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Dataset · UN DESA Population Division

Total Dependency Ratio

74 years, 1950–2023 · 222 countries · 3 measures

The total dependency ratio counts the people of an age usually thought of as dependent — under 15, or 65 and over — for every 100 people aged 15 to 64. It is a rough measure of how many children and older people each working-age adult supports, and it is published with its two halves: the child ratio and the old-age ratio.

This site holds every year from 1950 to 2023, read from UN DESA Population Division’s own data and stored exactly as published.

Open Total Dependency Ratio, 2023Download all 74 · CSVSee it charted by country →

Total Dependency Ratio · the file

Newest
Total Dependency Ratio, 2023
Held
74 years · 16,428 rows
Licence
CC BY 3.0 IGO

0174 years

Every year

Every year comes from UN DESA Population Division’s 2024 release, recalculated on one method. Each opens the full table for that year; each downloads as a CSV.

1950bar height: countries covered, up to 2222023
Every year of Total Dependency Ratio held on this site, newest first, with its download files.
YearCountriesChangeReadDownload
Total Dependency Ratio, 2023Newest222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 2022222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 2021222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 2020222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 2019222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 2018222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 2017222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 2016222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 2015222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 2014222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 2013222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 2012222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Show all 74 years
YearCountriesChangeReadDownload
Total Dependency Ratio, 2011222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 2010222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 2009222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 2008222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 2007222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 2006222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 2005222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 2004222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 2003222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 2002222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 2001222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 2000222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1999222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1998222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1997222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1996222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1995222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1994222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1993222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1992222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1991222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1990222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1989222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1988222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1987222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1986222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1985222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1984222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1983222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1982222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1981222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1980222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1979222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1978222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1977222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1976222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1975222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1974222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1973222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1972222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1971222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1970222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1969222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1968222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1967222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1966222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1965222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1964222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1963222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1962222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1961222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1960222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1959222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1958222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1957222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1956222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1955222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1954222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1953222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1952222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1951222±0September 26, 2026CSV
Total Dependency Ratio, 1950222—September 26, 2026CSV

Every year in one file, one row per country per year: dependency-ratio-all-editions-nations-inquiry.csv

025 columns

What’s in the file

Every column, what it holds, how it is stored and what its values look like — what a reader needs before opening the file.

Total dependency ratio (aged 0–14 and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64)is built fromChild dependency ratio (aged 0–14 per 100 aged 15–64)Old-age dependency ratio (aged 65+ per 100 aged 15–64)

Every column in the newest file of Total Dependency Ratio: what it holds, how it is stored, and its range.
ColumnWhat it holdsStored asRange, 2023DistinctEmptySpread
CountrycountryNameThe country’s name, as this file spells it.Text—2220
ISO Codecountry_codeIdentifierThe ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code, added by this site. Every table here joins on it.Text · 3 letters—2220
Total dependency ratio (aged 0–14 and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64)dependency_ratioHeadlineThe headline figure: People aged 0–14 and 65+ per 100 people aged 15–64.Number · up to 3 decimals20.095Qatar105.178Central African Republicmiddle 54.7302220
Child dependency ratio (aged 0–14 per 100 aged 15–64)child_dependencyPart of the headlineChildren aged 0–14 for every 100 people aged 15–64.Number · up to 3 decimals12.295Vatican City100.879Central African Republicmiddle 33.8782210
Old-age dependency ratio (aged 65+ per 100 aged 15–64)old_age_dependencyPart of the headlinePeople aged 65 and over for every 100 people aged 15–64.Number · up to 3 decimals1.888Qatar90.779Vatican Citymiddle 12.0382200

Profiled from the newest file. Range: the lowest and highest value, with the country holding it when only one does. Spread: countries in ten equal steps from lowest to highest. Neither end is better. The values describe a shape, not a score.

03222 countries across every year

Who is covered

How many countries each year holds, continent by continent, who joined and who left, and which places this site covers that the dataset never has.

All regions
Countries in each year of Total Dependency Ratio, by continent.
201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023
Africa545454545454545454545454
Americas484848484848484848484848
Asia515151515151515151515151
Europe484848484848484848484848
Oceania212121212121212121212121
All222222222222222222222222222222222222

The newest 12 of 74 years.

The same 222 countries in every year.

Not in this dataset · 2 places this site covers

UN DESA Population Division gives no figure for these in any year held here. It is the publisher’s choice of scope, and each place’s profile shows what is measured.

Channel IslandsSomaliland

04Provenance

Where it comes from

The path from the publisher to this page, and what was checked and changed on the way.

The site’s method

  1. 1 · Publisher

    UN DESA Population Division

    population.un.org

  2. 2 · Their file

    World Population Prospects 2024: total dependency ratio, 2023

    WPP2024_POP_F07_1_DEPENDENCY_RATIOS_BOTH_SEXES.xlsx

  3. 3 · Read by this site

    September 26, 2026

    Imported by a script that parses each figure and writes it down unrounded.

  4. 4 · Stored as

    74 files, one per year

    Each downloads as a CSV, or every year together as dependency-ratio-all-editions-nations-inquiry.csv

  5. 5 · Used on

    Its statistic page, and every profile it measures

    /statistics/dependency-ratio

Precision

The headline is stored to 3 decimals, as published.

Rounded by this site

Never. Tables on screen may show fewer decimals; the files never do.

Changed by this site

Reshaped into one row per country: regional and income-group totals are left out, only the columns listed are kept, each row gets its ISO 3166 code, and some country names are brought to one spelling. No value is recalculated, rescaled or rounded.

From World Population Prospects 2024, read from the Population Division's own dependency-ratio workbook (POP/F07-1), which publishes the total, child and old-age ratios to three decimals. The workbook also gives ratios on other age bands; only the conventional 15–64 base is used here. Projections are excluded.

05Reuse

Licence and credit

What the publisher’s licence lets you do, what it asks of you, and a credit line and citation ready to copy.

Every publisher’s terms

Licence · checked September 26, 2026

CC BY 3.0 IGO

  • Share and redistribute it
  • Adapt it and build on it
  • Use it commercially
  • Credit the publisher
  • Say what you changed

The version of CC BY written for intergovernmental organisations. Credit the publisher and say what you changed.

A credit line

Source: UN DESA Population Division, Total Dependency Ratio, via Nations Inquiry.

Cite this dataset

UN DESA Population Division. Total Dependency Ratio, 1950–2023 [data set]. As held by Nations Inquiry, https://nationsinquiry.com/datasets/dependency-ratio

The publisher’s own citation: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024, Online Edition.

Plain-language summary, not legal advice. The licence text is what binds.

06Where it is used

Around the site

Where these numbers appear on this site, and the datasets nearest to it.

07Questions

Total Dependency Ratio: questions and answers

What is the Total Dependency Ratio?

The total dependency ratio counts the people of an age usually thought of as dependent — under 15, or 65 and over — for every 100 people aged 15 to 64. It is a rough measure of how many children and older people each working-age adult supports, and it is published with its two halves: the child ratio and the old-age ratio.

Which years of the Total Dependency Ratio can I download?

All 74, from 1950 to 2023, each as a CSV file, or every year together in one CSV.

Does UN DESA Population Division rank countries on it?

No, and this site does not order it either. The files hold values only.

Can I use it commercially?

Yes, under CC BY 3.0 IGO, with credit to UN DESA Population Division. The licence text is linked on this page.

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