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Metadata Glossary

CodeSP.POP.DPND
Indicator NameAge dependency ratio (% of working-age population)
Long definitionAge dependency ratio is the ratio of dependents--people younger than 15 or 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.
SourceWorld Bank staff estimates based on age distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.
TopicHealth: Population: Dynamics
PeriodicityAnnual
Aggregation methodWeighted average
Limitations and exceptionsBecause 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.
General commentsRelevance to gender indicator: this indicator implies the dependency burden that the working-age population bears in relation to children and the elderly. Many times single or widowed women who are the sole caregiver of a household have a high dependency ratio.
License TypeCC BY-4.0
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