Old-age dependency ratio in China
China: Old-age dependency ratio was 20.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
20.7%
Change on year
up 3.9%
World rank
78th
of 236 countries
All-time high
20.7%
in 2023
All-time low
6.6%
in 1967
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Old-age dependency ratio in China, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, old-age dependency ratio in China stood at 20.7%. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is up 3.9% on the previous year and up 60.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, old-age dependency ratio in China peaked at 20.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 6.6%, in 1967.
That places China 78th 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.
Old-age dependency ratio in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 8.4% | — |
| 1951 | 8.2% | -2.4% |
| 1952 | 8.0% | -1.9% |
| 1953 | 7.9% | -1.4% |
| 1954 | 7.8% | -1.2% |
| 1955 | 7.7% | -1.5% |
| 1956 | 7.6% | -1.8% |
| 1957 | 7.5% | -1.3% |
| 1958 | 7.4% | -0.6% |
| 1959 | 7.3% | -1.3% |
| 1960 | 7.1% | -2.7% |
| 1961 | 6.9% | -2.9% |
| 1962 | 6.8% | -1.6% |
| 1963 | 6.7% | -0.8% |
| 1964 | 6.7% | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 6.6% | -0.7% |
| 1966 | 6.6% | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 6.6% | -0.2% |
| 1968 | 6.6% | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 6.7% | +0.5% |
| 1970 | 6.7% | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 6.7% | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 6.8% | +0.5% |
| 1973 | 6.8% | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 6.9% | +1.8% |
| 1975 | 7.1% | +2.1% |
| 1976 | 7.2% | +1.8% |
| 1977 | 7.3% | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 7.3% | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 7.3% | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 7.4% | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 7.4% | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 7.5% | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 7.5% | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 7.5% | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 7.6% | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 7.6% | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 7.7% | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 7.8% | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 7.9% | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 8.1% | +2.1% |
| 1991 | 8.3% | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 8.4% | +2.1% |
| 1993 | 8.7% | +2.5% |
| 1994 | 8.9% | +2.5% |
| 1995 | 9.1% | +2.5% |
| 1996 | 9.3% | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 9.5% | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 9.8% | +2.5% |
| 1999 | 10.0% | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 10.3% | +2.3% |
| 2001 | 10.5% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 10.6% | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 10.8% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 10.9% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 11.0% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 11.1% | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 11.3% | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 11.5% | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 11.7% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 11.9% | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 12.2% | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 12.5% | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 12.9% | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 13.4% | +3.8% |
| 2015 | 14.0% | +4.6% |
| 2016 | 14.7% | +5.0% |
| 2017 | 15.5% | +5.5% |
| 2018 | 16.4% | +5.6% |
| 2019 | 17.3% | +5.4% |
| 2020 | 18.2% | +5.4% |
| 2021 | 19.1% | +4.7% |
| 2022 | 19.9% | +4.5% |
| 2023 | 20.7% | +3.9% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 20.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 11.7%, 1.8× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 20.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 10.6%, 2.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 7.8% | 7.3% | 8.4% | 10 |
| 1960s | 6.7% | 6.6% | 7.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.0% | 6.7% | 7.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.6% | 7.4% | 7.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.0% | 8.1% | 10.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.0% | 10.3% | 11.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.1% | 11.9% | 17.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.5% | 18.2% | 20.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
More reference data data for China
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 49.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 75.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 303.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 18.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 303.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 165.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 206.2 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 350.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1,480 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 102.37 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is old-age dependency ratio in China?
- Old-age dependency ratio in China was 20.7% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest old-age dependency ratio recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 20.7% in 2023.
- What is the lowest old-age dependency ratio recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.6% in 1967.
- How does China rank for old-age dependency ratio?
- China ranks 78th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is old-age dependency ratio rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 60.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Old-age dependency ratio. 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
Number of people aged 65 and over per 100 working-age people (aged 15 to 64).