Age dependency ratio of working age population in New Zealand

New Zealand: Age dependency ratio of working age population was 54.23 in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
54.23
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
120th
of 229 countries
All-time high
71.12
in 1961
All-time low
50.36
in 2006
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Age dependency ratio of working age population in New Zealand, 1950–2023

020406080195019862023

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

New Zealand recorded 54.23 for age dependency ratio of working age population in 2023.

The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 2.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, age dependency ratio of working age population in New Zealand peaked at 71.12 in 1961 and was at its lowest, 50.36, in 2006.

New Zealand ranks 120th of 229 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 New Zealand, year by year

Annual values for Age dependency ratio of working age population in New Zealand, 1950 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1950 61.59
1951 63.14 +2.5%
1952 64.46 +2.1%
1953 65.62 +1.8%
1954 66.65 +1.6%
1955 67.48 +1.2%
1956 68.09 +0.9%
1957 68.67 +0.9%
1958 69.4 +1.1%
1959 70.22 +1.2%
1960 70.89 +1.0%
1961 71.12 +0.3%
1962 70.91 -0.3%
1963 70.52 -0.6%
1964 70.1 -0.6%
1965 69.69 -0.6%
1966 69.28 -0.6%
1967 68.97 -0.5%
1968 68.75 -0.3%
1969 68.39 -0.5%
1970 67.84 -0.8%
1971 67.25 -0.9%
1972 66.59 -1.0%
1973 65.67 -1.4%
1974 64.57 -1.7%
1975 63.53 -1.6%
1976 62.58 -1.5%
1977 61.53 -1.7%
1978 60.47 -1.7%
1979 59.5 -1.6%
1980 58.55 -1.6%
1981 57.66 -1.5%
1982 56.66 -1.7%
1983 55.5 -2.0%
1984 54.45 -1.9%
1985 53.66 -1.4%
1986 53.03 -1.2%
1987 52.45 -1.1%
1988 52.07 -0.7%
1989 52.01 -0.1%
1990 52.21 +0.4%
1991 52.3 +0.2%
1992 52.37 +0.1%
1993 52.6 +0.4%
1994 52.77 +0.3%
1995 52.82 +0.1%
1996 52.78 -0.1%
1997 52.74 -0.1%
1998 52.77 +0.1%
1999 52.77 +0.0%
2000 52.71 -0.1%
2001 52.47 -0.4%
2002 51.95 -1.0%
2003 51.34 -1.2%
2004 50.84 -1.0%
2005 50.49 -0.7%
2006 50.36 -0.3%
2007 50.43 +0.1%
2008 50.59 +0.3%
2009 50.82 +0.4%
2010 51.15 +0.7%
2011 51.62 +0.9%
2012 52.23 +1.2%
2013 52.69 +0.9%
2014 52.74 +0.1%
2015 52.5 -0.4%
2016 52.29 -0.4%
2017 52.24 -0.1%
2018 52.35 +0.2%
2019 52.58 +0.4%
2020 52.98 +0.8%
2021 53.6 +1.2%
2022 54.03 +0.8%
2023 54.23 +0.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 66.53 61.59 70.22 10
1960s 69.86 68.39 71.12 10
1970s 63.95 59.5 67.84 10
1980s 54.61 52.01 58.55 10
1990s 52.61 52.21 52.82 10
2000s 51.2 50.36 52.71 10
2010s 52.24 51.15 52.74 10
2020s 53.71 52.98 54.23 4

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 117 Hungary 54.55 compare
  2. 118 Honduras 54.53 compare
  3. 119 Gibraltar 54.45 compare
  4. 121 Paraguay 54.2 compare
  5. 122 Lao People's Democratic Republic 54.07 compare
  6. 123 Nepal 54.02 compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is age dependency ratio of working age population in New Zealand?
Age dependency ratio of working age population in New Zealand was 54.23 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest age dependency ratio of working age population recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 71.12 in 1961.
What is the lowest age dependency ratio of working age population recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 50.36 in 2006.
How does New Zealand rank for age dependency ratio of working age population?
New Zealand ranks 120th out of 229 countries with data for 2023.
Is age dependency ratio of working age population rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this New Zealand 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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Age dependency ratio of working age population in New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/age-dependency-ratio-of-working-age-population/new-zealand/

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About this data

Indicator
Age dependency ratio of working age population
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed