Age dependency ratio young of working age population in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Age dependency ratio young of working age population was 27.48 in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
27.48
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
149th
of 236 countries
All-time high
38.4
in 1971
All-time low
26.94
in 2009
Years of data
74
1950–2023

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

010203040195019862023

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

United Kingdom recorded 27.48 for age dependency ratio young of working age population in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.1% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, age dependency ratio young of working age population in United Kingdom peaked at 38.4 in 1971 and was at its lowest, 26.94, in 2009.

That places United Kingdom 149th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.

Age dependency ratio young of working age population in United Kingdom, year by year

Annual values for Age dependency ratio young of working age population in United Kingdom, 1950 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1950 33.66 —
1951 33.92 +0.8%
1952 34.21 +0.8%
1953 34.45 +0.7%
1954 34.69 +0.7%
1955 34.96 +0.8%
1956 35.31 +1.0%
1957 35.61 +0.8%
1958 35.76 +0.4%
1959 35.83 +0.2%
1960 35.95 +0.3%
1961 35.93 -0.0%
1962 35.75 -0.5%
1963 35.73 -0.1%
1964 35.95 +0.6%
1965 36.31 +1.0%
1966 36.72 +1.1%
1967 37.17 +1.2%
1968 37.63 +1.2%
1969 38.01 +1.0%
1970 38.27 +0.7%
1971 38.4 +0.3%
1972 38.4 -0.0%
1973 38.22 -0.5%
1974 37.82 -1.0%
1975 37.2 -1.6%
1976 36.39 -2.2%
1977 35.46 -2.6%
1978 34.51 -2.7%
1979 33.61 -2.6%
1980 32.76 -2.5%
1981 31.95 -2.5%
1982 31.14 -2.5%
1983 30.39 -2.4%
1984 29.77 -2.0%
1985 29.35 -1.4%
1986 29.05 -1.0%
1987 28.82 -0.8%
1988 28.95 +0.5%
1989 29.26 +1.1%
1990 29.46 +0.7%
1991 29.76 +1.0%
1992 30.07 +1.0%
1993 30.28 +0.7%
1994 30.33 +0.2%
1995 30.21 -0.4%
1996 30.06 -0.5%
1997 29.91 -0.5%
1998 29.74 -0.6%
1999 29.49 -0.8%
2000 29.05 -1.5%
2001 28.56 -1.7%
2002 28.2 -1.3%
2003 28.07 -0.5%
2004 27.92 -0.5%
2005 27.6 -1.2%
2006 27.28 -1.2%
2007 27.05 -0.9%
2008 26.95 -0.4%
2009 26.94 -0.0%
2010 26.95 +0.0%
2011 27.02 +0.3%
2012 27.22 +0.7%
2013 27.44 +0.8%
2014 27.62 +0.6%
2015 27.79 +0.6%
2016 27.99 +0.7%
2017 28.2 +0.7%
2018 28.34 +0.5%
2019 28.37 +0.1%
2020 28.33 -0.2%
2021 28.11 -0.8%
2022 27.79 -1.1%
2023 27.48 -1.1%

United Kingdom compared with similar countries

  • United Kingdom's 27.48 is above the median for high income countries, which is 24.92, 1.1× the median. (85 countries reporting)
  • United Kingdom's 27.48 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 24.95, 1.1× the median. (56 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 34.84 33.66 35.83 10
1960s 36.52 35.73 38.01 10
1970s 36.83 33.61 38.4 10
1980s 30.14 28.82 32.76 10
1990s 29.93 29.46 30.33 10
2000s 27.76 26.94 29.05 10
2010s 27.69 26.95 28.37 10
2020s 27.93 27.48 28.33 4

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 146 Sweden 27.73 compare
  2. 147 North Korea 27.51 compare
  3. 148 Gibraltar 27.49 compare
  4. 150 France 27.31 compare
  5. 151 Guadeloupe 27.24 compare
  6. 152 Iceland 27.11 compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is age dependency ratio young of working age population in United Kingdom?
Age dependency ratio young of working age population in United Kingdom was 27.48 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest age dependency ratio young of working age population recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 38.4 in 1971.
What is the lowest age dependency ratio young of working age population recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 26.94 in 2009.
How does United Kingdom rank for age dependency ratio young of working age population?
United Kingdom ranks 149th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is age dependency ratio young of working age population rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Age dependency ratio young of working age population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Age dependency ratio young of working age population in United Kingdom. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/age-dependency-ratio-young-of-working-age-population/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Age dependency ratio young 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