Age dependency ratio, young in Australia
Australia: Age dependency ratio, young was 27.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Age dependency ratio, young in Australia, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in % of working-age population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for age dependency ratio, young in Australia is 27.5%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency ratio, young in Australia peaked at 49.3% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 27.5%, in 2025.
That places Australia 136th out of 217 countries 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, young in Australia, year by year
| Year | % of working-age population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 49.3% | — |
| 1961 | 49.3% | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 49.0% | -0.7% |
| 1963 | 48.6% | -0.8% |
| 1964 | 48.3% | -0.7% |
| 1965 | 47.9% | -0.8% |
| 1966 | 47.5% | -0.9% |
| 1967 | 47.0% | -1.0% |
| 1968 | 46.5% | -1.1% |
| 1969 | 46.1% | -0.8% |
| 1970 | 45.9% | -0.6% |
| 1971 | 45.5% | -0.7% |
| 1972 | 45.1% | -0.9% |
| 1973 | 44.6% | -1.2% |
| 1974 | 43.9% | -1.6% |
| 1975 | 43.0% | -1.9% |
| 1976 | 42.1% | -2.1% |
| 1977 | 41.2% | -2.2% |
| 1978 | 40.3% | -2.2% |
| 1979 | 39.5% | -2.0% |
| 1980 | 38.8% | -1.7% |
| 1981 | 38.2% | -1.5% |
| 1982 | 37.7% | -1.5% |
| 1983 | 37.1% | -1.6% |
| 1984 | 36.4% | -1.8% |
| 1985 | 35.6% | -2.1% |
| 1986 | 34.8% | -2.3% |
| 1987 | 34.1% | -2.1% |
| 1988 | 33.5% | -1.6% |
| 1989 | 33.2% | -1.1% |
| 1990 | 32.9% | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 32.8% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 32.7% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 32.6% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 32.5% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 32.3% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 32.1% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 31.8% | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 31.6% | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 31.3% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 31.0% | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 30.7% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 30.4% | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 30.0% | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 29.7% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 29.3% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 29.1% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 28.8% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 28.6% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 28.4% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 28.3% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 28.2% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 28.3% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 28.4% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 28.5% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 28.6% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 28.6% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 28.6% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 28.6% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 28.5% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 28.5% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 28.4% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 28.2% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 27.9% | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 27.7% | -0.8% |
| 2025 | 27.5% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 48.0% | 46.1% | 49.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 43.1% | 39.5% | 45.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 35.9% | 33.2% | 38.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 32.3% | 31.3% | 32.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.6% | 28.4% | 31.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.5% | 28.2% | 28.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.0% | 27.5% | 28.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 133 North Korea 27.7% compare
- 134 Seychelles 27.6% compare
- 135 Ireland 27.5% compare
- 137 Monaco 27.4% compare
- 138 United States Virgin Islands 27.2% compare
- 139 Gibraltar 27.2% compare
More health data for Australia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.83 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.9072 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 906.6 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 215 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate 0.6511 % 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 0.086 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate 0.5937 % 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 0.0908 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency ratio, young in Australia?
- Age dependency ratio, young in Australia was 27.5% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest age dependency ratio, young recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 49.3% in 1961.
- What is the lowest age dependency ratio, young recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.5% in 2025.
- How does Australia rank for age dependency ratio, young?
- Australia ranks 136th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age dependency ratio, young rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Age dependency ratio, young (% of working-age population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Age dependency ratio, young, is the ratio of younger dependents--people younger than 15--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population.