Africa Western and Central | Age dependency ratio, old (% of working-age population)
Age dependency ratio, old, is the ratio of older dependents--people older than 64--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population. Development relevance: Patterns of development in a country are partly determined by the age composition of its population. Different age groups have different impacts on both the environment and on infrastructure needs. Therefore the age structure of a population is useful for analyzing resource use and formulating future policy and planning goals with regards infrastructure and development. Limitations and exceptions: Because the five-year age group is the cohort unit and five-year period data are used in the United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects, interpolations to obtain annual data or single age structure may not reflect actual events or age composition. For more information, see the original source. Statistical concept and methodology: Dependency ratios capture variations in the proportions of children, elderly people, and working-age people in the population that imply the dependency burden that the working-age population bears in relation to children and the elderly. But dependency ratios show only the age composition of a population, not economic dependency. Some children and elderly people are part of the labor force, and many working-age people are not. Age structure in the World Bank's population estimates is based on the age structure in United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects. For more information, see the original source.
Publisher
The World Bank
Origin
Africa Western and Central
Records
63
Source
Africa Western and Central | Age dependency ratio, old (% of working-age population)
1960 5.96230274
1961 5.98380882
1962 6.02209355
1963 6.06187082
1964 6.10279766
1965 6.13166269
1966 6.1448501
1967 6.14747917
1968 6.14645602
1969 6.1469148
1970 6.14210318
1971 6.13046514
1972 6.12043836
1973 6.11667025
1974 6.11836449
1975 6.12495803
1976 6.13937384
1977 6.15876348
1978 6.17866925
1979 6.19781329
1980 6.19931429
1981 6.18997049
1982 6.19220103
1983 6.20218864
1984 6.21920377
1985 6.23971348
1986 6.2533513
1987 6.26021298
1988 6.25946274
1989 6.25182922
1990 6.2412715
1991 6.22272996
1992 6.19283917
1993 6.15730372
1994 6.11640387
1995 6.07055835
1996 6.02564818
1997 5.98297302
1998 5.93819709
1999 5.89430534
2000 5.85597363
2001 5.82383504
2002 5.79644548
2003 5.77045637
2004 5.74306375
2005 5.71720147
2006 5.69631172
2007 5.67821761
2008 5.66275139
2009 5.65045141
2010 5.63915791
2011 5.62483111
2012 5.60632399
2013 5.57374387
2014 5.51992117
2015 5.47653436
2016 5.45287144
2017 5.43269882
2018 5.41843841
2019 5.41072398
2020 5.38630997
2021 5.33700291
2022 5.29982718
Africa Western and Central | Age dependency ratio, old (% of working-age population)
Age dependency ratio, old, is the ratio of older dependents--people older than 64--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population. Development relevance: Patterns of development in a country are partly determined by the age composition of its population. Different age groups have different impacts on both the environment and on infrastructure needs. Therefore the age structure of a population is useful for analyzing resource use and formulating future policy and planning goals with regards infrastructure and development. Limitations and exceptions: Because the five-year age group is the cohort unit and five-year period data are used in the United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects, interpolations to obtain annual data or single age structure may not reflect actual events or age composition. For more information, see the original source. Statistical concept and methodology: Dependency ratios capture variations in the proportions of children, elderly people, and working-age people in the population that imply the dependency burden that the working-age population bears in relation to children and the elderly. But dependency ratios show only the age composition of a population, not economic dependency. Some children and elderly people are part of the labor force, and many working-age people are not. Age structure in the World Bank's population estimates is based on the age structure in United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects. For more information, see the original source.
Publisher
The World Bank
Origin
Africa Western and Central
Records
63
Source