Age dependency ratio in Sweden
Sweden: Age dependency ratio was 60.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Age dependency ratio in Sweden, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in % of working-age population.
Analysis
Sweden recorded 60.3% for age dependency ratio in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and up 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency ratio in Sweden peaked at 60.9% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 50.4%, in 1964.
Sweden ranks 71st of 217 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Age dependency ratio in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % of working-age population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 51.9% | — |
| 1961 | 51.3% | -1.2% |
| 1962 | 50.8% | -1.0% |
| 1963 | 50.5% | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 50.4% | -0.1% |
| 1965 | 50.6% | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 51.0% | +0.8% |
| 1967 | 51.6% | +1.1% |
| 1968 | 52.0% | +0.9% |
| 1969 | 52.4% | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 52.7% | +0.6% |
| 1971 | 53.2% | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 53.8% | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 54.5% | +1.2% |
| 1974 | 55.2% | +1.2% |
| 1975 | 55.8% | +1.1% |
| 1976 | 56.2% | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 56.5% | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 56.6% | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 56.4% | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 56.0% | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 55.5% | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 55.1% | -0.8% |
| 1983 | 54.8% | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 54.6% | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 54.8% | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 55.1% | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 55.2% | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 55.3% | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 55.3% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 55.6% | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 55.9% | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 56.4% | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 56.7% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 57.0% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 57.0% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 56.9% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 56.7% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 56.4% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 56.0% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 55.5% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 55.0% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 54.5% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 54.1% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 53.6% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 53.1% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 52.6% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 52.3% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 52.4% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 52.8% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 53.6% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 54.6% | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 55.7% | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 56.8% | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 57.9% | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 58.8% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 59.5% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 59.9% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 60.3% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 60.6% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 60.8% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 60.9% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 60.9% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 60.7% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 60.6% | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 60.3% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 51.3% | 50.4% | 52.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 55.1% | 52.7% | 56.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 55.2% | 54.6% | 56.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 56.5% | 55.6% | 57.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 53.6% | 52.3% | 55.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 57.8% | 53.6% | 60.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 60.7% | 60.3% | 60.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
- 68 Micronesia (country) 60.5% compare
- 69 Portugal 60.4% compare
- 70 Faroe Islands 60.4% compare
- 72 Germany 60.2% compare
- 73 Isle of Man 60.0% compare
- 74 Latvia 59.7% compare
More health data for Sweden
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.8581 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,109 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 30 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate -1.39 % 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 0.0811 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate -1.4 % 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 0.0859 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency ratio in Sweden?
- Age dependency ratio in Sweden was 60.3% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest age dependency ratio recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 60.9% in 2021.
- What is the lowest age dependency ratio recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 50.4% in 1964.
- How does Sweden rank for age dependency ratio?
- Sweden ranks 71st out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age dependency ratio rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden 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.