Age dependency ratio, young in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Age dependency ratio, young was 52.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Age dependency ratio, young in Papua New Guinea, 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 Papua New Guinea is 52.4%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 11.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency ratio, young in Papua New Guinea peaked at 87.0% in 1972 and was at its lowest, 52.4%, in 2025.
That places Papua New Guinea 59th out of 218 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 Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | % of working-age population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 78.3% | — |
| 1961 | 79.1% | +1.0% |
| 1962 | 79.9% | +1.0% |
| 1963 | 80.7% | +1.0% |
| 1964 | 81.5% | +1.0% |
| 1965 | 82.2% | +1.0% |
| 1966 | 83.0% | +0.9% |
| 1967 | 83.8% | +1.0% |
| 1968 | 84.6% | +0.9% |
| 1969 | 85.4% | +0.9% |
| 1970 | 86.1% | +0.9% |
| 1971 | 86.8% | +0.8% |
| 1972 | 87.0% | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 86.6% | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 86.0% | -0.7% |
| 1975 | 85.3% | -0.9% |
| 1976 | 84.3% | -1.2% |
| 1977 | 83.1% | -1.4% |
| 1978 | 81.8% | -1.6% |
| 1979 | 80.4% | -1.7% |
| 1980 | 79.0% | -1.8% |
| 1981 | 78.0% | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 77.6% | -0.6% |
| 1983 | 77.2% | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 76.9% | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 76.7% | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 76.5% | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 76.3% | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 76.1% | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 75.9% | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 75.6% | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 75.1% | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 74.5% | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 73.8% | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 73.1% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 72.4% | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 71.8% | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 71.2% | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 70.6% | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 70.1% | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 69.5% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 68.9% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 68.3% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 67.6% | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 66.8% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 66.1% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 65.4% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 64.8% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 64.1% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 63.4% | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 62.7% | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 62.0% | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 61.4% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 60.7% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 60.1% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 59.4% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 58.7% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 58.0% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 57.2% | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 56.5% | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 55.8% | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 55.1% | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 54.5% | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 53.8% | -1.2% |
| 2024 | 53.1% | -1.3% |
| 2025 | 52.4% | -1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 81.8% | 78.3% | 85.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 84.7% | 80.4% | 87.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 77.0% | 75.9% | 79.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 72.8% | 70.1% | 75.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 66.5% | 63.4% | 69.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 59.7% | 56.5% | 62.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.1% | 52.4% | 55.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
- 56 Lesotho 55.0% compare
- 57 Timor-Leste 53.7% compare
- 58 Eswatini 52.7% compare
- 60 Kyrgyzstan 51.4% compare
- 61 Micronesia, Federated States of 50.5% compare
- 62 Mongolia 50.1% compare
More health data for Papua New Guinea
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.77 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.3741 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,127 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 2,501 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 30-34, female, annual growth rate 1.04 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, female, per capita 0.0376 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, annual growth rate 1.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, per capita 0.0397 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency ratio, young in Papua New Guinea?
- Age dependency ratio, young in Papua New Guinea was 52.4% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest age dependency ratio, young recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 87.0% in 1972.
- What is the lowest age dependency ratio, young recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.4% in 2025.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for age dependency ratio, young?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 59th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age dependency ratio, young rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea 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.