Denmark vs Sweden: Old-age dependency ratio
Denmark
32.4%
in 2023
Sweden
33.0%
in 2023
Denmark rank
26th
Sweden rank
24th
Old-age dependency ratio over time
- Denmark
- Sweden
How they compare
Sweden currently reports 33.0% against 32.4% in Denmark, a difference of 0.6%.
Across all 74 years both countries report, Sweden has been ahead every year.
Denmark ranks 26th and Sweden ranks 24th of 236 countries.
Sweden has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Denmark | Sweden | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 15.2% | 16.5% | 1.3% | Sweden |
| 1960s | 17.5% | 19.1% | 1.5% | Sweden |
| 1970s | 20.7% | 23.1% | 2.5% | Sweden |
| 1980s | 22.7% | 26.6% | 3.9% | Sweden |
| 1990s | 22.7% | 27.4% | 4.8% | Sweden |
| 2000s | 22.9% | 26.7% | 3.7% | Sweden |
| 2010s | 28.5% | 30.6% | 2.1% | Sweden |
| 2020s | 31.9% | 32.6% | 0.7% | Sweden |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher old-age dependency ratio, Denmark or Sweden?
- Sweden, at 33.0% against 32.4% in Denmark as of 2023.
- What is the difference in old-age dependency ratio between Denmark and Sweden?
- 0.6%, with Sweden ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Sweden?
- 74 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2023.
- How do Denmark and Sweden rank globally for old-age dependency ratio?
- Denmark ranks 26th and Sweden ranks 24th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Old-age dependency ratio. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Number of people aged 65 and over per 100 working-age people (aged 15 to 64).