Age dependency ratio of working age population in United States

United States: Age dependency ratio of working age population was 53.88 in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
53.88
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
132nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
67.6
in 1961
All-time low
47.75
in 2007
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Age dependency ratio of working age population in United States, 1950–2023

0204060195019862023

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

United States recorded 53.88 for age dependency ratio of working age population in 2023.

That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 8.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, age dependency ratio of working age population in United States peaked at 67.6 in 1961 and was at its lowest, 47.75, in 2007.

United States ranks 132nd 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 United States, year by year

Annual values for Age dependency ratio of working age population in United States, 1950 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1950 54.48 —
1951 55.79 +2.4%
1952 57.09 +2.3%
1953 58.42 +2.3%
1954 59.82 +2.4%
1955 61.28 +2.4%
1956 62.65 +2.2%
1957 63.79 +1.8%
1958 64.76 +1.5%
1959 65.78 +1.6%
1960 66.93 +1.7%
1961 67.6 +1.0%
1962 67.5 -0.1%
1963 67.18 -0.5%
1964 66.87 -0.5%
1965 66.56 -0.5%
1966 65.99 -0.8%
1967 65.11 -1.3%
1968 64.07 -1.6%
1969 62.99 -1.7%
1970 61.99 -1.6%
1971 60.84 -1.8%
1972 59.4 -2.4%
1973 57.82 -2.7%
1974 56.29 -2.7%
1975 54.87 -2.5%
1976 53.53 -2.4%
1977 52.39 -2.1%
1978 51.49 -1.7%
1979 50.78 -1.4%
1980 50.31 -0.9%
1981 50.04 -0.5%
1982 49.93 -0.2%
1983 49.91 -0.0%
1984 49.87 -0.1%
1985 49.75 -0.2%
1986 49.69 -0.1%
1987 49.87 +0.4%
1988 50.26 +0.8%
1989 50.75 +1.0%
1990 51.22 +0.9%
1991 51.63 +0.8%
1992 51.97 +0.7%
1993 52.14 +0.3%
1994 52.12 -0.0%
1995 51.94 -0.3%
1996 51.65 -0.6%
1997 51.27 -0.7%
1998 50.84 -0.8%
1999 50.42 -0.8%
2000 50.01 -0.8%
2001 49.62 -0.8%
2002 49.23 -0.8%
2003 48.85 -0.8%
2004 48.47 -0.8%
2005 48.07 -0.8%
2006 47.78 -0.6%
2007 47.75 -0.1%
2008 47.89 +0.3%
2009 48.07 +0.4%
2010 48.22 +0.3%
2011 48.48 +0.5%
2012 48.97 +1.0%
2013 49.47 +1.0%
2014 49.93 +0.9%
2015 50.35 +0.8%
2016 50.76 +0.8%
2017 51.21 +0.9%
2018 51.67 +0.9%
2019 52.14 +0.9%
2020 52.56 +0.8%
2021 52.92 +0.7%
2022 53.35 +0.8%
2023 53.88 +1.0%

United States compared with similar countries

  • United States's 53.88 is above the median for high income countries, which is 52.7, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 60.39 54.48 65.78 10
1960s 66.08 62.99 67.6 10
1970s 55.94 50.78 61.99 10
1980s 50.04 49.69 50.75 10
1990s 51.52 50.42 52.14 10
2000s 48.57 47.75 50.01 10
2010s 50.12 48.22 52.14 10
2020s 53.18 52.56 53.88 4

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 129 American Samoa 54 compare
  2. 130 Norway 53.91 compare
  3. 131 Syria 53.9 compare
  4. 133 Bosnia and Herzegovina 53.48 compare
  5. 134 Bermuda 53.34 compare
  6. 135 Tokelau 53.22 compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is age dependency ratio of working age population in United States?
Age dependency ratio of working age population in United States was 53.88 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest age dependency ratio of working age population recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 67.6 in 1961.
What is the lowest age dependency ratio of working age population recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 47.75 in 2007.
How does United States rank for age dependency ratio of working age population?
United States ranks 132nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is age dependency ratio of working age population rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United States 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 United States. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/age-dependency-ratio-of-working-age-population/united-states/

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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