Age dependency ratio in Small states
Small states: Age dependency ratio was 52.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Age dependency ratio in Small states, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in % of working-age population.
Analysis
Small states recorded 52.3% for age dependency ratio in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency ratio in Small states peaked at 83.8% in 1966 and was at its lowest, 52.3%, in 2025.
That places Small states 30th 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 Small states, year by year
| Year | % of working-age population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 82.1% | — |
| 1961 | 82.6% | +0.6% |
| 1962 | 83.1% | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 83.5% | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 83.7% | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 83.8% | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 83.8% | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 83.7% | -0.1% |
| 1968 | 83.5% | -0.2% |
| 1969 | 83.2% | -0.5% |
| 1970 | 82.5% | -0.8% |
| 1971 | 81.7% | -0.9% |
| 1972 | 80.9% | -1.0% |
| 1973 | 79.9% | -1.2% |
| 1974 | 79.0% | -1.2% |
| 1975 | 78.0% | -1.2% |
| 1976 | 77.1% | -1.2% |
| 1977 | 76.1% | -1.3% |
| 1978 | 75.1% | -1.2% |
| 1979 | 74.3% | -1.1% |
| 1980 | 73.7% | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 73.0% | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 72.5% | -0.7% |
| 1983 | 72.1% | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 71.8% | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 71.5% | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 71.4% | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 71.2% | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 71.0% | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 70.9% | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 70.7% | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 70.4% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 70.1% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 69.8% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 69.6% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 69.2% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 68.4% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 67.5% | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 66.4% | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 65.0% | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 63.7% | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 62.8% | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 61.9% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 61.0% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 60.1% | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 59.4% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 58.7% | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 57.9% | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 57.2% | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 56.6% | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 56.1% | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 55.6% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 55.3% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 55.0% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 54.8% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 54.6% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 54.4% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 54.1% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 53.8% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 53.5% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 53.3% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 53.1% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 52.8% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 52.6% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 52.4% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 52.3% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 83.3% | 82.1% | 83.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 78.5% | 74.3% | 82.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 71.9% | 70.9% | 73.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 68.7% | 65.0% | 70.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 59.9% | 56.6% | 63.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.7% | 53.5% | 56.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.7% | 52.3% | 53.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Small states
More health data for Small states
- Population ages 15-64, female, annual growth rate 0.8321 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, per capita 0.2417 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, annual growth rate -0.4311 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.1233 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate -0.4005 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.1183 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate -0.4626 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency ratio in Small states?
- Age dependency ratio in Small states was 52.3% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest age dependency ratio recorded in Small states?
- The highest recorded value was 83.8% in 1966.
- What is the lowest age dependency ratio recorded in Small states?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.3% in 2025.
- How does Small states rank for age dependency ratio?
- Small states ranks 30th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is age dependency ratio rising or falling in Small states?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Small states 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.