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.

Age dependency breakdown in Sweden, year by year

Annual values for Age dependency breakdown in Sweden, 1950 to 2023.
Year % Change
1950 15.3%
1951 15.6% +1.7%
1952 15.9% +1.9%
1953 16.2% +2.0%
1954 16.5% +1.7%
1955 16.7% +1.5%
1956 17.0% +1.7%
1957 17.2% +1.3%
1958 17.4% +1.1%
1959 17.6% +1.3%
1960 17.8% +1.2%
1961 18.1% +1.2%
1962 18.3% +1.2%
1963 18.5% +1.3%
1964 18.8% +1.4%
1965 19.1% +1.5%
1966 19.4% +1.7%
1967 19.8% +2.1%
1968 20.2% +2.0%
1969 20.5% +1.6%
1970 20.9% +1.6%
1971 21.3% +2.1%
1972 21.9% +2.5%
1973 22.4% +2.6%
1974 23.0% +2.6%
1975 23.5% +2.3%
1976 24.0% +1.9%
1977 24.4% +1.8%
1978 24.8% +1.7%
1979 25.2% +1.4%
1980 25.4% +1.0%
1981 25.6% +0.8%
1982 25.8% +0.9%
1983 26.1% +0.9%
1984 26.3% +0.9%
1985 26.7% +1.5%
1986 27.1% +1.8%
1987 27.4% +1.1%
1988 27.6% +0.5%
1989 27.6% +0.2%
1990 27.6% +0.1%
1991 27.7% +0.0%
1992 27.6% -0.1%
1993 27.6% -0.2%
1994 27.5% -0.4%
1995 27.4% -0.3%
1996 27.4% -0.1%
1997 27.3% -0.2%
1998 27.2% -0.4%
1999 27.0% -0.6%
2000 26.8% -0.7%
2001 26.7% -0.6%
2002 26.5% -0.5%
2003 26.4% -0.4%
2004 26.4% -0.0%
2005 26.4% +0.0%
2006 26.4% -0.1%
2007 26.5% +0.4%
2008 26.9% +1.3%
2009 27.4% +2.0%
2010 28.0% +2.4%
2011 28.8% +2.6%
2012 29.5% +2.6%
2013 30.2% +2.3%
2014 30.8% +2.0%
2015 31.3% +1.5%
2016 31.5% +0.8%
2017 31.6% +0.4%
2018 31.8% +0.5%
2019 32.0% +0.6%
2020 32.2% +0.7%
2021 32.5% +0.8%
2022 32.7% +0.7%
2023 33.0% +0.9%

Sweden compared with similar countries

  • Sweden's 33.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 25.9%, 1.3× the median. (85 countries reporting)
  • Sweden's 33.0% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 30.1%, 1.1× the median. (56 countries reporting)

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.

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Age dependency breakdown in Sweden. 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/sweden/

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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).