Total dependency ratio in Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: Total dependency ratio was 64.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
64.2%
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
63rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
116.2%
in 1987
All-time low
62.0%
in 2020
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Total dependency ratio in Marshall Islands, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for total dependency ratio in Marshall Islands is 64.2%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 1.5% on the previous year and down 8.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total dependency ratio in Marshall Islands peaked at 116.2% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 62.0%, in 2020.
Marshall Islands ranks 63rd 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.
Total dependency ratio in Marshall Islands, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 105.6% | — |
| 1951 | 105.1% | -0.5% |
| 1952 | 104.0% | -1.0% |
| 1953 | 102.8% | -1.1% |
| 1954 | 101.8% | -1.0% |
| 1955 | 101.1% | -0.7% |
| 1956 | 101.0% | -0.1% |
| 1957 | 101.7% | +0.7% |
| 1958 | 103.2% | +1.5% |
| 1959 | 105.6% | +2.3% |
| 1960 | 108.2% | +2.5% |
| 1961 | 110.2% | +1.8% |
| 1962 | 111.8% | +1.5% |
| 1963 | 113.0% | +1.0% |
| 1964 | 113.6% | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 113.5% | -0.1% |
| 1966 | 112.8% | -0.6% |
| 1967 | 109.6% | -2.8% |
| 1968 | 103.8% | -5.3% |
| 1969 | 97.4% | -6.1% |
| 1970 | 94.1% | -3.5% |
| 1971 | 96.3% | +2.3% |
| 1972 | 101.0% | +4.9% |
| 1973 | 104.9% | +3.9% |
| 1974 | 107.0% | +2.0% |
| 1975 | 107.9% | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 109.0% | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 110.3% | +1.2% |
| 1978 | 111.8% | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 113.2% | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 114.2% | +0.9% |
| 1981 | 114.7% | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 114.8% | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 115.0% | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 115.2% | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 115.5% | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 115.9% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 116.2% | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 115.9% | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 114.7% | -1.1% |
| 1990 | 112.6% | -1.8% |
| 1991 | 110.2% | -2.2% |
| 1992 | 107.3% | -2.6% |
| 1993 | 104.1% | -3.0% |
| 1994 | 100.4% | -3.5% |
| 1995 | 96.6% | -3.8% |
| 1996 | 92.8% | -4.0% |
| 1997 | 88.9% | -4.1% |
| 1998 | 85.2% | -4.2% |
| 1999 | 82.0% | -3.7% |
| 2000 | 79.5% | -3.1% |
| 2001 | 77.1% | -2.9% |
| 2002 | 74.9% | -2.9% |
| 2003 | 73.0% | -2.6% |
| 2004 | 71.3% | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 70.2% | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 69.7% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 69.8% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 70.3% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 70.9% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 71.6% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 71.8% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 71.2% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 70.1% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 68.8% | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 67.4% | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 66.2% | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 65.1% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 64.1% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 63.0% | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 62.0% | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 62.1% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 63.2% | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 64.2% | +1.5% |
Marshall Islands compared with similar countries
- Marshall Islands's 64.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 50.3%, 1.3× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Marshall Islands's 64.2% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 54.0%, 1.2× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 103.2% | 101.0% | 105.6% | 10 |
| 1960s | 109.4% | 97.4% | 113.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 105.5% | 94.1% | 113.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 115.2% | 114.2% | 116.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 98.0% | 82.0% | 112.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 72.7% | 69.7% | 79.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 67.9% | 63.0% | 71.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 62.9% | 62.0% | 64.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Marshall Islands
- 60 Guadeloupe 65.4% compare
- 61 Martinique 65.0% compare
- 62 Niue 65.0% compare
- 64 Kiribati 64.1% compare
- 65 Tuvalu 63.7% compare
- 66 United States Virgin Islands 63.3% compare
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 total dependency ratio in Marshall Islands?
- Total dependency ratio in Marshall Islands was 64.2% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total dependency ratio recorded in Marshall Islands?
- The highest recorded value was 116.2% in 1987.
- What is the lowest total dependency ratio recorded in Marshall Islands?
- The lowest recorded value was 62.0% in 2020.
- How does Marshall Islands rank for total dependency ratio?
- Marshall Islands ranks 63rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is total dependency ratio rising or falling in Marshall Islands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.4%. 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 Total dependency ratio. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of children (under 15) and people aged 65 and over per 100 working-age people (aged 15 to 64).