The Node.js/NPM versions in the Linux package manager are usually pretty old, so it's best to manually install a newer version.

First, go to https://nodejs.org and download either the LTS or Current binary archive, depending on your needs.

Then (update the VERSION and DISTRO values accordingly):

1. Unzip the binary archive to /usr/local/lib/nodejs.

VERSION=v10.15.0
DISTRO=linux-x64
sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/lib/nodejs
sudo tar -xJvf node-$VERSION-$DISTRO.tar.xz -C /usr/local/lib/nodejs 

2. Add the following at the end of ~/.profile:

# Nodejs
VERSION=v10.15.0
DISTRO=linux-x64
export PATH=/usr/local/lib/nodejs/node-$VERSION-$DISTRO/bin:$PATH

3. Refresh your profile:

. ~/.profile

4. Test the installation:

node -v

npm version

npx -v

Source: https://github.com/nodejs/help/wiki/Installation#how-to-install-nodejs-via-binary-archive-on-linux