Age dependency ratio in World
World: Age dependency ratio was 54.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Age dependency ratio in World, 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 World stood at 54.5%. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency ratio in World peaked at 77.2% in 1966 and was at its lowest, 54.5%, in 2025.
World ranks 25th of 45 groups on this measure, 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 World, year by year
| Year | % of working-age population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 74.5% | — |
| 1961 | 74.8% | +0.4% |
| 1962 | 75.2% | +0.5% |
| 1963 | 76.0% | +1.1% |
| 1964 | 76.7% | +0.9% |
| 1965 | 77.0% | +0.5% |
| 1966 | 77.2% | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 77.2% | -0.1% |
| 1968 | 77.1% | -0.1% |
| 1969 | 77.0% | -0.1% |
| 1970 | 76.8% | -0.3% |
| 1971 | 76.6% | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 76.2% | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 75.9% | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 75.7% | -0.2% |
| 1975 | 75.6% | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 75.4% | -0.3% |
| 1977 | 74.8% | -0.8% |
| 1978 | 73.7% | -1.5% |
| 1979 | 72.6% | -1.5% |
| 1980 | 71.7% | -1.3% |
| 1981 | 70.8% | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 70.0% | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 69.3% | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 68.5% | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 67.8% | -1.0% |
| 1986 | 67.2% | -0.8% |
| 1987 | 66.8% | -0.7% |
| 1988 | 66.4% | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 66.1% | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 65.8% | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 65.6% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 65.3% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 65.0% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 64.6% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 64.2% | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 63.6% | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 63.0% | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 62.2% | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 61.5% | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 60.8% | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 60.1% | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 59.4% | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 58.7% | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 58.0% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 57.3% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 56.7% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 56.2% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 55.8% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 55.5% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 55.2% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 55.0% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 55.0% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 55.0% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 55.0% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 55.1% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 55.2% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 55.3% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 55.4% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 55.4% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 55.4% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 55.3% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 55.2% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 55.0% | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 54.7% | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 54.5% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 76.2% | 74.5% | 77.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 75.3% | 72.6% | 76.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 68.5% | 66.1% | 71.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 64.1% | 61.5% | 65.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 57.8% | 55.5% | 60.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 55.2% | 55.0% | 55.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.0% | 54.5% | 55.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near World
More health data for World
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate -0.3116 % 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 0.1186 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate -0.4394 % 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 0.1255 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, annual growth rate -0.3771 % 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 0.2441 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, annual growth rate 1.06 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency ratio in World?
- Age dependency ratio in World was 54.5% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest age dependency ratio recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 77.2% in 1966.
- What is the lowest age dependency ratio recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.5% in 2025.
- How does World rank for age dependency ratio?
- World ranks 25th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is age dependency ratio rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this World 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.