Age dependency breakdown in China

China: Age dependency breakdown was 20.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
20.7%
Change on year
up 3.9%
World rank
78th
of 236 countries
All-time high
20.7%
in 2023
All-time low
6.6%
in 1967
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Age dependency breakdown in China, 1950–2023

5101520195019862023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

China recorded 20.7% for age dependency breakdown in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.

The figure is up 3.9% on the previous year and up 60.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, age dependency breakdown in China peaked at 20.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 6.6%, in 1967.

That places China 78th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 7.8% 7.3% 8.4% 10
1960s 6.7% 6.6% 7.1% 10
1970s 7.0% 6.7% 7.3% 10
1980s 7.6% 7.4% 7.9% 10
1990s 9.0% 8.1% 10.0% 10
2000s 11.0% 10.3% 11.7% 10
2010s 14.1% 11.9% 17.3% 10
2020s 19.5% 18.2% 20.7% 4

Countries ranked near China

  1. 75 Wallis and Futuna 21.8% compare
  2. 76 Andorra 21.3% compare
  3. 77 Thailand 20.9% compare
  4. 79 Cook Islands 20.7% compare
  5. 80 Israel 20.7% compare
  6. 81 Cyprus 20.6% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is age dependency breakdown in China?
Age dependency breakdown in China was 20.7% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest age dependency breakdown recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 20.7% in 2023.
What is the lowest age dependency breakdown recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 6.6% in 1967.
How does China rank for age dependency breakdown?
China ranks 78th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is age dependency breakdown rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is up 60.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this China data come from?
The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Age dependency breakdown. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Age dependency breakdown
Unit
%
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

The number of people aged 65 and over per 100 working-age people (aged 15 to 64).