Old-age dependency ratio in United States
United States: Old-age dependency ratio was 26.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Old-age dependency ratio in United States, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United States recorded 26.8% for old-age dependency ratio in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.4% on the previous year and up 31.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, old-age dependency ratio in United States peaked at 26.8% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 12.3%, in 1950.
United States ranks 55th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 13.4% | 12.3% | 14.4% | 10 |
| 1960s | 15.3% | 14.7% | 15.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 16.0% | 15.7% | 16.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 17.5% | 16.6% | 18.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 18.7% | 18.4% | 18.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.2% | 17.9% | 18.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.3% | 19.0% | 23.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.6% | 24.5% | 26.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
More reference data data for United States
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- Temperature anomalies by month 0.0594 °C (2026)
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Frequently asked questions
- What is old-age dependency ratio in United States?
- Old-age dependency ratio in United States was 26.8% 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 United States?
- The highest recorded value was 26.8% in 2023.
- What is the lowest old-age dependency ratio recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.3% in 1950.
- How does United States rank for old-age dependency ratio?
- United States ranks 55th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is old-age dependency ratio rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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).