Age dependency ratio, young in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: Age dependency ratio, young was 66.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Age dependency ratio, young in Least developed countries, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in % of working-age population.
Analysis
Least developed countries recorded 66.6% for age dependency ratio, young in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 8.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency ratio, young in Least developed countries peaked at 86.5% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 66.6%, in 2025.
That places Least developed countries 9th out of 45 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Age dependency ratio, young in Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | % of working-age population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 77.7% | — |
| 1961 | 78.1% | +0.5% |
| 1962 | 78.6% | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 79.2% | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 79.8% | +0.8% |
| 1965 | 80.4% | +0.7% |
| 1966 | 81.0% | +0.7% |
| 1967 | 81.5% | +0.6% |
| 1968 | 82.0% | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 82.4% | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 82.9% | +0.6% |
| 1971 | 83.4% | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 83.9% | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 84.4% | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 84.8% | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 85.0% | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 85.3% | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 85.5% | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 85.7% | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 85.9% | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 86.1% | +0.3% |
| 1981 | 86.4% | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 86.5% | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 86.5% | -0.0% |
| 1984 | 86.4% | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 86.3% | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 86.1% | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 85.9% | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 85.6% | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 85.3% | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 85.1% | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 84.7% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 84.3% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 84.0% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 83.6% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 83.1% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 82.8% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 82.6% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 82.2% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 81.6% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 81.0% | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 80.5% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 80.1% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 79.8% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 79.4% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 78.9% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 78.5% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 78.0% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 77.6% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 77.1% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 76.5% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 75.8% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 75.2% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 74.5% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 73.8% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 73.0% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 72.3% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 71.6% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 71.0% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 70.4% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 69.8% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 69.2% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 68.6% | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 67.9% | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 67.2% | -1.0% |
| 2025 | 66.6% | -1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 80.1% | 77.7% | 82.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 84.7% | 82.9% | 85.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 86.1% | 85.3% | 86.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 83.4% | 81.6% | 85.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 79.1% | 77.1% | 81.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.4% | 70.4% | 76.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 68.2% | 66.6% | 69.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
- 6 Mali 88.3% compare
- 7 Angola 83.2% compare
- 8 Mozambique 83.2% compare
- 9 Burundi 82.3% compare
- 10 Uganda 78.9% compare
- 11 Mauritania 78.0% compare
- 12 Tanzania, United Republic of 77.5% compare
More health data for Least developed countries
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, per capita 0.3842 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, annual growth rate 1.66 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.1949 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.1892 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate 1.68 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, total, annual growth rate 2.66 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate 1.63 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency ratio, young in Least developed countries?
- Age dependency ratio, young in Least developed countries was 66.6% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest age dependency ratio, young recorded in Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 86.5% in 1982.
- What is the lowest age dependency ratio, young recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 66.6% in 2025.
- How does Least developed countries rank for age dependency ratio, young?
- Least developed countries ranks 9th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is age dependency ratio, young rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Least developed countries 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.