Countries With the Fastest Decline in Age dependency ratio (young) (5-Year Change)

Name: Countries With the Fastest Decline in Age dependency ratio (young) (5-Year Change)
Creator: The World Bank
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Change in Age dependency ratio (young) over the five years to each country's latest year, in points (a share or rate is not shown as a % of itself). Only countries that fell are listed. Source: The World Bank (CC BY 4.0).

Summary

Syrian Arab Republic fell the most: by 14.2, from 56.8 children under 15 per 100 working-age people to 42.6 children under 15 per 100 working-age people in the five years to 2025. South Sudan is second (−12.9), followed by Burundi (−10.5). 197 countries fell over that period; the median change among them was −2.34.

#1: Syrian Arab Republic · −14.2
Median: −2.34
Coverage: 197 countries
Data year: 2025
Last updated: 2026-11-14

Top 10: 5-year change (children under 15 per 100 working-age people). Bar chart of the top 10: 1. Syrian Arab Republic -14.2; 2. South Sudan -12.9; 3. Burundi -10.5; 4. Malawi -9.54; 5. Burkina Faso -9.18; 6. Eritrea -8.15; 7. Kenya -8.1; 8. Timor-Leste -7.88; 9. Senegal -7.44; 10. Chad -7.43.

Full ranking

Countries With the Fastest Decline in Age dependency ratio (young) (5-Year Change), 2025
Rank	Country	From	To	5-year change (children under 15 per 100 working-age people)
1	Syrian Arab Republic	56.8	42.6	−14.2
2	South Sudan	77.3	64.5	−12.9
3	Burundi	92.8	82.3	−10.5
4	Malawi	79.6	70	−9.54
5	Burkina Faso	82.5	73.3	−9.18
6	Eritrea	72.8	64.6	−8.15
7	Kenya	67.8	59.7	−8.1
8	Timor-Leste	61.6	53.7	−7.88
9	Senegal	71.8	64.4	−7.44
10	Chad	96	88.5	−7.43
11	Nigeria	79	71.8	−7.2
12	Zambia	79	71.8	−7.15
13	São Tomé and Principe	71	63.9	−7.11
14	Philippines	47.5	40.4	−7.08
15	Cabo Verde	43.3	36.2	−7.04
16	Uganda	85.8	78.9	−6.92
17	Liberia	74.7	67.9	−6.82
18	Niger	97.1	90.4	−6.73
19	Iraq	66.2	59.5	−6.68
20	Gambia, The	76.2	69.6	−6.6
21	Guatemala	54.8	48.5	−6.36
22	Guinea-Bissau	71.8	65.6	−6.25
23	Zimbabwe	77.8	71.7	−6.04
24	Sierra Leone	69.8	63.7	−6.04
25	Mali	94.3	88.3	−5.95
26	American Samoa	46.4	40.5	−5.92
27	Jordan	51.9	46.4	−5.5
28	Rwanda	68.3	62.8	−5.46
29	Afghanistan	82.8	77.4	−5.44
30	Venezuela, RB	43.6	38.3	−5.26
31	Solomon Islands	66.4	61.2	−5.24
32	Bhutan	33.1	27.9	−5.22
33	Libya	44.7	39.5	−5.21
34	Congo, Rep.	75.3	70.1	−5.21
35	Côte d'Ivoire	76.2	71.1	−5.13
36	Argentina	36.7	31.7	−5.06
37	Belize	43.4	38.3	−5.02
38	Guinea	77.5	72.4	−5.02
39	Mauritania	82.8	78	−4.83
40	Ethiopia	71.6	66.9	−4.67
41	West Bank and Gaza	68.8	64.2	−4.62
42	Djibouti	48.1	43.5	−4.57
43	Ecuador	40	35.4	−4.56
44	Kuwait	27.4	22.8	−4.56
45	Ghana	62.8	58.3	−4.48
46	Cameroon	77.8	73.3	−4.47
47	Malaysia	34.6	30.2	−4.41
48	Lebanon	44.4	40	−4.41
49	Lesotho	59.4	55	−4.38
50	Nicaragua	47.2	42.9	−4.32
51	Benin	78.5	74.2	−4.32
52	Egypt, Arab Rep.	54.1	50	−4.18
53	British Virgin Islands	22.8	18.6	−4.18
54	Nepal	47.1	42.9	−4.17
55	Kosovo	32.9	28.8	−4.15
56	French Polynesia	30.7	26.5	−4.15
57	Pakistan	65.1	61	−4.12
58	Honduras	50.4	46.4	−4
59	Comoros	66.8	62.8	−3.99
60	Haiti	51.8	47.8	−3.99
61	Madagascar	71.5	67.6	−3.93
62	India	39.2	35.4	−3.82
63	Eswatini	56.5	52.7	−3.8
64	China	25.9	22.1	−3.76
65	Mozambique	86.9	83.2	−3.7
66	El Salvador	39.9	36.2	−3.7
67	Lao PDR	49.3	45.7	−3.61
68	Costa Rica	30.1	26.6	−3.59
69	Bolivia	49	45.4	−3.57
70	Peru	38.8	35.3	−3.48
71	Jamaica	28.4	25	−3.45
72	Papua New Guinea	55.8	52.4	−3.4
73	Tanzania	80.9	77.5	−3.39
74	Uruguay	30.5	27.2	−3.35
75	Sint Maarten (Dutch part)	24.3	20.9	−3.32
76	Maldives	28.4	25	−3.32
77	Mexico	39.1	35.8	−3.31
78	Sudan	74.6	71.3	−3.25
79	Ireland	30.8	27.5	−3.22
80	Saudi Arabia	35.4	32.2	−3.2
81	Puerto Rico (US)	20.8	17.7	−3.14
82	Panama	40.4	37.3	−3.14
83	Azerbaijan	33.5	30.4	−3.1
84	Bahamas, The	28	24.9	−3.08
85	Bangladesh	45.1	42.1	−2.99
86	Angola	86.2	83.2	−2.96
87	Cambodia	49	46	−2.95
88	Morocco	40.9	38	−2.91
89	Grenada	30.7	27.8	−2.88
90	Fiji	43.1	40.3	−2.76
91	Iran, Islamic Rep.	34.5	31.7	−2.72
92	Indonesia	38.2	35.5	−2.69
93	Chile	26.7	24	−2.67
94	Vanuatu	68.5	65.8	−2.67
95	Türkiye	33.4	30.7	−2.62
96	Suriname	40.5	38.1	−2.43
97	Sri Lanka	35.4	33	−2.42
98	Colombia	31	28.6	−2.37
99	Andorra	18.5	16.2	−2.34
100	Dominican Republic	42.3	39.9	−2.33

