In Shakespeare's play, Juliet is explicitly stated to be 13 years old — her mother and the Nurse discuss that she "hath not seen the change of fourteen years" and will turn 14 on Lammas Eve (August 1). Romeo's exact age is never given in the text.
Because of this, the "age difference" isn't something Shakespeare specifies with certainty — it's a matter of inference and tradition rather than fixed fact. That said, most scholars, directors, and adaptations treat Romeo as a teenager as well, generally imagined to be somewhere in his mid-to-late teens, often cited as around 16 to 18. Under that common assumption, the age gap is usually estimated at roughly 2 to 5 years, though this is interpretation rather than something stated in the original text.
A few points of context help explain why this question doesn't have one definitive answer:
- Shakespeare based his play loosely on earlier Italian and English versions of the story (including Arthur Brooke's 1562 poem "The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet"), and Juliet's age was actually made younger in Shakespeare's version compared to some source material.
- The other characters treat Romeo as old enough to duel, be banished as an adult, and move freely through Verona's streets at night, which is part of why audiences and scholars generally assume he's somewhat older than Juliet, even without a stated number.
- Film and stage adaptations vary widely in how they cast the roles — some productions age both characters up for practical or thematic reasons, which affects popular perception of the "real" gap.
In short: Juliet is canonically 13; Romeo's age is left to imagination, so any specific age-difference figure is an educated guess rather than a scripted fact.