Age dependency ratio (% of working-age population) (World Population) in Ireland
Ireland: Age dependency ratio (% of working-age population) (World Population) was 52.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
52.2%
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
134th
of 218 countries
All-time high
73.5%
in 1966
All-time low
45.1%
in 2007
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Age dependency ratio in Ireland, 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 Ireland stood at 52.2%.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency ratio in Ireland peaked at 73.5% in 1966 and was at its lowest, 45.1%, in 2007.
Ireland ranks 134th of 218 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 (% of working-age population) (World Population) in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of working-age population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 72.7% | — |
| 1961 | 73.1% | +0.5% |
| 1962 | 72.8% | -0.4% |
| 1963 | 72.6% | -0.3% |
| 1964 | 72.7% | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 73.2% | +0.7% |
| 1966 | 73.5% | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 73.3% | -0.3% |
| 1968 | 73.1% | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 73.0% | -0.1% |
| 1970 | 73.2% | +0.2% |
| 1971 | 73.3% | +0.1% |
| 1972 | 72.9% | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 72.4% | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 72.2% | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 71.9% | -0.4% |
| 1976 | 71.6% | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 71.3% | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 70.8% | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 70.3% | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 69.9% | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 69.5% | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 69.0% | -0.7% |
| 1983 | 68.4% | -0.8% |
| 1984 | 67.7% | -1.0% |
| 1985 | 66.9% | -1.2% |
| 1986 | 66.0% | -1.3% |
| 1987 | 65.3% | -1.2% |
| 1988 | 64.6% | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 63.8% | -1.3% |
| 1990 | 62.6% | -1.8% |
| 1991 | 61.2% | -2.1% |
| 1992 | 59.9% | -2.2% |
| 1993 | 58.5% | -2.4% |
| 1994 | 56.9% | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 55.3% | -2.9% |
| 1996 | 53.7% | -2.9% |
| 1997 | 52.3% | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 51.1% | -2.3% |
| 1999 | 50.1% | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 49.2% | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 48.3% | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 47.6% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 47.2% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 46.8% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 46.2% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 45.5% | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 45.1% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 45.6% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 46.7% | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 48.1% | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 49.4% | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 50.5% | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 51.4% | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 52.0% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 52.5% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 52.8% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 52.9% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 53.0% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 53.0% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 53.1% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 53.0% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 52.9% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 52.8% | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 52.5% | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 52.2% | -0.6% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 52.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 53.8%, 97% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 52.2% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 55.8%, 94% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 73.0% | 72.6% | 73.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 72.0% | 70.3% | 73.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 67.1% | 63.8% | 69.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 56.2% | 50.1% | 62.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 46.8% | 45.1% | 49.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 51.6% | 48.1% | 53.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.8% | 52.2% | 53.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 131 Channel Islands 52.6% compare
- 132 Dominican Republic 52.4% compare
- 133 Bangladesh 52.2% compare
- 135 Aruba 52.2% compare
- 136 Spain 52.1% compare
- 137 Albania 52.0% compare
More health data for Ireland
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -4.76 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.89 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,122 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 20 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.7228 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.026 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.6489 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency ratio in Ireland?
- Age dependency ratio in Ireland was 52.2% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest age dependency ratio recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 73.5% in 1966.
- What is the lowest age dependency ratio recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.1% in 2007.
- How does Ireland rank for age dependency ratio?
- Ireland ranks 134th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age dependency ratio rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland 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.