Age Structure
Age Dependency Ratio by Country 2026
Country | Age Dependency Ratio 2023↓ | Old ADR 2023 | Young ADR 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Central African Republic | 105% | 4.3% | 101% |
 | Niger | 98.16% | 5.09% | 93.07% |
 | Monaco | 98.16% | 72.04% | 26.12% |
 | Somalia | 97.02% | 5.05% | 91.97% |
 | DR Congo | 96.68% | 6.03% | 90.65% |
 | Mali | 95.56% | 4.7% | 90.86% |
 | Chad | 95.36% | 4.05% | 91.3% |
 | Burundi | 91.85% | 4.82% | 87.03% |
 | Mozambique | 90.55% | 5.27% | 85.28% |
 | Angola | 90.06% | 5.34% | 84.71% |
 | Mauritania | 86.05% | 5.98% | 80.07% |
 | Uganda | 85.49% | 3.99% | 81.5% |
 | Tanzania | 84.39% | 5.61% | 78.78% |
 | Afghanistan | 83.84% | 4.37% | 79.47% |
 | Burkina Faso | 81.89% | 4.77% | 77.12% |
 | Zimbabwe | 81.63% | 6.57% | 75.05% |
 | Benin | 81.57% | 5.61% | 75.96% |
 | Guinea | 80.78% | 6.22% | 74.56% |
 | Cameroon | 80.3% | 5% | 75.29% |
 | Nigeria | 80.25% | 5.46% | 74.79% |
 | Samoa | 79.96% | 10.27% | 69.7% |
 | Malawi | 78.28% | 4.62% | 73.66% |
 | Sudan | 78.13% | 5.72% | 72.41% |
 | Zambia | 78.11% | 3.38% | 74.73% |
 | Ivory Coast | 78.08% | 4.57% | 73.5% |
 | Republic of the Congo | 77.93% | 5.19% | 72.74% |
 | Yemen | 77.73% | 4.46% | 73.27% |
 | Gambia | 77.65% | 5.29% | 72.36% |
 | Liberia | 76.29% | 5.78% | 70.51% |
 | Togo | 75.58% | 5.55% | 70.03% |
 | Madagascar | 75.15% | 5.84% | 69.31% |
 | Vanuatu | 74.92% | 7.38% | 67.54% |
 | Eritrea | 74.91% | 7.26% | 67.65% |
 | South Sudan | 74.72% | 5.09% | 69.63% |
 | Ethiopia | 74.02% | 5.52% | 68.51% |
 | Guinea-Bissau | 73.57% | 5.45% | 68.11% |
 | Tonga | 73.09% | 11.43% | 61.66% |
 | Senegal | 73.07% | 6.21% | 66.86% |
 | Palestine | 72.93% | 6.58% | 66.35% |
 | Sao Tome and Principe | 72.85% | 6.68% | 66.17% |
 | Comoros | 72.04% | 7.7% | 64.35% |
 | Sierra Leone | 71.64% | 5.5% | 66.14% |
 | Rwanda | 71.1% | 6.54% | 64.56% |
 | Pakistan | 70.17% | 7.14% | 63.03% |
 | Japan | 70.1% | 50.28% | 19.82% |
 | Equatorial Guinea | 69.8% | 6.15% | 63.65% |
 | Solomon Islands | 69.46% | 6.15% | 63.32% |
 | Namibia | 69.1% | 6.04% | 63.06% |
 | Nauru | 69.09% | 4.53% | 64.56% |
 | Gabon | 68.65% | 6.82% | 61.83% |
 | Iraq | 68.03% | 5.71% | 62.33% |
 | Kenya | 67.67% | 4.88% | 62.79% |
 | Tajikistan | 67.1% | 6.1% | 61% |
 | Israel | 66.75% | 20.7% | 46.05% |
 | Ghana | 66.14% | 6.03% | 60.11% |
 | Timor-Leste | 65.46% | 8.83% | 56.64% |
 | Marshall Islands | 64.17% | 7.19% | 56.98% |
 | Kiribati | 64.06% | 6.76% | 57.3% |
 | Tuvalu | 63.6% | 10.27% | 53.33% |
 | United States Virgin Islands | 63.3% | 36.32% | 26.98% |
 | Lesotho | 63.27% | 6.25% | 57.02% |
 | France | 62.69% | 35.38% | 27.31% |
 | Finland | 62.64% | 38.35% | 24.29% |
 | Saint Martin | 62.17% | 27.9% | 34.27% |
 | Guam | 61.65% | 19.59% | 42.06% |
 | Kyrgyzstan | 61.55% | 8.77% | 52.78% |
 | Faroe Islands | 60.98% | 28.53% | 32.45% |
 | Micronesia | 60.93% | 9.22% | 51.7% |
 | Kazakhstan | 60.89% | 13.37% | 47.53% |
 | Eswatini | 60.81% | 6.67% | 54.14% |
 | Sweden | 60.74% | 33.01% | 27.73% |
 | Mongolia | 60% | 7.78% | 52.22% |
 | Egypt | 59.76% | 7.94% | 51.82% |
