Age dependency breakdown in Sweden

Sweden: Age dependency breakdown was 33.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
33.0%
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
24th
of 236 countries
All-time high
33.0%
in 2023
All-time low
15.3%
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Age dependency breakdown in Sweden, 1950–2023

0102030195019862023

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for age dependency breakdown in Sweden is 33.0%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and up 9.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, age dependency breakdown in Sweden peaked at 33.0% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 15.3%, in 1950.

That places Sweden 24th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 16.5% 15.3% 17.6% 10
1960s 19.1% 17.8% 20.5% 10
1970s 23.1% 20.9% 25.2% 10
1980s 26.6% 25.4% 27.6% 10
1990s 27.4% 27.0% 27.7% 10
2000s 26.7% 26.4% 27.4% 10
2010s 30.6% 28.0% 32.0% 10
2020s 32.6% 32.2% 33.0% 4

Countries ranked near Sweden

  1. 21 Bosnia and Herzegovina 33.2% compare
  2. 22 Estonia 33.1% compare
  3. 23 San Marino 33.1% compare
  4. 25 Guernsey 33.0% compare
  5. 26 Denmark 32.4% compare
  6. 27 Czechia 32.2% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Sweden

All data for Sweden →

Frequently asked questions

What is age dependency breakdown in Sweden?
Age dependency breakdown in Sweden was 33.0% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest age dependency breakdown recorded in Sweden?
The highest recorded value was 33.0% in 2023.
What is the lowest age dependency breakdown recorded in Sweden?
The lowest recorded value was 15.3% in 1950.
How does Sweden rank for age dependency breakdown?
Sweden ranks 24th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is age dependency breakdown rising or falling in Sweden?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sweden 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

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).