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Old-Age Dependency Ratio

People 65 and older for every 100 of working age.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio
28.5%
Percent of working-age population · latest, Jan 2025
vs prior month▲ 0.8 pp
vs year ago▲ 0.8 pp
1960-61 Recession · Apr 1960 – Feb 19611969-70 Recession · Dec 1969 – Nov 19701973-75 Recession · Nov 1973 – Mar 19751980 Recession · Jan 1980 – Jul 19801981-82 Recession · Jul 1981 – Nov 19821990-91 Recession · Jul 1990 – Mar 19912001 Recession · Mar 2001 – Nov 2001Global Financial Crisis · Dec 2007 – Jun 2009COVID-19 Recession · Feb 2020 – Apr 202016%18%20%22%24%26%28%196019701980199020002010202028.5%
Old-Age Dependency Ratio — one value per year; US recessions are shaded on the chart.
YearOld-Age Dependency Ratio
196014.7%
196115.0%
196215.1%
196315.2%
196415.3%
196515.4%
196615.6%
196715.6%
196815.6%
196915.7%
197015.7%
197115.8%
197215.8%
197315.8%
197415.8%
197515.9%
197616.0%
197716.1%
197816.3%
197916.5%
198016.6%
198116.8%
198217.0%
198317.2%
198417.4%
198517.6%
198617.7%
198718.0%
198818.2%
198918.4%
199018.6%
199118.7%
199218.8%
199318.9%
199418.9%
199518.9%
199618.8%
199718.7%
199818.6%
199918.4%
200018.3%
200118.2%
200218.1%
200318.0%
200418.0%
200518.0%
200618.0%
200718.2%
200818.5%
200918.8%
201019.0%
201119.4%
201219.9%
201320.5%
201421.0%
201521.5%
201622.0%
201722.6%
201823.2%
201923.8%
202024.5%
202125.2%
202226.0%
202326.8%
202427.7%
202528.5%

Hover the line to read any month. Drag across the chart to zoom; double-click to reset.

Source: FRED · SPPOPDPNDOLUSA · series · Jan 1960 to Jan 2025 · latest-revised

Refreshed Jul 31, 2026 from FRED.

People 65 and older for every 100 of working age.

Population aged 65 and older as a percentage of the working-age population (ages 15 to 64).

Source: FRED · Jan 2025 · Full lesson → Learn

About the bands. Shaded spans are NBER-dated US recessions, drawn as factual overlays. They mark when the economy contracted, not why. Lining an event up with a move is not evidence it caused the move.