Age dependency ratio in Japan
Japan: Age dependency ratio was 70.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Age dependency ratio in Japan, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in % of working-age population.
Analysis
Japan recorded 70.2% for age dependency ratio in 2025.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 6.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency ratio in Japan peaked at 70.3% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 42.9%, in 1992.
Japan ranks 41st of 217 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Age dependency ratio in Japan, year by year
| Year | % of working-age population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 55.2% | — |
| 1961 | 53.8% | -2.5% |
| 1962 | 51.4% | -4.5% |
| 1963 | 49.0% | -4.7% |
| 1964 | 47.1% | -3.9% |
| 1965 | 45.8% | -2.7% |
| 1966 | 44.6% | -2.6% |
| 1967 | 43.8% | -1.7% |
| 1968 | 43.6% | -0.6% |
| 1969 | 43.5% | -0.2% |
| 1970 | 43.5% | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 43.8% | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 44.5% | +1.6% |
| 1973 | 45.3% | +1.8% |
| 1974 | 46.0% | +1.5% |
| 1975 | 46.6% | +1.3% |
| 1976 | 47.1% | +1.1% |
| 1977 | 47.5% | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 47.9% | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 48.1% | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 48.2% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 48.3% | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 48.4% | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 47.9% | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 47.6% | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 47.1% | -1.0% |
| 1986 | 46.4% | -1.6% |
| 1987 | 45.5% | -1.8% |
| 1988 | 44.6% | -2.0% |
| 1989 | 43.8% | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 43.2% | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 42.9% | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 42.9% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 42.9% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 43.1% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 43.5% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 44.0% | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 44.6% | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 45.2% | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 45.9% | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 46.7% | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 47.6% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 48.5% | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 49.3% | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 50.3% | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 51.6% | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 53.0% | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 54.4% | +2.6% |
| 2008 | 55.7% | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 56.8% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 57.4% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 58.6% | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 60.5% | +3.3% |
| 2013 | 62.6% | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 64.5% | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 66.0% | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 67.3% | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 68.3% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 69.0% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 69.5% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 69.9% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 70.3% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 70.2% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 70.1% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 70.1% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 70.2% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 47.8% | 43.5% | 55.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 46.0% | 43.5% | 48.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 46.8% | 43.8% | 48.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 43.8% | 42.9% | 45.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 51.4% | 46.7% | 56.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 64.4% | 57.4% | 69.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.1% | 69.9% | 70.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 38 Sao Tome and Principe 70.6% compare
- 39 Senegal 70.6% compare
- 40 Comoros 70.4% compare
- 42 South Sudan 69.7% compare
- 43 Rwanda 69.6% compare
- 44 Sierra Leone 69.3% compare
More health data for Japan
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.73 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.2774 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,294 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 178 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate -2.14 % 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 0.0547 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate -2.28 % 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 0.0576 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency ratio in Japan?
- Age dependency ratio in Japan was 70.2% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest age dependency ratio recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 70.3% in 2021.
- What is the lowest age dependency ratio recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.9% in 1992.
- How does Japan rank for age dependency ratio?
- Japan ranks 41st out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age dependency ratio rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.