Population and inclusiveness

Globally, 65 per cent of people were of working age in 2023. Fifty years ago, this number was 57 per cent. Notably, the proportion of children has decreased from 37 per cent in 1973 to 25 per cent while the proportion of older persons has increased from 5 to 10 per cent. People above the age of 64 are projected to make up 16 per cent of the global population by 2050.

The age structure in developing economies is pyramid-shaped with older age classes successively smaller than younger classes. By contrast, in developed economies, the biggest age groups are 35 to 64 years old. A temporarily accelerated decrease in births worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic is reflected by less children under 5 than in the next higher age group for both developing and developed economies. Globally in 2023, 59 per cent of people over 75 years were women, while 49 per cent of children were girls. This imbalance can be seen in both developed and developing economies.

In most economies, the age structure has seen a trajectory over time where dependency ratios first decrease, due to shrinking proportions of children, and later increase, as more people reach an age over 64.

In most regions of the world, the bulk of the dependency ratio decrease has already taken place. Further decreases in the child dependency ratio are projected to be more than offset by increases in the old-age dependency ratio. In Africa, however, the decline of the dependency ratio is expected to continue beyond 2050, and by then, the indicator is projected to fall to 58 per cent from 75 per cent in 2023. In developed economies, dependency ratios are already increasing and are projected to reach 72 per cent by 2050.