Age dependency ratio in Malaysia

Malaysia: Age dependency ratio was 41.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
41.5%
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
195th
of 215 countries
All-time high
97.3%
in 1964
All-time low
41.5%
in 2025
Years of data
66
1960–2025

Age dependency ratio in Malaysia, 1960–2025

020406080100196019922025

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 in Malaysia is 41.5%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.

The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 9.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, age dependency ratio in Malaysia peaked at 97.3% in 1964 and was at its lowest, 41.5%, in 2025.

Malaysia ranks 195th of 215 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 95.0% 91.4% 97.3% 10
1970s 82.3% 75.2% 89.7% 10
1980s 71.6% 69.6% 74.1% 10
1990s 65.5% 62.5% 68.9% 10
2000s 56.0% 50.2% 61.4% 10
2010s 46.5% 44.8% 49.0% 10
2020s 42.7% 41.5% 44.3% 6

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 192 Antigua and Barbuda 42.5% compare
  2. 193 Palau 42.4% compare
  3. 194 Bahamas 42.1% compare
  4. 196 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 41.4% compare
  5. 197 Macao 40.5% compare
  6. 198 Mauritius 40.2% compare

See the full ranking of 264 places →

More health data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is age dependency ratio in Malaysia?
Age dependency ratio in Malaysia was 41.5% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
What is the highest age dependency ratio recorded in Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 97.3% in 1964.
What is the lowest age dependency ratio recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 41.5% in 2025.
How does Malaysia rank for age dependency ratio?
Malaysia ranks 195th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
Is age dependency ratio rising or falling in Malaysia?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Malaysia 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.