 | Isle of Man | 59.33% | 36.19% | 23.14% |
 | Papua New Guinea | 59.12% | 5.33% | 53.79% |
 | Greece | 58.91% | 37.32% | 21.59% |
 | Latvia | 58.79% | 33.87% | 24.92% |
 | Algeria | 58.77% | 10.12% | 48.65% |
 | Portugal | 58.74% | 38.28% | 20.47% |
 | Croatia | 58.61% | 36.19% | 22.43% |
 | Estonia | 58.43% | 33.14% | 25.3% |
 | Guatemala | 58.41% | 7.5% | 50.91% |
 | Germany | 57.99% | 36.01% | 21.99% |
 | Serbia | 57.95% | 35.28% | 22.67% |
 | United Kingdom | 57.85% | 30.37% | 27.48% |
 | Uzbekistan | 57.64% | 8.98% | 48.67% |
 | Lebanon | 57.58% | 15.48% | 42.1% |
 | Denmark | 57.4% | 32.42% | 24.97% |
 | Belgium | 57.32% | 31.69% | 25.63% |
 | Bulgaria | 57.16% | 34.31% | 22.85% |
 | Italy | 57.14% | 38.06% | 19.08% |
 | Georgia | 57.13% | 24.07% | 33.06% |
 | Slovenia | 56.89% | 33.47% | 23.42% |
 | Puerto Rico | 56.86% | 38.03% | 18.83% |
 | Botswana | 56.86% | 6.23% | 50.64% |
 | Czechia | 56.79% | 32.21% | 24.57% |
 | Haiti | 56.72% | 7.24% | 49.48% |
 | Cambodia | 56.43% | 9.32% | 47.1% |
 | Turkmenistan | 56.11% | 6.67% | 49.44% |
 | Guyana | 55.77% | 10.09% | 45.68% |
 | Montenegro | 55.76% | 27.21% | 28.56% |
 | Bolivia | 55.5% | 8.63% | 46.87% |
 | Romania | 55.35% | 30.69% | 24.66% |
 | Moldova | 55.3% | 24.25% | 31.05% |
 | Jordan | 55.16% | 6.71% | 48.45% |
 | Venezuela | 55.01% | 14.47% | 40.54% |
 | Australia | 54.83% | 26.92% | 27.92% |
 | Netherlands | 54.63% | 31.17% | 23.46% |
 | Hungary | 54.57% | 32.18% | 22.39% |
 | Honduras | 54.53% | 6.63% | 47.9% |
 | Gibraltar | 54.47% | 26.99% | 27.48% |
 | New Zealand | 54.26% | 25.91% | 28.34% |
 | Paraguay | 54.2% | 9.82% | 44.38% |
 | Laos | 54.07% | 6.99% | 47.08% |
 | Nepal | 54.02% | 9.8% | 44.23% |
 | American Samoa | 53.99% | 11.63% | 42.37% |
 | Norway | 53.94% | 28.53% | 25.41% |
 | United States | 53.91% | 26.83% | 27.08% |
 | Syria | 53.9% | 7.21% | 46.69% |
 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 53.52% | 33.23% | 20.3% |
 | Bermuda | 53.35% | 32.07% | 21.28% |
 | Lithuania | 53.24% | 30.43% | 22.81% |
 | Bangladesh | 53.1% | 9.68% | 43.42% |
 | Canada | 53.05% | 29.63% | 23.42% |
 | Poland | 53.04% | 29.94% | 23.1% |
 | Switzerland | 52.96% | 30% | 22.96% |
 | Nicaragua | 52.87% | 8.22% | 44.64% |
 | North Macedonia | 52.83% | 26.75% | 26.09% |
 | Ireland | 52.81% | 23.75% | 29.06% |
 | Liechtenstein | 52.69% | 30.79% | 21.91% |
 | Uruguay | 52.67% | 24.14% | 28.53% |
 | Dominican Republic | 52.66% | 11.57% | 41.09% |
 | Austria | 52.59% | 30.77% | 21.82% |
 | Argentina | 52.42% | 18.6% | 33.82% |
 | San Marino | 52.39% | 33.04% | 19.35% |
 | Panama | 52.28% | 13.79% | 38.49% |
 | Djibouti | 52.23% | 7.21% | 45.02% |
 | Russia | 51.79% | 25.2% | 26.59% |
 | Sri Lanka | 51.75% | 17.81% | 33.93% |
 | Slovakia | 51.42% | 27.33% | 24.09% |
 | Spain | 51.31% | 31.25% | 20.06% |
 | Philippines | 51.22% | 7.96% | 43.26% |
 | Morocco | 51.2% | 11.83% | 39.36% |
 | Belarus | 50.91% | 25.75% | 25.17% |
 | Fiji | 50.89% | 9.57% | 41.32% |
 | Tunisia | 50.61% | 13.8% | 36.8% |
 | Barbados | 50.56% | 24.23% | 26.33% |
 | Suriname | 50.53% | 11.47% | 39.06% |
