Age dependency ratio old in Australia
Australia: Age dependency ratio old was 26.88 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
26.88
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
54th
of 236 countries
All-time high
26.88
in 2023
All-time low
12.51
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Age dependency ratio old in Australia, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Australia recorded 26.88 for age dependency ratio old in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 24.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency ratio old in Australia peaked at 26.88 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 12.51, in 1950.
That places Australia 54th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Age dependency ratio old in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 12.51 | — |
| 1951 | 12.6 | +0.7% |
| 1952 | 12.74 | +1.1% |
| 1953 | 12.96 | +1.7% |
| 1954 | 13.21 | +1.9% |
| 1955 | 13.41 | +1.5% |
| 1956 | 13.56 | +1.1% |
| 1957 | 13.71 | +1.1% |
| 1958 | 13.84 | +1.0% |
| 1959 | 13.9 | +0.4% |
| 1960 | 13.91 | +0.1% |
| 1961 | 13.92 | +0.1% |
| 1962 | 13.91 | -0.1% |
| 1963 | 13.89 | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 13.83 | -0.4% |
| 1965 | 13.77 | -0.5% |
| 1966 | 13.7 | -0.5% |
| 1967 | 13.6 | -0.7% |
| 1968 | 13.48 | -0.9% |
| 1969 | 13.36 | -0.9% |
| 1970 | 13.28 | -0.6% |
| 1971 | 13.24 | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 13.29 | +0.4% |
| 1973 | 13.39 | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 13.49 | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 13.64 | +1.1% |
| 1976 | 13.84 | +1.5% |
| 1977 | 14.04 | +1.4% |
| 1978 | 14.25 | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 14.49 | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 14.71 | +1.6% |
| 1981 | 14.89 | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 15.02 | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 15.13 | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 15.26 | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 15.44 | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 15.68 | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 15.92 | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 16.12 | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 16.31 | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 16.52 | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 16.81 | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 17.09 | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 17.36 | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 17.59 | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 17.77 | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 17.94 | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 18.09 | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 18.21 | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 18.32 | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 18.43 | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 18.57 | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 18.7 | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 18.83 | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 18.97 | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 19.12 | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 19.26 | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 19.38 | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 19.5 | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 19.71 | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 20.06 | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 20.51 | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 21.02 | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 21.52 | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 22 | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 22.49 | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 22.95 | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 23.37 | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 23.82 | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 24.36 | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 25.07 | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 25.81 | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 26.36 | +2.2% |
| 2023 | 26.88 | +2.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 26.88 is above the median for high income countries, which is 25.91, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Australia's 26.88 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 10.6, 2.5× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 13.24 | 12.51 | 13.9 | 10 |
| 1960s | 13.74 | 13.36 | 13.92 | 10 |
| 1970s | 13.7 | 13.24 | 14.49 | 10 |
| 1980s | 15.45 | 14.71 | 16.31 | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.57 | 16.52 | 18.32 | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.05 | 18.43 | 19.71 | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.21 | 20.06 | 24.36 | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.03 | 25.07 | 26.88 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 51 Slovakia 27.32 compare
- 52 Montenegro 27.19 compare
- 53 Gibraltar 26.96 compare
- 55 United States 26.8 compare
- 56 North Macedonia 26.74 compare
- 57 Niue 26.61 compare
More reference data data for Australia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 28.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 118.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 170.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 13.9 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency ratio old in Australia?
- Age dependency ratio old in Australia was 26.88 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age dependency ratio old recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 26.88 in 2023.
- What is the lowest age dependency ratio old recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.51 in 1950.
- How does Australia rank for age dependency ratio old?
- Australia ranks 54th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is age dependency ratio old rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Age dependency ratio old. 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).