Age dependency ratio in Japan

Japan: Age dependency ratio was 70.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
70.2%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
41st
of 215 countries
All-time high
70.3%
in 2021
All-time low
42.9%
in 1992
Years of data
66
1960–2025

Age dependency ratio in Japan, 1960–2025

020406080196019922025

Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in % of working-age population.

Analysis

Japan recorded 70.2% for age dependency ratio in 2025.

The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 6.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, age dependency ratio in Japan peaked at 70.3% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 42.9%, in 1992.

Japan ranks 41st of 215 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 47.8% 43.5% 55.2% 10
1970s 46.0% 43.5% 48.1% 10
1980s 46.8% 43.8% 48.4% 10
1990s 43.8% 42.9% 45.9% 10
2000s 51.4% 46.7% 56.8% 10
2010s 64.4% 57.4% 69.5% 10
2020s 70.1% 69.9% 70.3% 6

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 38 Sao Tome and Principe 70.6% compare
  2. 39 Senegal 70.6% compare
  3. 40 Comoros 70.4% compare
  4. 42 South Sudan 69.7% compare
  5. 43 Rwanda 69.6% compare
  6. 44 Sierra Leone 69.3% compare

See the full ranking of 264 places →

More health data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is age dependency ratio in Japan?
Age dependency ratio in Japan was 70.2% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
What is the highest age dependency ratio recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 70.3% in 2021.
What is the lowest age dependency ratio recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 42.9% in 1992.
How does Japan rank for age dependency ratio?
Japan ranks 41st out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
Is age dependency ratio rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Age dependency ratio (% of working-age population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Age dependency ratio (% of working-age population)
Unit
% of working-age population
Source
World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
264 places, 17,394 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

Age dependency ratio is the ratio of dependents--people younger than 15 or 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.