Old-age dependency ratio in Tonga
Tonga: Old-age dependency ratio was 11.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Old-age dependency ratio in Tonga, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Tonga recorded 11.4% for old-age dependency ratio in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and up 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, old-age dependency ratio in Tonga peaked at 11.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 6.0%, in 1962.
That places Tonga 131st 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 7.3% | 6.2% | 9.0% | 10 |
| 1960s | 6.1% | 6.0% | 6.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.4% | 6.3% | 6.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.3% | 6.6% | 8.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.9% | 8.1% | 9.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.0% | 9.6% | 10.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.5% | 10.2% | 10.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.2% | 11.0% | 11.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
- 128 Dominican Republic 11.6% compare
- 129 Azerbaijan 11.5% compare
- 130 Suriname 11.5% compare
- 132 Iran 11.4% compare
- 133 Cayman Islands 11.4% compare
- 134 French Guiana 11.0% compare
More reference data data for Tonga
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Consumer price index 174.32 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Democracy 7 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating 2 (2025)
- Free country 2 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is old-age dependency ratio in Tonga?
- Old-age dependency ratio in Tonga was 11.4% 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 Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 11.4% in 2023.
- What is the lowest old-age dependency ratio recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.0% in 1962.
- How does Tonga rank for old-age dependency ratio?
- Tonga ranks 131st out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is old-age dependency ratio rising or falling in Tonga?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Tonga 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).