South Korea vs Taiwan: Old-age dependency ratio
South Korea
25.9%
in 2023
Taiwan
26.2%
in 2023
South Korea rank
59th
Taiwan rank
58th
Old-age dependency ratio over time
- South Korea
- Taiwan
How they compare
Taiwan currently reports 26.2% against 25.9% in South Korea, a difference of 0.3%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 74 shared years of data; in 1950 it was South Korea ahead.
South Korea ranks 59th and Taiwan ranks 58th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 4 and Taiwan in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | Taiwan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5.2% | 4.3% | 0.9% | South Korea |
| 1960s | 6.0% | 4.6% | 1.4% | South Korea |
| 1970s | 6.2% | 5.3% | 0.9% | South Korea |
| 1980s | 6.5% | 7.3% | 0.8% | Taiwan |
| 1990s | 8.1% | 10.4% | 2.4% | Taiwan |
| 2000s | 12.3% | 13.3% | 1.0% | Taiwan |
| 2010s | 17.6% | 16.9% | 0.7% | South Korea |
| 2020s | 23.9% | 24.2% | 0.3% | Taiwan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher old-age dependency ratio, South Korea or Taiwan?
- Taiwan, at 26.2% against 25.9% in South Korea as of 2023.
- What is the difference in old-age dependency ratio between South Korea and Taiwan?
- 0.3%, with Taiwan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Taiwan?
- 74 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2023.
- How do South Korea and Taiwan rank globally for old-age dependency ratio?
- South Korea ranks 59th and Taiwan ranks 58th 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).