Age dependency ratio of working age population in Australia
Australia: Age dependency ratio of working age population was 54.8 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
54.8
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
119th
of 236 countries
All-time high
63.24
in 1961
All-time low
48.11
in 2008
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Age dependency ratio of working age population in Australia, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, age dependency ratio of working age population in Australia stood at 54.8.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 9.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency ratio of working age population in Australia peaked at 63.24 in 1961 and was at its lowest, 48.11, in 2008.
Australia ranks 119th 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.
Age dependency ratio of working age population in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 53.29 | — |
| 1951 | 54.51 | +2.3% |
| 1952 | 55.76 | +2.3% |
| 1953 | 57.13 | +2.5% |
| 1954 | 58.53 | +2.4% |
| 1955 | 59.77 | +2.1% |
| 1956 | 60.77 | +1.7% |
| 1957 | 61.67 | +1.5% |
| 1958 | 62.47 | +1.3% |
| 1959 | 62.96 | +0.8% |
| 1960 | 63.22 | +0.4% |
| 1961 | 63.24 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 62.91 | -0.5% |
| 1963 | 62.52 | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 62.14 | -0.6% |
| 1965 | 61.69 | -0.7% |
| 1966 | 61.2 | -0.8% |
| 1967 | 60.62 | -1.0% |
| 1968 | 59.99 | -1.0% |
| 1969 | 59.51 | -0.8% |
| 1970 | 59.14 | -0.6% |
| 1971 | 58.79 | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 58.44 | -0.6% |
| 1973 | 57.98 | -0.8% |
| 1974 | 57.36 | -1.1% |
| 1975 | 56.69 | -1.2% |
| 1976 | 55.97 | -1.3% |
| 1977 | 55.22 | -1.3% |
| 1978 | 54.54 | -1.2% |
| 1979 | 53.97 | -1.1% |
| 1980 | 53.52 | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 53.12 | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 52.7 | -0.8% |
| 1983 | 52.2 | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 51.65 | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 51.07 | -1.1% |
| 1986 | 50.5 | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 50.01 | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 49.67 | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 49.48 | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 49.46 | -0.0% |
| 1991 | 49.61 | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 49.8 | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 49.98 | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 50.09 | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 50.1 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 50.04 | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 49.92 | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 49.79 | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 49.63 | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 49.45 | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 49.28 | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 49.06 | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 48.83 | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 48.64 | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 48.46 | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 48.32 | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 48.2 | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 48.11 | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 48.13 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 48.35 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 48.75 | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 49.31 | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 49.91 | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 50.47 | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 51.04 | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 51.58 | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 52.02 | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 52.42 | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 52.9 | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 53.58 | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 54.22 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 54.55 | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 54.8 | +0.5% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 54.8 is above the median for high income countries, which is 52.7, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Australia's 54.8 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 54, 1.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 58.68 | 53.29 | 62.96 | 10 |
| 1960s | 61.71 | 59.51 | 63.24 | 10 |
| 1970s | 56.81 | 53.97 | 59.14 | 10 |
| 1980s | 51.39 | 49.48 | 53.52 | 10 |
| 1990s | 49.84 | 49.46 | 50.1 | 10 |
| 2000s | 48.65 | 48.11 | 49.45 | 10 |
| 2010s | 50.67 | 48.35 | 52.9 | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.29 | 53.58 | 54.8 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More population data for Australia
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.5057 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.5755 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.5057 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.2553 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 32,193 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.8589 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.2773 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.503 (2100)
- Population density 5.61 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 2.09 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency ratio of working age population in Australia?
- Age dependency ratio of working age population in Australia was 54.8 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age dependency ratio of working age population recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 63.24 in 1961.
- What is the lowest age dependency ratio of working age population recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.11 in 2008.
- How does Australia rank for age dependency ratio of working age population?
- Australia ranks 119th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is age dependency ratio of working age population rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Age dependency ratio of working age population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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