Age dependency breakdown in Singapore

Singapore: Age dependency breakdown was 17.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
17.4%
Change on year
up 3.4%
World rank
93rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
17.4%
in 2023
All-time low
3.7%
in 1954
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Age dependency breakdown in Singapore, 1950–2023

51015195019862023

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

Analysis

In 2023, age dependency breakdown in Singapore stood at 17.4%. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.

That represents a change of up 3.4% on the previous year and up 68.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, age dependency breakdown in Singapore peaked at 17.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3.7%, in 1954.

That places Singapore 93rd 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.

Age dependency breakdown in Singapore, year by year

Annual values for Age dependency breakdown in Singapore, 1950 to 2023.
Year % Change
1950 4.1%
1951 4.0% -3.9%
1952 3.8% -3.2%
1953 3.7% -2.4%
1954 3.7% -1.2%
1955 3.7% +0.5%
1956 3.8% +2.5%
1957 4.0% +3.8%
1958 4.1% +4.0%
1959 4.3% +3.9%
1960 4.4% +3.8%
1961 4.6% +3.4%
1962 4.7% +3.0%
1963 4.9% +2.8%
1964 5.0% +2.8%
1965 5.1% +2.7%
1966 5.3% +2.6%
1967 5.4% +2.5%
1968 5.5% +2.4%
1969 5.7% +2.3%
1970 5.8% +2.0%
1971 5.9% +1.7%
1972 6.0% +1.7%
1973 6.1% +1.8%
1974 6.2% +1.9%
1975 6.3% +2.1%
1976 6.5% +2.2%
1977 6.6% +2.2%
1978 6.7% +1.9%
1979 6.8% +1.4%
1980 6.9% +0.4%
1981 6.8% -0.9%
1982 6.8% -0.4%
1983 6.8% +1.1%
1984 7.0% +2.1%
1985 7.2% +2.9%
1986 7.4% +2.9%
1987 7.5% +2.1%
1988 7.6% +1.2%
1989 7.7% +0.5%
1990 7.7% -0.1%
1991 7.7% +0.0%
1992 7.7% +0.8%
1993 7.8% +1.2%
1994 7.9% +0.9%
1995 7.9% +0.2%
1996 7.9% -0.5%
1997 7.8% -0.4%
1998 7.9% +1.0%
1999 8.1% +2.7%
2000 8.3% +2.5%
2001 8.5% +1.5%
2002 8.6% +1.4%
2003 8.8% +2.1%
2004 9.0% +3.1%
2005 9.3% +2.9%
2006 9.4% +1.3%
2007 9.3% -1.0%
2008 9.2% -1.2%
2009 9.3% +0.5%
2010 9.3% +0.8%
2011 9.5% +1.7%
2012 9.9% +3.9%
2013 10.4% +5.1%
2014 10.9% +5.3%
2015 11.5% +5.2%
2016 12.1% +5.4%
2017 12.8% +6.0%
2018 13.6% +5.8%
2019 14.3% +5.2%
2020 15.2% +6.3%
2021 16.2% +6.7%
2022 16.8% +3.9%
2023 17.4% +3.4%

Singapore compared with similar countries

  • Singapore's 17.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 25.9%, 67% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
  • Singapore's 17.4% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 10.6%, 1.6× the median. (37 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 3.9% 3.7% 4.3% 10
1960s 5.1% 4.4% 5.7% 10
1970s 6.3% 5.8% 6.8% 10
1980s 7.2% 6.8% 7.7% 10
1990s 7.8% 7.7% 8.1% 10
2000s 9.0% 8.3% 9.4% 10
2010s 11.4% 9.3% 14.3% 10
2020s 16.4% 15.2% 17.4% 4

Countries ranked near Singapore

  1. 90 Mauritius 18.0% compare
  2. 91 Sri Lanka 17.8% compare
  3. 92 North Korea 17.4% compare
  4. 94 Grenada 17.4% compare
  5. 95 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 17.3% compare
  6. 96 Anguilla 17.3% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Singapore

All data for Singapore →

Frequently asked questions

What is age dependency breakdown in Singapore?
Age dependency breakdown in Singapore was 17.4% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest age dependency breakdown recorded in Singapore?
The highest recorded value was 17.4% in 2023.
What is the lowest age dependency breakdown recorded in Singapore?
The lowest recorded value was 3.7% in 1954.
How does Singapore rank for age dependency breakdown?
Singapore ranks 93rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is age dependency breakdown rising or falling in Singapore?
Over the last ten years it is up 68.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Singapore 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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Age dependency breakdown in Singapore. Statizoid, drawing on UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/age-dependency-breakdown/singapore/

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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

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