 | Aruba | 50.5% | 24.64% | 25.86% |
 | Iceland | 50.16% | 23.05% | 27.11% |
 | Peru | 50.04% | 13.49% | 36.55% |
 | Albania | 50.02% | 24.46% | 25.57% |
 | El Salvador | 49.72% | 11.98% | 37.75% |
 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 49.72% | 17.31% | 32.41% |
 | Ecuador | 49.47% | 12.1% | 37.37% |
 | Malta | 49.15% | 29.53% | 19.62% |
 | Cape Verde | 49.14% | 9.81% | 39.33% |
 | Mexico | 49.04% | 11.9% | 37.14% |
 | Ukraine | 48.93% | 27.64% | 21.29% |
 | Libya | 48.9% | 7.26% | 41.63% |
 | Armenia | 48.71% | 19.65% | 29.07% |
 | New Caledonia | 48.4% | 16.46% | 31.95% |
 | South Africa | 48.37% | 9.67% | 38.7% |
 | Hong Kong | 47.81% | 31.99% | 15.81% |
 | Vietnam | 47.55% | 12.72% | 34.83% |
 | Indonesia | 47.02% | 10.36% | 36.66% |
 | India | 47.01% | 10.18% | 36.84% |
 | Turkey | 46.72% | 14.67% | 32.04% |
 | Belize | 46.7% | 7.1% | 39.6% |
 | Grenada | 46.45% | 17.38% | 29.06% |
 | Cuba | 46.43% | 23.72% | 22.72% |
 | Myanmar | 46.21% | 10.36% | 35.84% |
 | Curacao | 46.04% | 23.78% | 22.26% |
 | Northern Mariana Islands | 45.6% | 12.72% | 32.89% |
 | Chile | 45.09% | 19.87% | 25.22% |
 | Costa Rica | 45.03% | 17% | 28.04% |
 | North Korea | 44.95% | 17.44% | 27.51% |
 | Luxembourg | 44.77% | 21.87% | 22.9% |
 | Greenland | 44.76% | 14.65% | 30.12% |
 | China | 44.73% | 20.72% | 24.01% |
 | Dominica | 44.62% | 18.43% | 26.19% |
 | Iran | 44.41% | 11.43% | 32.98% |
 | Brazil | 44.03% | 15.32% | 28.71% |
 | French Polynesia | 43.8% | 15.42% | 28.38% |
 | Cyprus | 43.63% | 20.57% | 23.06% |
 | Azerbaijan | 43.59% | 11.5% | 32.08% |
 | Colombia | 42.8% | 13.39% | 29.41% |
 | Trinidad and Tobago | 42.61% | 16.91% | 25.71% |
 | Bahamas | 42.5% | 16.38% | 26.12% |
 | Thailand | 42.47% | 20.97% | 21.5% |
 | Malaysia | 42.33% | 10.61% | 31.72% |
 | Antigua and Barbuda | 41.76% | 15.93% | 25.82% |
 | Palau | 41.62% | 15.36% | 26.26% |
 | South Korea | 41.45% | 25.94% | 15.52% |
 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 40.91% | 15.07% | 25.83% |
 | Sint Maarten | 40.86% | 18.94% | 21.92% |
 | Seychelles | 39.8% | 11.65% | 28.16% |
 | Mauritius | 39.02% | 17.99% | 21.03% |
 | Oman | 38.67% | 3.69% | 34.98% |
 | Bhutan | 38.56% | 8.82% | 29.74% |
 | Andorra | 38.25% | 21.32% | 16.93% |
 | Macau | 38.07% | 18.61% | 19.46% |
 | Brunei | 38% | 8.99% | 29.01% |
 | Saint Lucia | 37.3% | 12.77% | 24.54% |
 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 37.21% | 14.95% | 22.25% |
 | Jamaica | 36.98% | 10.77% | 26.21% |
 | Saudi Arabia | 36.83% | 3.86% | 32.97% |
 | Singapore | 33.13% | 17.43% | 15.69% |
 | Cayman Islands | 33.04% | 11.36% | 21.68% |
 | Maldives | 32.26% | 5.75% | 26.52% |
 | British Virgin Islands | 32.17% | 12.16% | 20.01% |
 | Bahrain | 29.25% | 4.7% | 24.55% |
 | Kuwait | 27.48% | 3.76% | 23.71% |
 | United Arab Emirates | 22% | 2.07% | 19.93% |
 | Qatar | 20.1% | 1.89% | 18.21% |
- Percentages shown are computed against a base of 100. For example, Niger’s world-leading 105.1% total ADR represents a ratio of 105.1/100, which indicates that the country has nearly 105.1 dependents (children and elders) for every 100 working-age residents.
