Age dependency breakdown in South Africa
South Africa: Age dependency breakdown was 9.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Age dependency breakdown in South Africa, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 9.7% 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 20.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency breakdown in South Africa peaked at 9.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 6.2%, in 1962.
That places South Africa 148th 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
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.7% | 6.3% | 7.3% | 10 |
| 1960s | 6.3% | 6.2% | 6.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.8% | 6.6% | 6.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.9% | 6.9% | 7.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.2% | 6.7% | 7.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.0% | 7.9% | 8.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.3% | 8.0% | 8.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.4% | 9.1% | 9.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 145 Cape Verde 9.8% compare
- 146 Nepal 9.8% compare
- 147 Bangladesh 9.7% compare
- 149 Fiji 9.6% compare
- 150 Cambodia 9.3% compare
- 151 Micronesia (country) 9.2% compare
More reference data data for South Africa
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.191 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.36 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.6318 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.18 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.2153 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 209.92 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency breakdown in South Africa?
- Age dependency breakdown in South Africa was 9.7% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age dependency breakdown recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 9.7% in 2023.
- What is the lowest age dependency breakdown recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.2% in 1962.
- How does South Africa rank for age dependency breakdown?
- South Africa ranks 148th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is age dependency breakdown rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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
The number of people aged 65 and over per 100 working-age people (aged 15 to 64).