About this data
- Dependency ratios compare the number of children (aged 0 to 15) and older people (aged 65 and over) with the number of people of working age (16 to 64). They are a rough measure: many people aged 16 to 64 aren't working, and many people over 65 are. ONS's own old-age dependency ratio uses the State Pension age rather than 65, so it is lower.
- Figures up to 2025 are ONS's mid-year estimates; after that, ONS's 2024-based principal projection, which assumes net migration of 230,000 a year from mid-2027, a fertility rate of around 1.4 children per woman and rising life expectancy. Projections are not forecasts.
This chart appears in Age structure.