Age dependency ratio, young in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Age dependency ratio, young was 71.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Age dependency ratio, young in Sub-Saharan Africa, 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 Sub-Saharan Africa is 71.6%, 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 11.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency ratio, young in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 88.7% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 71.6%, in 2025.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 6th of 47 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Age dependency ratio, young in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % of working-age population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 79.6% | — |
| 1961 | 79.9% | +0.4% |
| 1962 | 80.3% | +0.5% |
| 1963 | 80.8% | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 81.3% | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 81.9% | +0.7% |
| 1966 | 82.4% | +0.7% |
| 1967 | 83.0% | +0.6% |
| 1968 | 83.5% | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 84.0% | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 84.5% | +0.6% |
| 1971 | 85.0% | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 85.5% | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 86.0% | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 86.5% | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 86.8% | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 87.2% | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 87.6% | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 87.9% | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 88.1% | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 88.3% | +0.3% |
| 1981 | 88.5% | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 88.7% | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 88.7% | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 88.7% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 88.7% | -0.0% |
| 1986 | 88.7% | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 88.6% | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 88.5% | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 88.3% | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 88.1% | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 87.8% | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 87.6% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 87.4% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 87.0% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 86.7% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 86.8% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 86.8% | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 86.4% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 85.9% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 85.5% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 85.1% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 84.7% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 84.4% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 84.1% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 83.9% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 83.7% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 83.5% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 83.3% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 83.1% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 82.7% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 82.4% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 82.0% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 81.5% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 81.0% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 80.5% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 79.8% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 79.1% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 78.2% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 77.4% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 76.4% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 75.5% | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 74.5% | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 73.6% | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 72.6% | -1.3% |
| 2025 | 71.6% | -1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 81.7% | 79.6% | 84.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 86.5% | 84.5% | 88.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 88.6% | 88.3% | 88.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 87.0% | 85.9% | 88.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 84.1% | 83.1% | 85.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 80.5% | 77.4% | 82.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 74.0% | 71.6% | 76.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More health data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per capita 0.0016 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate 1.61 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.1997 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate 1.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, annual growth rate 1.62 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, per capita 0.4038 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency ratio, young in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Age dependency ratio, young in Sub-Saharan Africa was 71.6% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest age dependency ratio, young recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 88.7% in 1984.
- What is the lowest age dependency ratio, young recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 71.6% in 2025.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for age dependency ratio, young?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 6th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is age dependency ratio, young rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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.