Age dependency breakdown in New Zealand
New Zealand: Age dependency breakdown was 25.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
25.9%
Change on year
up 2.3%
World rank
60th
of 236 countries
All-time high
25.9%
in 2023
All-time low
14.1%
in 1966
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Age dependency breakdown in New Zealand, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 25.9% for age dependency breakdown in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.3% on the previous year and up 20.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency breakdown in New Zealand peaked at 25.9% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 14.1%, in 1966.
New Zealand ranks 60th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Age dependency breakdown in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 14.7% | — |
| 1951 | 14.9% | +1.5% |
| 1952 | 15.0% | +1.0% |
| 1953 | 15.1% | +0.6% |
| 1954 | 15.2% | +0.4% |
| 1955 | 15.2% | +0.2% |
| 1956 | 15.2% | -0.1% |
| 1957 | 15.1% | -0.5% |
| 1958 | 15.0% | -0.6% |
| 1959 | 14.9% | -0.5% |
| 1960 | 14.8% | -0.6% |
| 1961 | 14.7% | -0.9% |
| 1962 | 14.5% | -1.2% |
| 1963 | 14.4% | -1.2% |
| 1964 | 14.2% | -1.0% |
| 1965 | 14.1% | -0.6% |
| 1966 | 14.1% | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 14.1% | +0.1% |
| 1968 | 14.2% | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 14.2% | +0.3% |
| 1970 | 14.2% | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 14.3% | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 14.3% | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 14.3% | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 14.3% | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 14.4% | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 14.5% | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 14.7% | +1.4% |
| 1978 | 14.9% | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 15.2% | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 15.4% | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 15.6% | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 15.7% | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 15.7% | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 15.7% | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 15.8% | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 16.0% | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 16.2% | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 16.4% | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 16.6% | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 16.8% | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 17.0% | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 17.2% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 17.4% | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 17.5% | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 17.6% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 17.6% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 17.6% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 17.7% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 17.8% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 17.9% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 18.0% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 18.0% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 17.9% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 17.9% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 18.1% | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 18.4% | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 18.7% | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 18.9% | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 19.2% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 19.6% | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 20.1% | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 20.8% | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 21.5% | +3.2% |
| 2014 | 21.9% | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 22.2% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 22.4% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 22.6% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 22.9% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 23.3% | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 23.9% | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 24.6% | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 25.3% | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 25.9% | +2.3% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 25.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 25.9%, 100% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 25.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 10.6%, 2.4× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 15.0% | 14.7% | 15.2% | 10 |
| 1960s | 14.3% | 14.1% | 14.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 14.5% | 14.2% | 15.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 15.9% | 15.4% | 16.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.4% | 16.8% | 17.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.3% | 17.9% | 19.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.7% | 19.6% | 23.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.9% | 23.9% | 25.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More reference data data for New Zealand
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4532 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 9.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0459 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 10.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.52 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 42.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 47.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2499 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency breakdown in New Zealand?
- Age dependency breakdown in New Zealand was 25.9% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age dependency breakdown recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 25.9% in 2023.
- What is the lowest age dependency breakdown recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.1% in 1966.
- How does New Zealand rank for age dependency breakdown?
- New Zealand ranks 60th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is age dependency breakdown rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people aged 65 and over per 100 working-age people (aged 15 to 64).