Age dependency ratio in Australia
Australia: Age dependency ratio was 55.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Age dependency ratio in Australia, 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 in Australia stood at 55.7%.
The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 9.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency ratio in Australia peaked at 63.2% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 48.1%, in 2008.
Australia ranks 104th of 217 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Age dependency ratio in Australia, year by year
| Year | % of working-age population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 63.2% | — |
| 1961 | 63.2% | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 62.9% | -0.5% |
| 1963 | 62.5% | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 62.1% | -0.6% |
| 1965 | 61.7% | -0.7% |
| 1966 | 61.2% | -0.8% |
| 1967 | 60.6% | -1.0% |
| 1968 | 60.0% | -1.0% |
| 1969 | 59.5% | -0.8% |
| 1970 | 59.1% | -0.6% |
| 1971 | 58.8% | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 58.4% | -0.6% |
| 1973 | 58.0% | -0.8% |
| 1974 | 57.4% | -1.1% |
| 1975 | 56.7% | -1.2% |
| 1976 | 56.0% | -1.3% |
| 1977 | 55.2% | -1.3% |
| 1978 | 54.5% | -1.2% |
| 1979 | 54.0% | -1.0% |
| 1980 | 53.5% | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 53.1% | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 52.7% | -0.8% |
| 1983 | 52.2% | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 51.7% | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 51.1% | -1.1% |
| 1986 | 50.5% | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 50.0% | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 49.7% | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 49.5% | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 49.5% | -0.0% |
| 1991 | 49.6% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 49.8% | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 50.0% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 50.1% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 50.1% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 50.0% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 49.9% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 49.8% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 49.6% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 49.5% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 49.3% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 49.1% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 48.8% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 48.6% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 48.5% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 48.3% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 48.2% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 48.1% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 48.1% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 48.4% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 48.8% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 49.3% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 49.9% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 50.5% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 51.1% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 51.6% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 52.0% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 52.4% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 52.9% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 53.6% | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 54.3% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 54.6% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 54.8% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 55.2% | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 55.7% | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 61.7% | 59.5% | 63.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 56.8% | 54.0% | 59.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 51.4% | 49.5% | 53.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 49.9% | 49.5% | 50.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 48.7% | 48.1% | 49.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 50.7% | 48.4% | 52.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.7% | 53.6% | 55.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 101 Guyana 56.0% compare
- 102 Cambodia 55.9% compare
- 103 Netherlands 55.8% compare
- 105 Bosnia and Herzegovina 55.5% compare
- 106 Romania 55.5% compare
- 107 Liechtenstein 55.3% compare
More health data for Australia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.83 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.9072 % change on previous year (2090)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates 906.6 (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 215 (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate 0.6511 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.086 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate 0.5937 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.0908 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency ratio in Australia?
- Age dependency ratio in Australia was 55.7% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest age dependency ratio recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 63.2% in 1961.
- What is the lowest age dependency ratio recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.1% in 2008.
- How does Australia rank for age dependency ratio?
- Australia ranks 104th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age dependency ratio rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Age dependency ratio (% of working-age population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.