Age dependency ratio, young in Malawi

Malawi: Age dependency ratio, young was 70.0% in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)
70.0%
Change on year
down 2.4%
World rank
26th
of 215 countries
All-time high
92.4%
in 2008
All-time low
70.0%
in 2025
Years of data
66
1960–2025

Age dependency ratio, young in Malawi, 1960–2025

020406080100196019922025

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

Analysis

Malawi recorded 70.0% for age dependency ratio, young in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.4% on the previous year and down 20.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, age dependency ratio, young in Malawi peaked at 92.4% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 70.0%, in 2025.

That places Malawi 26th out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 80.6% 79.0% 83.5% 10
1970s 86.3% 84.2% 87.6% 10
1980s 88.9% 88.0% 89.6% 10
1990s 90.8% 89.5% 91.3% 10
2000s 91.9% 91.4% 92.4% 10
2010s 88.0% 81.5% 92.1% 10
2020s 74.7% 70.0% 79.6% 6

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 23 Sudan 71.3% compare
  2. 24 Cote d'Ivoire 71.1% compare
  3. 25 Congo 70.1% compare
  4. 27 Gambia 69.6% compare
  5. 28 Samoa 68.1% compare
  6. 29 Liberia 67.9% compare

See the full ranking of 264 places →

More health data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is age dependency ratio, young in Malawi?
Age dependency ratio, young in Malawi was 70.0% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
What is the highest age dependency ratio, young recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 92.4% in 2008.
What is the lowest age dependency ratio, young recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 70.0% in 2025.
How does Malawi rank for age dependency ratio, young?
Malawi ranks 26th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
Is age dependency ratio, young rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is down 20.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Malawi data come from?
The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Age dependency ratio, young (% of working-age population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Age dependency ratio, young (% 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, young, is the ratio of younger dependents--people younger than 15--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population.