Old-age dependency ratio in Sweden
Sweden: Old-age dependency ratio was 33.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Old-age dependency ratio in Sweden, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sweden recorded 33.0% for old-age dependency ratio in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 9.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, old-age dependency ratio in Sweden peaked at 33.0% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 15.3%, in 1950.
Sweden ranks 24th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More reference data data for Sweden
- Spring temperature anomalies 4.22 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.58 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -3.74 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 2.27 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 3.13 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 138.19 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is old-age dependency ratio in Sweden?
- Old-age dependency ratio in Sweden was 33.0% 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 33.0% in 2023.
- What is the lowest old-age dependency ratio recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.3% in 1950.
- How does Sweden rank for old-age dependency ratio?
- Sweden ranks 24th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is old-age dependency ratio 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 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
The number of people aged 65 and over per 100 working-age people (aged 15 to 64).