Age dependency ratio, young in Europe & Central Asia
Europe & Central Asia: Age dependency ratio, young was 26.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Age dependency ratio, young in Europe & Central Asia, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in % of working-age population.
Analysis
Europe & Central Asia recorded 26.7% for age dependency ratio, young in 2025.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and up 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency ratio, young in Europe & Central Asia peaked at 44.9% in 1962 and was at its lowest, 25.7%, in 2010.
That places Europe & Central Asia 36th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Age dependency ratio, young in Europe & Central Asia, year by year
| Year | % of working-age population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 44.3% | — |
| 1961 | 44.8% | +1.2% |
| 1962 | 44.9% | +0.2% |
| 1963 | 44.8% | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 44.6% | -0.4% |
| 1965 | 44.4% | -0.6% |
| 1966 | 44.1% | -0.6% |
| 1967 | 43.8% | -0.6% |
| 1968 | 43.6% | -0.6% |
| 1969 | 43.2% | -0.8% |
| 1970 | 42.7% | -1.1% |
| 1971 | 42.2% | -1.1% |
| 1972 | 41.7% | -1.1% |
| 1973 | 41.2% | -1.3% |
| 1974 | 40.6% | -1.3% |
| 1975 | 40.1% | -1.4% |
| 1976 | 39.5% | -1.4% |
| 1977 | 39.0% | -1.4% |
| 1978 | 38.4% | -1.4% |
| 1979 | 37.9% | -1.3% |
| 1980 | 37.5% | -1.1% |
| 1981 | 37.1% | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 36.6% | -1.3% |
| 1983 | 36.2% | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 35.8% | -0.9% |
| 1985 | 35.6% | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 35.3% | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 35.1% | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 34.9% | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 34.8% | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 34.5% | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 34.3% | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 34.0% | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 33.7% | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 33.3% | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 32.8% | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 32.3% | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 31.7% | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 31.0% | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 30.3% | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 29.6% | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 28.9% | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 28.3% | -2.3% |
| 2003 | 27.7% | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 27.2% | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 26.7% | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 26.3% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 26.0% | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 25.9% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 25.8% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 25.7% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 25.8% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 25.9% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 26.1% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 26.3% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 26.5% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 26.8% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 27.0% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 27.2% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 27.3% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 27.4% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 27.4% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 27.4% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 27.2% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 27.0% | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 26.7% | -1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 44.2% | 43.2% | 44.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 40.3% | 37.9% | 42.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 35.9% | 34.8% | 37.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 32.8% | 30.3% | 34.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 27.2% | 25.8% | 29.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.5% | 25.7% | 27.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.2% | 26.7% | 27.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia
- 33 Guinea-Bissau 65.6% compare
- 34 Eritrea 64.6% compare
- 35 South Sudan 64.5% compare
- 36 Senegal 64.4% compare
- 37 Palestine, State of 64.2% compare
- 38 Sao Tome and Principe 63.9% compare
- 39 Sierra Leone 63.7% compare
More health data for Europe & Central Asia
- Population ages 35-39, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, annual growth rate 0.9265 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per capita 0.0351 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, annual growth rate 0.3995 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.0352 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, annual growth rate 0.2923 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0361 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency ratio, young in Europe & Central Asia?
- Age dependency ratio, young in Europe & Central Asia was 26.7% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest age dependency ratio, young recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 44.9% in 1962.
- What is the lowest age dependency ratio, young recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.7% in 2010.
- How does Europe & Central Asia rank for age dependency ratio, young?
- Europe & Central Asia ranks 36th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is age dependency ratio, young rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.