Dependency Ratio
The age dependency ratio is a simple summary measure of a population's age structure that expresses the number of people in 'dependent' age groups — children and the elderly — relative to those of working age, conventionally per 100 working-age persons. It is split into a youth dependency ratio and an old-age dependency ratio, and it is among the most widely used demographic indicators of the potential economic burden an age structure places on its productive population.
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Sources
- Preston, S. H., Heuveline, P., & Guillot, M. (2001). Demography: Measuring and Modeling Population Processes. Blackwell. ISBN: 9781557864512
How to cite this page
ScholarGate. (2026, June 22). Age Dependency Ratio. ScholarGate. https://scholargate.app/en/demography/dependency-ratio
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