Time is a weird, elastic thing. One minute you're listening to "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls on a Discman that skips every time you step too hard, and the next, you’re staring at a high-resolution screen wondering where the decades went. If you're looking for the quick math on how many years has it been since 1998, the answer is 28 years.
Twenty-eight.
That number feels heavy, doesn't it? It’s long enough for a newborn to become a homeowner, or at least a very tired adult with a 401(k) and a specific brand of preferred dish soap. But 1998 isn't just a digit on a timeline. It was the bridge. It was the year we collectively decided the internet was going to be a "thing" rather than just a hobby for people in basements.
Doing the Math: The Gap Between Then and Now
We are currently in 2026. To figure out how many years has it been since 1998, you just subtract 1998 from 2026. The result is 28. If your birthday hasn't hit yet this year, you might still feel 27 in "1998 years," but the calendar doesn't lie.
Think about that span. Twenty-eight years is more than a quarter of a century. In 1998, the top-grossing movie was Titanic (technically released in late '97, but it owned the '98 Oscars). We were obsessed with a sinking ship while the world was quietly building the unsinkable ship of the digital age.
Why 1998 Still Feels Like Yesterday (But Definitely Isn't)
Memory is a liar. It glazes over the frustration of waiting ten minutes for a single JPEG to load on a 56k modem. Honestly, if you try to explain a "busy signal" to someone born in 2005, they look at you like you’re describing life in the Victorian era.
In 1998, Google was incorporated. Larry Page and Sergey Brin officially moved their operations from a Stanford dorm to a garage in Menlo Park. That was 28 years ago. It’s wild to think there’s an entire generation of professionals who have never known a world where "Googling" wasn't a verb. Back then, we were still using Altavista or Ask Jeeves. We actually asked a digital butler for help.
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The tech shift since then is staggering. In '98, the iMac G3—the translucent, Bondi Blue one—hit the shelves. It didn't have a floppy disk drive. People lost their minds. They thought Apple was insane for ditching the floppy. Now, most kids haven't even seen a CD-ROM in the wild, let alone a floppy disk.
The Pop Culture Landscape of 28 Years Ago
If you want to feel the weight of those 28 years, look at the charts. Britney Spears released "...Baby One More Time" in late 1998. That track changed the DNA of pop music.
The Spice Girls were at their peak, but Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice) left the group that May. It felt like a national tragedy for anyone under the age of 15. On TV, Seinfeld aired its series finale. Over 76 million people watched it. In the 2026 landscape of fragmented streaming and niche TikTok subcultures, the idea of 76 million people doing the exact same thing at the exact same time feels impossible.
- The Furby was the "must-have" Christmas toy.
- The Big Lebowski confused audiences before becoming a cult classic.
- Windows 98 was released, bringing us the "Active Desktop."
- The International Space Station launched its first component.
How the World Has Shifted Since 1998
The geopolitical map looks fundamentally different now. In 1998, the Euro hadn't even entered physical circulation yet. The Good Friday Agreement was signed in Northern Ireland, ending decades of conflict. These were massive, world-altering shifts that are now just chapters in a history textbook for college students.
Twenty-eight years.
It’s the difference between carrying a pager and wearing a watch that can take an EKG. It’s the difference between renting a VHS tape at Blockbuster and having every movie ever made accessible in your pocket.
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According to data from the Pew Research Center, only about 42% of U.S. adults used the internet in 1998. Today, that number is virtually 100% for younger demographics, with "constant" connectivity being the norm. We transitioned from a world where you "went online" to a world where you are never offline.
The Economic Reality
Let's talk money, because that’s where the 28-year gap hits the hardest. In 1998, the average price of a gallon of gas in the United States was about $1.06. A postage stamp cost 32 cents. The median household income was roughly $38,885.
If you adjust for inflation, $100 in 1998 has the buying power of nearly $190 today. Essentially, the value of your dollar has nearly halved in the time it took for a 1998 baby to grow up and start complaining about their back pain.
Measuring Your Own Life Against the 1998 Benchmark
If you’re asking how many years has it been since 1998, you’re probably doing a bit of "life math."
Maybe you’re looking at an old photo of yourself with frosted tips or a butterfly clip. Maybe you’re wondering if that car you bought "just a few years ago" is actually a vintage vehicle now. (Newsflash: if it’s from 1998, it’s 28 years old. In many states, it officially qualifies for "classic" or "antique" license plates).
There’s a specific kind of nostalgia for that era. It was the "End of History" vibe. The Cold War was over. The 9/11 attacks hadn't happened yet. The Y2K bug was a looming, mysterious threat that felt more like a sci-fi movie plot than a real concern. We were optimistic, if a bit cynical in that specific 90s way.
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Notable Milestones Since 1998:
- The entire rise and fall of the iPod.
- The birth and dominance of social media (Facebook didn't exist until six years later).
- Five different U.S. Presidential administrations.
- The transition from 35mm film to digital dominance in photography.
The Physicality of 28 Years
Health-wise, 28 years is a significant biological marker. If you were 20 in 1998, you are 48 now. You’ve moved from the peak of physical resilience into the era of "preventative maintenance."
Medical science has moved mountains in this timeframe. In 1998, the Human Genome Project was still five years away from completion. Now, we have CRISPR gene editing and mRNA vaccines that can be developed in months. We are living in the future that 1998 sci-fi movies promised, even if we don't have the flying cars yet.
What to Do With This Information
Knowing it has been 28 years since 1998 is more than a trivia fact. It’s a perspective check. It reminds us that "recent" is a relative term.
If you find yourself feeling stuck or like time is moving too fast, use this 28-year marker to audit your own growth. Think about where you were when Saving Private Ryan was the biggest movie in the world. Think about what you’ve learned, who you’ve lost, and who you’ve become since the year the iMac was born.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Check your tech: If you have old media from 1998—VHS tapes, MiniDiscs, or old hard drives—they are reaching the end of their physical lifespan. Magnetic tape degrades. Move those memories to a cloud-based or SSD format before the 30-year mark hits.
- Review your long-term investments: If you started a retirement fund in 1998, you’ve sat through the dot-com bubble, the 2008 crash, and the 2020 pandemic. Check your allocations. Twenty-eight years of compounding interest is a powerful thing; make sure your portfolio reflects your current proximity to retirement.
- Digitize your photos: 1998 was one of the last "big" years for physical film development. Those 4x6 prints in your shoebox are nearly three decades old. They are fading. Get a high-quality scanner or use a service to preserve them.
- Update your "classic" gear: If you're still driving a '98 vehicle, check the safety ratings compared to modern standards. Automotive safety technology (like lane assist and advanced crumple zones) has evolved more in the last 28 years than in the 50 years prior.
Twenty-eight years is a lifetime for some and a blink for others. Regardless of how it feels, 1998 is firmly in the rearview mirror. It's a vintage year, a historic year, and the foundation of the world we're currently navigating.