Old-age dependency ratio in Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: Old-age dependency ratio was 7.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
7.2%
Change on year
up 7.3%
World rank
169th
of 236 countries
All-time high
12.4%
in 1966
All-time low
3.6%
in 2010
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Old-age dependency ratio in Marshall Islands, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Marshall Islands recorded 7.2% for old-age dependency ratio in 2023.
That represents a change of up 7.3% on the previous year and up 77.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, old-age dependency ratio in Marshall Islands peaked at 12.4% in 1966 and was at its lowest, 3.6%, in 2010.
Marshall Islands ranks 169th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Old-age dependency ratio in Marshall Islands, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 12.2% | — |
| 1951 | 12.0% | -1.8% |
| 1952 | 11.9% | -0.8% |
| 1953 | 11.9% | -0.4% |
| 1954 | 11.9% | +0.2% |
| 1955 | 12.0% | +0.7% |
| 1956 | 12.0% | +0.5% |
| 1957 | 12.2% | +1.7% |
| 1958 | 12.4% | +1.0% |
| 1959 | 12.3% | -0.2% |
| 1960 | 12.2% | -0.7% |
| 1961 | 12.1% | -1.1% |
| 1962 | 12.1% | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 12.1% | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 12.2% | +0.8% |
| 1965 | 12.3% | +0.5% |
| 1966 | 12.4% | +1.2% |
| 1967 | 11.8% | -5.1% |
| 1968 | 10.0% | -15.1% |
| 1969 | 8.0% | -19.7% |
| 1970 | 6.8% | -14.9% |
| 1971 | 6.8% | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 7.4% | +8.4% |
| 1973 | 8.0% | +7.8% |
| 1974 | 8.1% | +1.2% |
| 1975 | 7.8% | -3.7% |
| 1976 | 7.6% | -2.9% |
| 1977 | 7.4% | -2.7% |
| 1978 | 7.2% | -2.8% |
| 1979 | 7.0% | -2.0% |
| 1980 | 6.9% | -1.5% |
| 1981 | 6.9% | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 6.8% | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 6.8% | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 6.7% | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 6.6% | -1.4% |
| 1986 | 6.5% | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 6.4% | -1.6% |
| 1988 | 6.3% | -1.6% |
| 1989 | 6.2% | -1.9% |
| 1990 | 6.0% | -3.3% |
| 1991 | 5.8% | -3.1% |
| 1992 | 5.6% | -3.3% |
| 1993 | 5.4% | -3.4% |
| 1994 | 5.2% | -3.7% |
| 1995 | 5.0% | -3.7% |
| 1996 | 4.8% | -4.3% |
| 1997 | 4.6% | -5.3% |
| 1998 | 4.3% | -5.9% |
| 1999 | 4.1% | -3.9% |
| 2000 | 4.1% | -1.6% |
| 2001 | 4.0% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 4.0% | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 3.9% | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 3.8% | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 3.7% | -2.1% |
| 2006 | 3.7% | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 3.6% | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 3.6% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 3.6% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 3.6% | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 3.6% | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 3.8% | +5.4% |
| 2013 | 4.1% | +7.4% |
| 2014 | 4.4% | +7.9% |
| 2015 | 4.7% | +7.2% |
| 2016 | 5.0% | +6.5% |
| 2017 | 5.3% | +5.6% |
| 2018 | 5.6% | +5.7% |
| 2019 | 5.9% | +4.6% |
| 2020 | 6.0% | +2.8% |
| 2021 | 6.3% | +4.5% |
| 2022 | 6.7% | +6.9% |
| 2023 | 7.2% | +7.3% |
Marshall Islands compared with similar countries
- Marshall Islands's 7.2% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 11.7%, 62% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Marshall Islands's 7.2% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 10.6%, 68% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 12.1% | 11.9% | 12.4% | 10 |
| 1960s | 11.5% | 8.0% | 12.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.4% | 6.8% | 8.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.6% | 6.2% | 6.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.1% | 4.1% | 6.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.8% | 3.6% | 4.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.6% | 3.6% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.6% | 6.0% | 7.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Marshall Islands
More reference data data for Marshall Islands
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Global number of reported disasters by size, gaps filled 0 events (2024)
- Free country 2 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating 1 (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is old-age dependency ratio in Marshall Islands?
- Old-age dependency ratio in Marshall Islands was 7.2% 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 Marshall Islands?
- The highest recorded value was 12.4% in 1966.
- What is the lowest old-age dependency ratio recorded in Marshall Islands?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.6% in 2010.
- How does Marshall Islands rank for old-age dependency ratio?
- Marshall Islands ranks 169th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is old-age dependency ratio rising or falling in Marshall Islands?
- Over the last ten years it is up 77.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Marshall Islands 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).