Age dependency ratio in South Asia (IDA & IBRD)
South Asia (IDA & IBRD): Age dependency ratio was 47.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Age dependency ratio in South Asia (IDA & IBRD), 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 in South Asia (IDA & IBRD) is 47.0%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency ratio in South Asia (IDA & IBRD) peaked at 83.0% in 1966 and was at its lowest, 47.0%, in 2025.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 81.7% | 78.6% | 83.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 81.4% | 79.7% | 82.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 78.0% | 76.1% | 79.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 71.9% | 67.8% | 75.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 62.7% | 58.5% | 66.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 53.6% | 50.1% | 57.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 48.1% | 47.0% | 49.4% | 6 |
More health data for South Asia (IDA & IBRD)
- Population ages 15-64, female 560.64 million (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, male 59.22 million (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, female 65.23 million (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, total 1.15 billion (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, male 68.2% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, male 591.11 million (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female 67.9% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male 216.21 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female 199.83 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female 24.2% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency ratio in South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?
- Age dependency ratio in South Asia (IDA & IBRD) was 47.0% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest age dependency ratio recorded in South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?
- The highest recorded value was 83.0% in 1966.
- What is the lowest age dependency ratio recorded in South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.0% in 2025.
- Is age dependency ratio rising or falling in South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Asia (IDA & IBRD) 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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.