday in the Gregorian calendar. It was the 2007th year of the Common Era and Anno Domini designations. It was also the 7th year of the 3rd millennium, the 21st century, and the 8th year of the 2000s decade.

    You get to live your whole childhood in one decade only (2009 maybe an exception). Some cartoons were at their peak, and some really good movies came out for these kids. Not everyone born here was an internet addict. It was kinda like a third were.

    This is the year I was born, October 14th, 2007. There is no bias, what are you talking about?

    I voted for 2007 because it is the best year, duh.

    2007 is when all of the Disney princess movies started coming out left and right, and we actually have common sense, unlike the people born in 2008.

  8. 2006

    2006 was a common year beginning on Sunday in the Gregorian calendar. It was the 2006th year of the Common Era and Anno Domini designations. This year marked the sixth year of the 3rd millennium, the 21st century, and the 2000s decade.

    You got to have an amazing childhood in the last decent decade in human history and the first decade without a recession: 2009-2019.

    Elementary Class of 2017 rocks!

    Wow, they had YouTube, etc. Not my year, but still pretty good. Covid was largely a middle school phenomenon for them though, so not as interesting.

    This is the best year, just wait you'll see. First, the talent. Second, the brains. Third, everything else. This year is actually going places.

  9. 1993

    1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1993rd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 993rd year of the 2nd millennium, the 93rd year of the 20th century, and the 4th year of the 1990s decade. This year saw the formal establishment... read more

  10. 2005

    2005 was a common year beginning on Saturday in the Gregorian calendar. It marked the 2005th year of the Common Era and Anno Domini designations. The year was the sixth of the 2000s decade and included several notable global events in politics, science, and entertainment.

    This is the last year of mostly normal kids. Then it goes downhill. I just graduated high school and I swear every freshman class that came in got worse and more demented. We are the last of the Gen Z generation that got to experience a normal childhood without technology taking over (now we have 5-year-olds with phones). Plus, the best shows came out in 2005, including Criminal Minds and Grey's Anatomy. 2000-2005 are top-tier kids.

    Better than most years, there were lots of shows and things to do at the same time, and we weren't influenced by technology too much.

    11. The Newcomers
  11. ?

    2018

    2018 (MMXVIII) was a common year that began on a Monday in the Gregorian calendar. It was the 2018th year of the Common Era, the 9th year of the 2010s decade, the 18th year of the 21st century, and the 18th year of the 3rd millennium. Notable global events included the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang... read more

  12. ?

    1987

    1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1987th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 987th year of the 2nd millennium, the 87th year of the 20th century, and the 8th year of the 1980s decade.... read more

    13. The Contenders

  13. 1996

    1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1996th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 996th year of the 2nd millennium, the 96th year of the 20th century, and the 7th year of the 1990s decade. This year is also notable for the... read more

  14. 1997

    1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1997th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 997th year of the 2nd millennium, the 97th year of the 20th century, and the 8th year of the 1990s decade. This year marked the beginning... read more

    It's the year when the person who will change the world was born. Those who were born in 1997 are different in every single way.

  15. 1998

    1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1998th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 998th year of the 2nd millennium, the 98th year of the 20th century, and the 9th year of the 1990s decade. Google was incorporated as... read more

    I was born in 1998. I remember myself as a child in the mid-2000s before kids started using smartphones and tablets. I had a true high school experience in the early 2010s before I knew what social media was. That was in college when I first heard about it. Probably, 1998ers grew up in the 3rd best decade to grow up: the 2000s, just behind the '80s and '90s. 3rd place in 'best decades to grow up' is pretty good.

    Right now, I'm in the same account as my dad, who was born in 1971. I didn't know what an iPhone was until my senior year in high school. I was just focused on brick phones. I might even live through 3 centuries if I make it to 103 years.

    I was born in 1998. I had my childhood in the 2000s, and my teen years were in the early/mid 2010s. The only con of being born in 1998 is graduating college in 2020, but graduating in 2020 is a unique thing. I got to secure a good position before AI will impact jobs. This is a unique year to be born because you will experience graduating college in a pandemic. Graduating in 2020 is not all great though.

    2000 is also a unique year to be born. 1998 is a great year to be born. This is probably the first year of Gen-Z. If they make it 103 years, they will see 3 centuries. Being born at the end of the century is unique. The '90s (including 2000) is a very unique decade to be born.

  16. 2004

    2004 was a leap year that began on a Thursday in the Gregorian calendar. It was the 2004th year of the Common Era and of the Anno Domini designations. Major events in 2004 included the Athens Summer Olympics and the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami in December.

    This was a good year to be born in, and I have amazing childhood memories from the late 2000s and 2010s.

    Unfortunately, a good portion of my teen years were stolen due to the pandemic, but at least I got to have senior prom and a normal graduation ceremony in 2022.

