Age dependency ratio in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: Age dependency ratio was 74.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Age dependency ratio in Least developed countries, 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 Least developed countries stood at 74.7%. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 7.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency ratio in Least developed countries peaked at 93.1% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 74.7%, in 2025.
That places Least developed countries 9th out of 45 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Age dependency ratio in Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | % of working-age population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 83.5% | — |
| 1961 | 83.9% | +0.5% |
| 1962 | 84.4% | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 85.0% | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 85.6% | +0.8% |
| 1965 | 86.3% | +0.7% |
| 1966 | 86.8% | +0.7% |
| 1967 | 87.4% | +0.6% |
| 1968 | 87.9% | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 88.4% | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 88.9% | +0.6% |
| 1971 | 89.4% | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 89.9% | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 90.5% | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 90.9% | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 91.2% | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 91.5% | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 91.8% | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 92.1% | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 92.3% | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 92.6% | +0.3% |
| 1981 | 92.9% | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 93.1% | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 93.1% | -0.0% |
| 1984 | 93.0% | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 92.9% | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 92.8% | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 92.5% | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 92.2% | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 92.0% | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 91.8% | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 91.4% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 91.0% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 90.8% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 90.3% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 89.9% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 89.7% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 89.5% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 89.1% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 88.6% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 88.1% | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 87.7% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 87.4% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 87.0% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 86.6% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 86.2% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 85.9% | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 85.5% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 85.0% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 84.5% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 84.0% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 83.4% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 82.8% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 82.2% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 81.5% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 80.9% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 80.1% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 79.5% | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 78.9% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 78.3% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 77.8% | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 77.2% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 76.6% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 75.9% | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 75.3% | -0.8% |
| 2025 | 74.7% | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 85.9% | 83.5% | 88.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 90.9% | 88.9% | 92.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 92.7% | 92.0% | 93.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 90.2% | 88.6% | 91.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 86.4% | 84.5% | 88.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.2% | 78.3% | 84.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 76.2% | 74.7% | 77.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
More health data for Least developed countries
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, per capita 0.3842 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, annual growth rate 1.66 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.1949 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.1892 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate 1.68 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, total, annual growth rate 2.66 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate 1.63 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency ratio in Least developed countries?
- Age dependency ratio in Least developed countries was 74.7% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest age dependency ratio recorded in Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 93.1% in 1982.
- What is the lowest age dependency ratio recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 74.7% in 2025.
- How does Least developed countries rank for age dependency ratio?
- Least developed countries ranks 9th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is age dependency ratio rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Least developed countries 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.