Many people in their 40s and 50s feel that their friend group is getting smaller. Recent U.S. data supports this idea. In a 2023 Pew Research Center survey, 40% of adults age 50 to 64 said they had five or more close friends. That was lower than the 49% of adults age 65 and older. A 2024 University of Michigan poll also found that people age 50 to 64 were more likely than people 65 and older to say they had no close friends. (pewresearch.org)

One big reason is time. A 2025 study on friendship across the life span says that adult life often includes a partner, work, and caring for children, and these duties leave less room for friends. Another U.S. study found that new friendships in midlife often start at work. This means that when work gets busy, or when a job changes, friendship can become harder to keep. (sciencedirect.com)

Life in the 40s and 50s can also change quickly. Some people move, change jobs, care for older parents, or have health problems. In the Michigan poll, 42% of adults age 50 and older said making new friends is harder now than when they were younger, and 34% said keeping friendships is harder now. People in worse physical or mental health were even more likely to say this. (ihpi.umich.edu)

But fewer friends does not always mean a sad life. Stanford’s Socioemotional Selectivity Theory says that as people feel time more strongly, they often choose a smaller circle and focus on the relationships that feel warm and important. Pew also found that adults 50 and older were more satisfied with the quality of their friendships than younger adults. So in your 40s and 50s, friendship may become smaller, but it can also become deeper. (lifespan.stanford.edu)