Age dependency ratio, young in Nigeria
Nigeria: Age dependency ratio, young was 71.8% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Age dependency ratio, young in Nigeria, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in % of working-age population.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 71.8% for age dependency ratio, young in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.0% on the previous year and down 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency ratio, young in Nigeria peaked at 88.9% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 71.8%, in 2025.
That places Nigeria 21st out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
Age dependency ratio, young in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % of working-age population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 74.1% | — |
| 1961 | 74.0% | -0.1% |
| 1962 | 74.1% | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 74.4% | +0.4% |
| 1964 | 74.9% | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 75.4% | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 75.8% | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 76.3% | +0.6% |
| 1968 | 76.8% | +0.7% |
| 1969 | 77.4% | +0.7% |
| 1970 | 77.9% | +0.7% |
| 1971 | 78.5% | +0.8% |
| 1972 | 79.2% | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 79.9% | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 80.6% | +0.9% |
| 1975 | 81.4% | +0.9% |
| 1976 | 82.2% | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 83.0% | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 83.9% | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 84.7% | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 85.4% | +0.9% |
| 1981 | 86.1% | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 86.8% | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 87.6% | +0.9% |
| 1984 | 88.2% | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 88.6% | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 88.8% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 88.9% | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 88.7% | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 88.4% | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 88.0% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 87.4% | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 86.8% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 86.0% | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 85.2% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 84.6% | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 84.0% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 83.4% | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 82.8% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 82.4% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 82.2% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 82.2% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 82.3% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 82.5% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 82.7% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 83.0% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 83.3% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 83.7% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 84.0% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 84.3% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 84.5% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 84.6% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 84.6% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 84.6% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 84.4% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 84.1% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 83.5% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 82.6% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 81.5% | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 80.3% | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 79.0% | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 77.6% | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 76.2% | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 74.8% | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 73.3% | -2.0% |
| 2025 | 71.8% | -2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 75.3% | 74.0% | 77.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 81.1% | 77.9% | 84.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 87.8% | 85.4% | 88.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 85.1% | 82.4% | 88.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 83.0% | 82.2% | 84.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.5% | 80.3% | 84.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 75.5% | 71.8% | 79.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More health data for Nigeria
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.08 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8137 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,301 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 257,921 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 80 and above, female, per capita 0.0018 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, annual growth rate 3.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per capita 0.0016 units per person (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, gaps filled 7,897 (2018)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2018)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency ratio, young in Nigeria?
- Age dependency ratio, young in Nigeria was 71.8% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest age dependency ratio, young recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 88.9% in 1987.
- What is the lowest age dependency ratio, young recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 71.8% in 2025.
- How does Nigeria rank for age dependency ratio, young?
- Nigeria ranks 21st out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age dependency ratio, young rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.