Age dependency ratio in Nigeria
Nigeria: Age dependency ratio was 77.3% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Age dependency ratio in Nigeria, 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 Nigeria stood at 77.3%. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.9% on the previous year and down 13.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency ratio in Nigeria peaked at 95.0% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 77.3%, in 2025.
That places Nigeria 23rd out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
Age dependency ratio in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % of working-age population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 80.1% | — |
| 1961 | 80.0% | -0.0% |
| 1962 | 80.2% | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 80.5% | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 81.1% | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 81.5% | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 82.0% | +0.5% |
| 1967 | 82.4% | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 82.9% | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 83.4% | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 84.0% | +0.6% |
| 1971 | 84.5% | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 85.2% | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 85.9% | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 86.6% | +0.9% |
| 1975 | 87.4% | +0.9% |
| 1976 | 88.2% | +0.9% |
| 1977 | 89.0% | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 89.9% | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 90.7% | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 91.5% | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 92.2% | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 92.9% | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 93.7% | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 94.3% | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 94.7% | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 95.0% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 95.0% | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 94.9% | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 94.6% | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 94.1% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 93.5% | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 92.8% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 92.0% | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 91.2% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 90.5% | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 89.8% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 89.2% | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 88.6% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 88.1% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 87.9% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 87.9% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 88.0% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 88.2% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 88.4% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 88.7% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 89.0% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 89.4% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 89.7% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 90.0% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 90.2% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 90.3% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 90.4% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 90.3% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 90.1% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 89.7% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 89.1% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 88.1% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 87.1% | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 85.9% | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 84.5% | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 83.1% | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 81.7% | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 80.2% | -1.8% |
| 2024 | 78.8% | -1.8% |
| 2025 | 77.3% | -1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 81.4% | 80.0% | 83.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 87.2% | 84.0% | 90.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 93.9% | 91.5% | 95.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 91.0% | 88.1% | 94.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 88.7% | 87.9% | 90.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 89.1% | 85.9% | 90.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 80.9% | 77.3% | 84.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More health data for Nigeria
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.08 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8137 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,301 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 257,921 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate 0.842 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.1997 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate 0.8652 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.2055 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency ratio in Nigeria?
- Age dependency ratio in Nigeria was 77.3% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest age dependency ratio recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 95.0% in 1987.
- What is the lowest age dependency ratio recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 77.3% in 2025.
- How does Nigeria rank for age dependency ratio?
- Nigeria ranks 23rd out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age dependency ratio rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.