Old-age dependency ratio in Greenland
Greenland: Old-age dependency ratio was 14.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
14.7%
Change on year
up 6.5%
World rank
109th
of 236 countries
All-time high
14.7%
in 2023
All-time low
3.3%
in 1955
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Old-age dependency ratio in Greenland, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for old-age dependency ratio in Greenland is 14.7%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of up 6.5% on the previous year and up 40.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, old-age dependency ratio in Greenland peaked at 14.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3.3%, in 1955.
That places Greenland 109th 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 Greenland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.5% | — |
| 1951 | 3.5% | +1.1% |
| 1952 | 3.5% | +0.2% |
| 1953 | 3.5% | -1.4% |
| 1954 | 3.4% | -2.0% |
| 1955 | 3.3% | -2.6% |
| 1956 | 3.3% | +1.5% |
| 1957 | 3.5% | +4.1% |
| 1958 | 3.6% | +2.1% |
| 1959 | 3.7% | +2.9% |
| 1960 | 3.8% | +2.9% |
| 1961 | 3.9% | +3.9% |
| 1962 | 4.1% | +3.8% |
| 1963 | 4.2% | +2.9% |
| 1964 | 4.3% | +2.0% |
| 1965 | 4.4% | +2.1% |
| 1966 | 4.5% | +2.4% |
| 1967 | 4.6% | +2.3% |
| 1968 | 4.7% | +2.2% |
| 1969 | 4.8% | +1.9% |
| 1970 | 4.8% | +1.4% |
| 1971 | 4.9% | +2.5% |
| 1972 | 5.1% | +2.3% |
| 1973 | 5.1% | +1.8% |
| 1974 | 5.2% | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 5.2% | +0.5% |
| 1976 | 5.2% | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 5.3% | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 5.3% | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 5.3% | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 5.3% | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 5.3% | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 5.2% | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 5.2% | -1.2% |
| 1984 | 5.1% | -1.6% |
| 1985 | 5.1% | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 5.1% | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 5.1% | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 5.2% | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 5.2% | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 5.4% | +3.2% |
| 1991 | 5.6% | +4.2% |
| 1992 | 5.9% | +4.4% |
| 1993 | 6.1% | +4.3% |
| 1994 | 6.4% | +3.7% |
| 1995 | 6.6% | +3.9% |
| 1996 | 6.8% | +3.3% |
| 1997 | 7.0% | +2.7% |
| 1998 | 7.2% | +2.5% |
| 1999 | 7.3% | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 7.4% | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 7.6% | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 7.7% | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 7.8% | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 7.9% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 8.1% | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 8.5% | +4.4% |
| 2007 | 8.8% | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 9.2% | +3.9% |
| 2009 | 9.5% | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 9.7% | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 10.0% | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 10.2% | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 10.4% | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 10.6% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 10.9% | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 11.2% | +3.1% |
| 2017 | 11.5% | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 11.8% | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 12.2% | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 12.6% | +3.5% |
| 2021 | 13.1% | +4.3% |
| 2022 | 13.8% | +4.8% |
| 2023 | 14.7% | +6.5% |
Greenland compared with similar countries
- Greenland's 14.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 25.9%, 57% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Greenland's 14.7% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 30.1%, 49% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.5% | 3.3% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 1960s | 4.3% | 3.8% | 4.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.1% | 4.8% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.2% | 5.1% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.4% | 5.4% | 7.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.2% | 7.4% | 9.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.9% | 9.7% | 12.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.5% | 12.6% | 14.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Greenland
More reference data data for Greenland
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 0.2128 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.0004 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 0.0986 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 0.1141 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - IPCC Agriculture 0.0041 (2019)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 6.82 (2017)
- Annual precipitation, annual growth rate 7.26 % change on previous year (2025)
- Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture, per unit of GDP 0 metric tons per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture, per capita 0.0005 metric tons per person (2024)
- Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture 30 metric tons (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is old-age dependency ratio in Greenland?
- Old-age dependency ratio in Greenland was 14.7% 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 Greenland?
- The highest recorded value was 14.7% in 2023.
- What is the lowest old-age dependency ratio recorded in Greenland?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.3% in 1955.
- How does Greenland rank for old-age dependency ratio?
- Greenland ranks 109th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is old-age dependency ratio rising or falling in Greenland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 40.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Greenland 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.
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About this data
Number of people aged 65 and over per 100 working-age people (aged 15 to 64).