Age dependency ratio in World
World: Age dependency ratio was 54.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Age dependency ratio in World, 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 in World stood at 54.5%. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency ratio in World peaked at 77.2% in 1966 and was at its lowest, 54.5%, 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 | 76.2% | 74.5% | 77.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 75.3% | 72.6% | 76.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 68.5% | 66.1% | 71.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 64.1% | 61.5% | 65.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 57.8% | 55.5% | 60.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 55.2% | 55.0% | 55.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.0% | 54.5% | 55.4% | 6 |
More health data for World
- Age dependency ratio, old 16.0% (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, female 11.6% (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, male 380.05 million (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, male 9.2% (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, total 854.60 million (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above 10.4% (2025)
- Age dependency ratio, young 37.4% (2025)
- Population, male 50.3% (2025)
- Population, male 4.13 billion (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, female 474.56 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency ratio in World?
- Age dependency ratio in World was 54.5% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest age dependency ratio recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 77.2% in 1966.
- What is the lowest age dependency ratio recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.5% in 2025.
- Is age dependency ratio rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this World 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
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.