Age dependency ratio, old in Australia
Australia: Age dependency ratio, old was 28.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Age dependency ratio, old in Australia, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in % of working-age population.
Analysis
In 2025, age dependency ratio, old in Australia stood at 28.2%. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.4% on the previous year and up 25.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency ratio, old in Australia peaked at 28.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 13.2%, in 1971.
That places Australia 47th out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 13.7% | 13.4% | 13.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 13.7% | 13.2% | 14.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 15.5% | 14.7% | 16.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.6% | 16.5% | 18.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.1% | 18.4% | 19.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.2% | 20.1% | 24.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.7% | 25.1% | 28.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More health data for Australia
- Population ages 15-64, total 17.74 million (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, male 2.33 million (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, male 17.0% (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, total 5.00 million (2025)
- Age population, age 14, female, interpolated 161,096 (2025)
- Age population, age 13, male, interpolated 169,878 (2025)
- Age population, age 13, female, interpolated 160,992 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female 63.8% (2025)
- Age population, age 12, female, interpolated 160,792 (2025)
- Age population, age 12, male, interpolated 170,044 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency ratio, old in Australia?
- Age dependency ratio, old in Australia was 28.2% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest age dependency ratio, old recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 28.2% in 2025.
- What is the lowest age dependency ratio, old recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.2% in 1971.
- How does Australia rank for age dependency ratio, old?
- Australia ranks 47th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age dependency ratio, old rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Age dependency ratio, old (% of working-age population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Age dependency ratio, old, is the ratio of older dependents--people older than 64--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population.