- The Old category is the ration of older dependents (those over the age of 64) compared to the working-age (15-64) population.
- The Young category is the ratio of younger dependents (those younger than 15) compared to the working-age (15-64) population.
Age Dependency Ratio A demographic metric comparing the number of children and seniors to the working-age population. Higher ratios can place greater pressure on workers, healthcare systems, pensions, and public finances.
Young Populations and High Dependency Ratios
Countries with the highest age dependency ratios are concentrated largely in Sub-Saharan Africa, where high birth rates create very young populations. In countries such as Niger, Central African Republic, Somalia, Chad, and DR Congo, children make up an exceptionally large share of society, driving dependency ratios sharply higher.
High youth dependency ratios place pressure on schools, healthcare systems, housing, and job creation because relatively few working-age adults support very large younger populations. While youthful societies can create long-term economic potential, they also require rapid economic growth and infrastructure expansion to avoid rising poverty and unemployment.
Aging Societies and Elder Dependency
Some countries face the opposite demographic challenge: aging populations and growing elder dependency ratios. Japan, Italy, Portugal, Finland, and Greece all have large shares of elderly residents relative to their working-age populations, largely due to long life expectancy and low birth rates.
As populations age, fewer workers must support growing healthcare and pension costs. Many aging societies also face labor shortages and slower economic growth, leading governments to explore solutions such as immigration, delayed retirement, and policies designed to encourage higher birth rates.
Low Dependency Ratios and Workforce-Heavy Economies
Countries such as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain have some of the world’s lowest age dependency ratios. These economies rely heavily on working-age expatriate labor, creating unusually large labor forces relative to the number of children and elderly residents.
Low dependency ratios can support strong economic productivity and faster growth because fewer dependents rely on each worker. However, these demographics are often shaped by temporary migration patterns rather than long-term population stability, making them very different from low-dependency countries with naturally balanced populations.
Why Dependency Ratios Matter
Age dependency ratios influence far more than demographics alone. They affect labor markets, taxation, healthcare spending, pension systems, housing demand, and long-term economic growth.
Countries with very young populations often focus on education and job creation, while aging societies face rising healthcare and retirement costs. Understanding dependency ratios helps explain why countries experience very different economic and social pressures even when their total populations are similar.
