Age dependency ratio in Iceland
Iceland: Age dependency ratio was 50.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Age dependency ratio in Iceland, 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 Iceland stood at 50.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and down 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency ratio in Iceland peaked at 76.0% in 1962 and was at its lowest, 48.1%, in 2008.
That places Iceland 149th out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 Iceland, year by year
| Year | % of working-age population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 75.3% | — |
| 1961 | 75.8% | +0.7% |
| 1962 | 76.0% | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 75.9% | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 75.7% | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 75.3% | -0.6% |
| 1966 | 74.7% | -0.8% |
| 1967 | 74.0% | -0.9% |
| 1968 | 73.0% | -1.3% |
| 1969 | 71.9% | -1.5% |
| 1970 | 70.7% | -1.6% |
| 1971 | 69.5% | -1.8% |
| 1972 | 68.2% | -1.8% |
| 1973 | 67.2% | -1.6% |
| 1974 | 66.0% | -1.8% |
| 1975 | 64.5% | -2.2% |
| 1976 | 63.4% | -1.7% |
| 1977 | 62.4% | -1.6% |
| 1978 | 61.3% | -1.8% |
| 1979 | 60.4% | -1.5% |
| 1980 | 59.7% | -1.2% |
| 1981 | 58.9% | -1.3% |
| 1982 | 58.2% | -1.2% |
| 1983 | 57.8% | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 57.5% | -0.6% |
| 1985 | 57.1% | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 56.8% | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 56.2% | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 55.5% | -1.3% |
| 1989 | 55.2% | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 55.2% | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 55.2% | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 55.3% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 55.7% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 55.6% | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 55.4% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 55.1% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 54.7% | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 54.2% | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 53.8% | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 53.5% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 53.3% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 53.1% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 52.7% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 52.1% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 51.0% | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 49.6% | -2.8% |
| 2007 | 48.5% | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 48.1% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 48.6% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 49.4% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 49.9% | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 50.3% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 50.7% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 51.1% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 51.2% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 51.1% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 50.6% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 49.9% | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 49.6% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 49.9% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 50.4% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 50.4% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 50.2% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 50.2% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 50.4% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 74.8% | 71.9% | 76.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 65.4% | 60.4% | 70.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 57.3% | 55.2% | 59.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 55.0% | 53.8% | 55.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 51.1% | 48.1% | 53.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 50.4% | 49.4% | 51.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 50.2% | 49.9% | 50.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More health data for Iceland
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2085)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.4982 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,358 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 0 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate 0.03 % 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 0.085 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate 0.2125 % 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 0.0901 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency ratio in Iceland?
- Age dependency ratio in Iceland was 50.4% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest age dependency ratio recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 76.0% in 1962.
- What is the lowest age dependency ratio recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.1% in 2008.
- How does Iceland rank for age dependency ratio?
- Iceland ranks 149th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age dependency ratio rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland 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.