Age dependency ratio in North America
North America: Age dependency ratio was 54.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Age dependency ratio in North America, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in % of working-age population.
Analysis
North America recorded 54.9% for age dependency ratio in 2025.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 9.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency ratio in North America peaked at 67.9% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 47.4%, in 2007.
That places North America 24th out of 45 groups 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 North America, year by year
| Year | % of working-age population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 67.3% | — |
| 1961 | 67.9% | +1.0% |
| 1962 | 67.8% | -0.1% |
| 1963 | 67.5% | -0.5% |
| 1964 | 67.2% | -0.5% |
| 1965 | 66.8% | -0.5% |
| 1966 | 66.2% | -0.9% |
| 1967 | 65.3% | -1.4% |
| 1968 | 64.2% | -1.7% |
| 1969 | 63.0% | -1.8% |
| 1970 | 62.0% | -1.7% |
| 1971 | 60.7% | -2.0% |
| 1972 | 59.3% | -2.4% |
| 1973 | 57.7% | -2.7% |
| 1974 | 56.1% | -2.7% |
| 1975 | 54.7% | -2.5% |
| 1976 | 53.4% | -2.5% |
| 1977 | 52.2% | -2.2% |
| 1978 | 51.3% | -1.8% |
| 1979 | 50.5% | -1.4% |
| 1980 | 50.0% | -1.0% |
| 1981 | 49.7% | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 49.6% | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 49.6% | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 49.5% | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 49.4% | -0.2% |
| 1986 | 49.3% | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 49.5% | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 49.9% | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 50.4% | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 50.8% | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 51.2% | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 51.6% | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 51.7% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 51.7% | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 51.6% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 51.3% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 50.9% | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 50.5% | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 50.1% | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 49.7% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 49.3% | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 48.9% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 48.5% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 48.1% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 47.7% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 47.4% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 47.4% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 47.5% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 47.7% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 47.8% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 48.1% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 48.6% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 49.1% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 49.6% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 50.1% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 50.5% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 51.0% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 51.5% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 52.0% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 52.4% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 52.9% | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 53.3% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 53.8% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 54.4% | +1.0% |
| 2025 | 54.9% | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 66.3% | 63.0% | 67.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 55.8% | 50.5% | 62.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 49.7% | 49.3% | 50.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 51.1% | 50.1% | 51.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 48.2% | 47.4% | 49.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 49.9% | 47.8% | 52.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 53.6% | 52.4% | 54.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near North America
More health data for North America
- Population ages 15-64, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate -0.7076 % 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 0.0865 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, annual growth rate -0.7033 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, per capita 0.1687 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, annual growth rate 0.1548 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, total, per capita 0.6454 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, total, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency ratio in North America?
- Age dependency ratio in North America was 54.9% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest age dependency ratio recorded in North America?
- The highest recorded value was 67.9% in 1961.
- What is the lowest age dependency ratio recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.4% in 2007.
- How does North America rank for age dependency ratio?
- North America ranks 24th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is age dependency ratio rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North America 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.