El Salvador vs South Africa: Youth dependency ratio

El Salvador
37.7%
in 2023
South Africa
38.7%
in 2023
El Salvador rank
103rd
South Africa rank
100th

Youth dependency ratio over time

  • El Salvador
  • South Africa
020406080100195019862023

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 38.7% against 37.7% in El Salvador, a difference of 1.0%.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 74 shared years of data; in 1950 it was El Salvador ahead.

El Salvador ranks 103rd and South Africa ranks 100th of 236 countries.

Across the 8 decades both report, El Salvador averaged higher in 7 and South Africa in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade El Salvador South Africa Difference Ahead
1950s 84.8% 74.6% 10.2% El Salvador
1960s 91.3% 77.4% 13.9% El Salvador
1970s 89.7% 77.0% 12.7% El Salvador
1980s 78.9% 69.6% 9.4% El Salvador
1990s 70.6% 63.5% 7.2% El Salvador
2000s 59.4% 50.3% 9.1% El Salvador
2010s 45.7% 43.1% 2.5% El Salvador
2020s 38.9% 39.4% 0.6% South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher youth dependency ratio, El Salvador or South Africa?
South Africa, at 38.7% against 37.7% in El Salvador as of 2023.
What is the difference in youth dependency ratio between El Salvador and South Africa?
1.0%, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for El Salvador and South Africa?
74 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2023.
How do El Salvador and South Africa rank globally for youth dependency ratio?
El Salvador ranks 103rd and South Africa ranks 100th of 236 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Youth dependency ratio. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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El Salvador vs South Africa: Youth dependency ratio. Statizoid, drawing on UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/age-dependency-ratio-young-of-working-age-population/el-salvador/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Youth dependency ratio
Unit
%
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

Number of children under 15 per 100 working-age people (aged 15 to 64).