Age dependency ratio, old in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Age dependency ratio, old was 8.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Age dependency ratio, old in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in % of working-age population.
Analysis
In 2025, age dependency ratio, old in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan stood at 8.2%. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 20.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency ratio, old in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 8.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 6.1%, in 1960.
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 34th of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Age dependency ratio, old in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of working-age population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 6.1% | — |
| 1961 | 6.1% | +0.7% |
| 1962 | 6.2% | +0.8% |
| 1963 | 6.2% | +0.8% |
| 1964 | 6.3% | +0.8% |
| 1965 | 6.3% | +0.8% |
| 1966 | 6.4% | +0.7% |
| 1967 | 6.4% | +0.6% |
| 1968 | 6.4% | +0.5% |
| 1969 | 6.4% | +0.4% |
| 1970 | 6.5% | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 6.5% | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 6.5% | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 6.5% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 6.5% | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 6.5% | -0.1% |
| 1976 | 6.5% | -0.0% |
| 1977 | 6.5% | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 6.4% | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 6.4% | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 6.4% | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 6.3% | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 6.3% | -0.7% |
| 1983 | 6.2% | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 6.2% | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 6.2% | -0.0% |
| 1986 | 6.2% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 6.3% | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 6.3% | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 6.3% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 6.3% | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 6.3% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 6.3% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 6.4% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 6.4% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 6.5% | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 6.5% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 6.5% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 6.5% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 6.5% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 6.5% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 6.5% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 6.5% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 6.5% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 6.5% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 6.4% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 6.4% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 6.4% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 6.4% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 6.4% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 6.4% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 6.5% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 6.5% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 6.6% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 6.7% | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 6.8% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 6.9% | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 7.1% | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 7.3% | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 7.4% | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 7.5% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 7.6% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 7.7% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 7.9% | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 8.1% | +2.1% |
| 2025 | 8.2% | +2.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.3% | 6.1% | 6.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.5% | 6.4% | 6.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.3% | 6.2% | 6.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.4% | 6.3% | 6.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.4% | 6.4% | 6.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.8% | 6.4% | 7.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.8% | 7.5% | 8.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- 31 Netherlands 32.5% compare
- 32 Poland 32.0% compare
- 33 Lithuania 32.0% compare
- 34 Switzerland 31.6% compare
- 35 Romania 31.3% compare
- 36 Canada 31.3% compare
- 37 Channel Islands 31.1% compare
More health data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- Population ages 40-44, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, annual growth rate 1.93 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0387 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, annual growth rate 3.33 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, annual growth rate 3.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per capita 0.0337 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per capita 0.0344 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.0305 units per person (2025)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency ratio, old in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Age dependency ratio, old in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 8.2% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest age dependency ratio, old recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 8.2% in 2025.
- What is the lowest age dependency ratio, old recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.1% in 1960.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for age dependency ratio, old?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 34th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is age dependency ratio, old rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Age dependency ratio, old (% of working-age population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Age dependency ratio, old, is the ratio of older dependents--people 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.