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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.
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.
| Year | Countries | Change | Read | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Dependency Ratio, 2023Newest | 222 | ±0 | September 26, 2026 | CSV |
| Total Dependency Ratio, 2022 | 222 | ±0 | September 26, 2026 | CSV |
| Total Dependency Ratio, 2021 | 222 | ±0 | September 26, 2026 | CSV |
| Total Dependency Ratio, 2020 | 222 | ±0 | September 26, 2026 | CSV |
| Total Dependency Ratio, 2019 | 222 | ±0 | September 26, 2026 | CSV |
| Total Dependency Ratio, 2018 | 222 | ±0 | September 26, 2026 | CSV |
| Total Dependency Ratio, 2017 | 222 | ±0 | September 26, 2026 | CSV |
| Total Dependency Ratio, 2016 | 222 | ±0 | September 26, 2026 | CSV |
| Total Dependency Ratio, 2015 | 222 | ±0 | September 26, 2026 | CSV |
| Total Dependency Ratio, 2014 | 222 | ±0 | September 26, 2026 | CSV |
| Total Dependency Ratio, 2013 | 222 | ±0 | September 26, 2026 | CSV |
| Total Dependency Ratio, 2012 | 222 | ±0 | September 26, 2026 | CSV |
Show all 74 years
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)
| Column | What it holds | Stored as | Range, 2023 | Distinct | Empty | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CountrycountryName | The country’s name, as this file spells it. | Text | — | 222 | 0 | |
ISO Codecountry_codeIdentifier | The ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code, added by this site. Every table here joins on it. | Text · 3 letters | — | 222 | 0 | |
Total dependency ratio (aged 0–14 and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64)dependency_ratioHeadline | The headline figure: People aged 0–14 and 65+ per 100 people aged 15–64. | Number · up to 3 decimals | 20.095 Qatar105.178 Central African Republicmiddle 54.730 | 222 | 0 | |
Child dependency ratio (aged 0–14 per 100 aged 15–64)child_dependencyPart of the headline | Children aged 0–14 for every 100 people aged 15–64. | Number · up to 3 decimals | 12.295 Vatican City100.879Central African Republicmiddle 33.878 | 221 | 0 | |
Old-age dependency ratio (aged 65+ per 100 aged 15–64)old_age_dependencyPart of the headline | People aged 65 and over for every 100 people aged 15–64. | Number · up to 3 decimals | 1.888Qatar90.779Vatican Citymiddle 12.038 | 220 | 0 |
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.
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa | 54 | 54 | 54 | 54 | 54 | 54 | 54 | 54 | 54 | 54 | 54 | 54 |
| Americas | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 |
| Asia | 51 | 51 | 51 | 51 | 51 | 51 | 51 | 51 | 51 | 51 | 51 | 51 |
| Europe | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 |
| Oceania | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| All | 222 | 222 | 222 | 222 | 222 | 222 | 222 | 222 | 222 | 222 | 222 | 222 |
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.
04Provenance
Where it comes from
The path from the publisher to this page, and what was checked and changed on the way.
1 · Publisher
UN DESA Population Division
2 · Their file
World Population Prospects 2024: total dependency ratio, 2023
3 · Read by this site
September 26, 2026
Imported by a script that parses each figure and writes it down unrounded.4 · Stored as
74 files, one per year
Each downloads as a CSV, or every year together as dependency-ratio-all-editions-nations-inquiry.csv5 · Used on
Its statistic page, and every profile it measures
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.
Licence · checked September 26, 2026
- 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.
Charted
Total Dependency Ratio by countryWho is highest, the map, the spread, who rose and fell, and the records.
Subjects
Near neighbours
- Crude Birth RateUN DESA Population Division · 74 held · 1950–2023
- Crude Death RateUN DESA Population Division · 74 held · 1950–2023
- Median Age of the PopulationUN DESA Population Division · 74 held · 1950–2023
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.