    Can't believe I'm going to be 20 in a few months. Time sure flies.

    It's an okay year to be born in. You're in the sweet spot of kids that grew up as toddlers having normal lives without an abundance of technology (2007 - 2008). Now, for 2005 babies, I can't say the same thing.

    I was born on the 200th day of 2004, July 18. Not only are you '90s influenced as a toddler, but brought up with advanced medicine and not that much technology in the crucial years - a nice sweet spot. You also just have to add 5 to your age to remember what year you're in.

  17. 1994

    1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1994th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 994th year of the 2nd millennium, the 94th year of the 20th century, and the 5th year of the 1990s decade. A historic moment occurred in... read more

    This is the year because rap was going crazy.

  18. 1948

    Born into the Welfare State - NHS, State Pension, Final Salary Pension, student grants, mortgage tax relief, house price inflation. World Cup '66, The Beatles, Andy Pandy, Crackerjack etc. Life was simpler. No P.C., AIDS, and missed National Service.

    Now coming 70 in December with 11 years of retirement, wealthier and fitter(ish) than ever. Say, do, and drink what I like.

    In later years, most of my high school teachers volunteered that the class of '66 was about at the pinnacle of potential for success. Most of us had it all, and most of us didn't know it. What a time to grow up.

  19. 1955

    I was born this year. Great music, liberation of women, and turned 18 just at the end of the Vietnam War. The world was changing, and we had a front-row seat. Yay - Baby Boomers!

    It isn't about the year I was born, but when I reached my teens. I feel I lived through the best music, but maybe everyone feels like that!

    Same as '54, being in your teens during the 60s.

  20. 1990

    1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1990th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 990th year of the 2nd millennium, the 90th year of the 20th century, and the 1st year of the 1990s decade.... read more

    You got to spend your childhood years during the peak of humanity, which was from 1998 to 2000. You graduated college in a decent economy and had time to secure a good position before COVID.

    Good year to be born, along with being born this same year if you are Korean. Share the same birth year with Shin Se Kyung.

  21. 1985

    1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1985th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 985th year of the 2nd millennium, the 85th year of the 20th century, and the 6th year of the 1980s decade. The massive dual-venue benefit... read more

  22. 1933

  23. 2001

    2001 (MMI) was a common year that began on a Monday in the Gregorian calendar. It was the 2001st year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations. It marked the first year of the third millennium, the 21st century, and the second year of the 2000s decade.

    2001 is way better than 2002. 2001 was the last birth year to spend K-12 free of Covid-19 and the last year to remember the mid-to-late 2000s. Who wants to experience Covid in high school, like 2002+ borns? No one.

    Also, 2002 borns have faulty logic - late adolescence experience cannot make 2001 and 2002 different generations. Get out of here.

    I was born in 2001. I know '90s stuff. Here in India, in early childhood, we experienced Nintendo games, VCRs, and radios. We didn't have any Android phones, just an old Nokia phone that belonged to my dad. Played a lot of sports in childhood.

    Born in '01. Too late to remember 9/11, too early to grow up with cell phones. Nice in-between.

  24. 1991

    1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1991st year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 991st year of the 2nd millennium, the 91st year of the 20th century, and the 2nd year of the 1990s decade. This year marked a technological... read more

  25. 1986

    1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1986th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 986th year of the 2nd millennium, the 86th year of the 20th century, and the 7th year of the 1980s decade. Halley's Comet made its periodic... read more

    Great year. This was one of the last "careless" years of my mum, I suppose, because she was 17, and in 1987 she became an adult. In 1986, such hits as "Papa Don't Preach" and "Open Your Heart" by Madonna and "Take On Me" came out. Classics.

    My idol girl was born then too. Cassie, one of the most beautiful and sensual singers ever. If you don't believe me, then you gotta watch "Me and U," "Long Way 2 Go," "Official Girl," "Paradise," and "Written in the Stars." I think people born this year were very lucky because perhaps they could fully experience the 2000s, since they were 14 to 23 years old back then, and the 2010s, when they were 24 to 33, and could find out what it's like to be a '90s child from ages 4 to 13. Don't forget that Drake, Lindsay Lohan, Lady Gaga, and Bart Baker were born this year.

  26. 1995

    1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1995th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations.

    It was the 995th year of the 2nd millennium, the 95th year of the 20th century, and the 6th year of the 1990s decade.

    1995 is the perfect birth year for many reasons:

    - It's not considered too early or too late in the '90s.

    - Your childhood had just the right amount of innocent years before 9/11 happened. You're just old enough to slightly remember it, but not old enough to have trauma from it.

    - You get to live through high school years without the plague of the 2016 election ruining your long-time friendships.

    - You have K-12 and just enough time to complete your Bachelor's before COVID ruins campus life.

    - A technology-free childhood with Apple computers just beginning.

  27. 1875

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