Countries by Age dependency ratio (% of working-age population)
Central African Republic ranks first in age dependency ratio at 104.7%, meaning dependents outnumber the working-age population. At the opposite end, Qatar records 20.1%, the lowest of 216 countries ranked. The 84-percentage-point gap between these two countries reflects the wide variation in demographic structures captured by this metric.
Ranking 2024
Values shown in %.
Analysis
Age dependency ratio measures the share of dependents relative to working-age people. As defined by the World Bank: age dependency ratio is the ratio of dependents — people younger than 15 or older than 64 — to the working-age population — those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population. A value above 100 means there are more dependents than workers. The metric covers 216 countries using World Bank World Development Indicators (indicator code SP.POP.DPND), with 100% of data points drawn from 2024 and classified as official quality. No extreme outliers were identified using a 3-standard-deviation threshold, and average year-over-year volatility is low at 1.2%.
The top of the ranking is dominated by sub-Saharan African countries with high youth populations. Central African Republic leads at 104.7% (rank 1), followed by Niger at 96.8% (rank 3), Congo, Dem. Rep. at 96.5% (rank 5), and Mali at 94.3% (rank 6). Chad (92.9%, rank 7), Mozambique (89.5%, rank 8), Angola (89.4%, rank 10), and Uganda (84.3%, rank 12) also rank in the top 15. High ratios in these countries are driven primarily by large populations under age 15. Afghanistan (82.8%, rank 14) and Yemen (77.5%, rank 23) appear further down but still in the upper tier.
The middle of the ranking, roughly ranks 95 to 165, includes a wide mix of European, Latin American, and Asian countries. Japan ranks 44th at 70.1%, notable for appearing alongside sub-Saharan African nations — a reflection of its large elderly population rather than high youth dependency. France ranks 62nd at 63.0% and Finland 64th at 62.7%. The United States ranks 112th at 54.4% and Brazil 182nd at 44.3%. At the lower end, Gulf states record the smallest ratios: Bahrain at 29.1% (rank 213), Kuwait at 27.1% (rank 214), United Arab Emirates at 21.8% (rank 215), and Qatar at 20.1% (rank 216). These low values are shaped by large working-age migrant populations counted within the 15-64 age bracket.
This metric does not distinguish between youth dependency and old-age dependency, which have different economic and social implications. A country with a high ratio driven by young people has a different demographic trajectory than one driven by elderly populations, yet both produce similar scores. The metric also does not account for actual labor force participation rates, informal employment, or the economically active share of the 15-64 population. Countries with large migrant worker populations, such as Gulf states, will mechanically show lower ratios without that reflecting the full dependency picture for resident citizens. Reporting is based on population estimates, which carry their own uncertainty particularly in countries with incomplete civil registration systems.
Methodology
Data are drawn from the World Bank World Development Indicators, indicator code SP.POP.DPND, for the reference year 2024. The source definition used verbatim: age dependency ratio is the ratio of dependents — people younger than 15 or older than 64 — to the working-age population — those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population. The ranking covers 216 countries, representing full coverage above the 80-country minimum threshold. All 216 countries (100%) have data from within the last 7 years, and 100% of data points are classified as official quality, exceeding the 70% threshold. No extreme outliers were detected under a 3-standard-deviation test. Year-over-year average change is 1.2%, indicating low volatility. Values range from 20.1% (Qatar) to 104.7% (Central African Republic), a spread of 420.6%. Higher values are treated as better for ranking purposes under this metric. No microstates under 1 million population are present in the dataset.