Total dependency ratio in Nigeria
Nigeria: Total dependency ratio was 80.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
80.2%
Change on year
down 1.8%
World rank
23rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
95.0%
in 1987
All-time low
80.0%
in 1961
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Total dependency ratio in Nigeria, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, total dependency ratio in Nigeria stood at 80.2%.
That represents a change of down 1.8% on the previous year and down 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total dependency ratio in Nigeria peaked at 95.0% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 80.0%, in 1961.
That places Nigeria 23rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Total dependency ratio in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 80.9% | — |
| 1951 | 80.6% | -0.3% |
| 1952 | 80.4% | -0.3% |
| 1953 | 80.2% | -0.2% |
| 1954 | 80.1% | -0.1% |
| 1955 | 80.1% | -0.1% |
| 1956 | 80.1% | -0.0% |
| 1957 | 80.1% | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 80.1% | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 80.1% | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 80.1% | -0.1% |
| 1961 | 80.0% | -0.0% |
| 1962 | 80.2% | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 80.5% | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 81.1% | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 81.5% | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 82.0% | +0.5% |
| 1967 | 82.4% | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 82.9% | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 83.4% | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 84.0% | +0.6% |
| 1971 | 84.5% | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 85.2% | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 85.9% | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 86.6% | +0.9% |
| 1975 | 87.4% | +0.9% |
| 1976 | 88.2% | +0.9% |
| 1977 | 89.0% | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 89.9% | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 90.7% | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 91.5% | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 92.2% | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 92.9% | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 93.7% | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 94.3% | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 94.7% | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 95.0% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 95.0% | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 94.9% | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 94.6% | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 94.1% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 93.5% | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 92.8% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 92.0% | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 91.2% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 90.5% | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 89.8% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 89.2% | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 88.6% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 88.1% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 87.9% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 87.9% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 88.0% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 88.2% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 88.4% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 88.7% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 89.0% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 89.4% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 89.7% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 90.0% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 90.2% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 90.3% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 90.4% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 90.3% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 90.1% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 89.7% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 89.1% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 88.1% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 87.1% | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 85.9% | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 84.5% | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 83.1% | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 81.7% | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 80.2% | -1.8% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 80.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 65.5%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 80.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 77.8%, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 80.3% | 80.1% | 80.9% | 10 |
| 1960s | 81.4% | 80.0% | 83.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 87.2% | 84.0% | 90.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 93.9% | 91.5% | 95.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 91.0% | 88.1% | 94.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 88.7% | 87.9% | 90.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 89.1% | 85.9% | 90.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 82.4% | 80.2% | 84.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More reference data data for Nigeria
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 19.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 5.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 81.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 121.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 14.27 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total dependency ratio in Nigeria?
- Total dependency ratio in Nigeria was 80.2% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total dependency ratio recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 95.0% in 1987.
- What is the lowest total dependency ratio recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 80.0% in 1961.
- How does Nigeria rank for total dependency ratio?
- Nigeria ranks 23rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is total dependency ratio rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria 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).