Age dependency ratio, young in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income): Age dependency ratio, young was 52.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Age dependency ratio, young in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income), 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in % of working-age population.
Analysis
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) recorded 52.7% for age dependency ratio, young in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.6% on the previous year and down 8.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency ratio, young in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) peaked at 84.6% in 1972 and was at its lowest, 52.7%, in 2025.
That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) 14th out of 47 groups 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of working-age population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 78.6% | — |
| 1961 | 79.4% | +1.0% |
| 1962 | 80.1% | +1.0% |
| 1963 | 81.0% | +1.0% |
| 1964 | 81.8% | +1.0% |
| 1965 | 82.5% | +0.9% |
| 1966 | 83.2% | +0.8% |
| 1967 | 83.7% | +0.6% |
| 1968 | 84.0% | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 84.3% | +0.3% |
| 1970 | 84.4% | +0.2% |
| 1971 | 84.5% | +0.1% |
| 1972 | 84.6% | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 84.5% | -0.0% |
| 1974 | 84.4% | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 84.3% | -0.1% |
| 1976 | 84.4% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 84.3% | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 84.1% | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 83.8% | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 83.4% | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 82.8% | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 82.3% | -0.5% |
| 1983 | 82.3% | -0.0% |
| 1984 | 82.4% | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 82.6% | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 82.5% | -0.0% |
| 1987 | 82.4% | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 82.3% | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 82.2% | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 81.8% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 81.1% | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 80.7% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 80.4% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 79.7% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 78.5% | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 77.1% | -1.8% |
| 1997 | 75.4% | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 73.7% | -2.4% |
| 1999 | 71.9% | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 70.0% | -2.6% |
| 2001 | 68.2% | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 66.7% | -2.3% |
| 2003 | 65.2% | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 63.7% | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 62.2% | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 60.9% | -2.1% |
| 2007 | 59.7% | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 58.8% | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 58.2% | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 57.7% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 57.5% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 57.4% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 57.5% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 57.6% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 57.7% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 57.7% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 57.6% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 57.3% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 56.9% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 56.5% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 55.9% | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 55.2% | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 54.4% | -1.4% |
| 2024 | 53.6% | -1.5% |
| 2025 | 52.7% | -1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 81.8% | 78.6% | 84.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 84.4% | 83.8% | 84.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 82.5% | 82.2% | 83.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 78.0% | 71.9% | 81.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 63.4% | 58.2% | 70.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 57.5% | 56.9% | 57.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.7% | 52.7% | 56.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
- 11 Mauritania 78.0% compare
- 12 Tanzania 77.5% compare
- 13 Afghanistan 77.4% compare
- 14 Benin 74.2% compare
- 15 Cameroon 73.3% compare
- 16 Burkina Faso 73.3% compare
- 17 Yemen 72.7% compare
More health data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, annual growth rate 3.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.0305 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 3.21 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0351 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, annual growth rate 1.51 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per capita 0.0341 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, female, annual growth rate 0.4849 % change on previous year (2025)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency ratio, young in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- Age dependency ratio, young in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) was 52.7% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest age dependency ratio, young recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 84.6% in 1972.
- What is the lowest age dependency ratio, young recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.7% in 2025.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) rank for age dependency ratio, young?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) ranks 14th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is age dependency ratio, young rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) 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.