Panama vs South Africa: Youth dependency ratio
Panama
38.5%
in 2023
South Africa
38.7%
in 2023
Panama rank
101st
South Africa rank
100th
Youth dependency ratio over time
- Panama
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 38.7% against 38.5% in Panama, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 74 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Panama ahead.
Panama ranks 101st and South Africa ranks 100th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Panama averaged higher in 5 and South Africa in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Panama | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 81.3% | 74.6% | 6.6% | Panama |
| 1960s | 85.6% | 77.4% | 8.2% | Panama |
| 1970s | 81.2% | 77.0% | 4.2% | Panama |
| 1980s | 67.3% | 69.6% | 2.3% | South Africa |
| 1990s | 56.4% | 63.5% | 7.0% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 48.5% | 50.3% | 1.9% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 43.2% | 43.1% | 0.1% | Panama |
| 2020s | 39.5% | 39.4% | 0.0% | Panama |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher youth dependency ratio, Panama or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 38.7% against 38.5% in Panama as of 2023.
- What is the difference in youth dependency ratio between Panama and South Africa?
- 0.2%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Panama and South Africa?
- 74 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2023.
- How do Panama and South Africa rank globally for youth dependency ratio?
- Panama ranks 101st 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.
Individual pages
About this data
Number of children under 15 per 100 working-age people (aged 15 to 64).