South Africa vs Viet Nam: Age dependency ratio
South Africa
48.4%
in 2025
Viet Nam
47.8%
in 2025
South Africa rank
162nd
Viet Nam rank
164th
Age dependency ratio over time
- South Africa
- Viet Nam
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 48.4% against 47.8% in Viet Nam, a difference of 0.6%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Viet Nam ahead.
South Africa ranks 162nd and Viet Nam ranks 164th of 218 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 3 and Viet Nam in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Viet Nam | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 83.7% | 92.3% | 8.6% | Viet Nam |
| 1970s | 83.8% | 88.4% | 4.6% | Viet Nam |
| 1980s | 76.5% | 82.6% | 6.1% | Viet Nam |
| 1990s | 70.7% | 71.5% | 0.8% | Viet Nam |
| 2000s | 58.3% | 52.2% | 6.1% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 51.4% | 44.3% | 7.0% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 48.7% | 47.4% | 1.2% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher age dependency ratio, South Africa or Viet Nam?
- South Africa, at 48.4% against 47.8% in Viet Nam as of 2025.
- What is the difference in age dependency ratio between South Africa and Viet Nam?
- 0.6%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Viet Nam?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Viet Nam rank globally for age dependency ratio?
- South Africa ranks 162nd and Viet Nam ranks 164th of 218 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as Age dependency ratio (% of working-age population). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Age dependency ratio is the ratio of dependents--people younger than 15 or older than 64--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population.