Showing the top 100 of 197. Premium downloads the full list as CSV or JSON.

About the top 10

#1 Syrian Arab Republic

Syrian Arab Republic ranks #1 on this list with −14.2.

Capital: Damascus
Continent: Asia
Income group: Low income
Population: 25.62 million people (2025)
GDP: US$23.74 billion (2022)
GDP per person: US$1,057 (2022)
Life expectancy: 72.6 years (2024)
Urban population: 72.1% of population (2025)

Largest cities: Damascus, Aleppo.

Also ranks #2 in refugee population by origin · #2 in agriculture value added share of gdp · #3 in net migration.

Full country profile

#2 South Sudan

South Sudan ranks #2 on this list with −12.9.

Capital: Juba
Continent: Africa
Income group: Low income
Population: 12.19 million people (2025)
Life expectancy: 57.7 years (2024)
Urban population: 21.7% of population (2025)
Currency: South Sudanese pound
Official languages: English

Also ranks #1 in infant mortality rate · #4 in inflation rate · #4 in maternal mortality ratio.

Full country profile

#3 Burundi

Burundi ranks #3 on this list with −10.5.

Capital: Gitega
Continent: Africa
Income group: Low income
Population: 14.39 million people (2025)
GDP: US$3.36 billion (2025)
GDP per person: US$233.8 (2025)
Life expectancy: 63.8 years (2024)
Urban population: 25.7% of population (2025)

Also ranks #1 in prevalence of stunting (under-5) · #3 in forest rents share of gdp · #3 in real effective exchange rate index.

Full country profile

#4 Malawi

Malawi ranks #4 on this list with −9.54.

Capital: Lilongwe
Continent: Africa
Income group: Low income
Population: 22.22 million people (2025)
GDP: US$14.92 billion (2025)
GDP per person: US$671.5 (2025)
Life expectancy: 67.6 years (2024)
Urban population: 17.6% of population (2025)

Also ranks #3 in school enrolment (primary) · #3 in pupil-teacher ratio (primary) · #3 in poverty headcount ratio.

Full country profile

#5 Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso ranks #5 on this list with −9.18.

Capital: Ouagadougou
Continent: Africa
Income group: Low income
Population: 24.08 million people (2025)
GDP: US$27.63 billion (2025)
GDP per person: US$1,148 (2025)
Life expectancy: 61.3 years (2024)
Urban population: 28.9% of population (2025)

Largest cities: Ouagadougou.

Also ranks #7 in mineral rents share of gdp · #9 in children out of school (primary) · #11 in under-5 mortality rate.

Full country profile

#6 Eritrea

Eritrea ranks #6 on this list with −8.15.

Capital: Asmara
Continent: Africa
Income group: Low income
Population: 3.61 million people (2025)
Life expectancy: 68.9 years (2024)
Urban population: 34.5% of population (2025)
International tourist arrivals: 142,000 arrivals (2016)
CO2 emissions per person: 0.22 t CO2e per person (2024)

Also ranks #5 in time to start a business (days) · #9 in refugee population by origin · #12 in female labour force participation.

Full country profile

#7 Kenya

Kenya ranks #7 on this list with −8.1.

Capital: Nairobi
Continent: Africa
Income group: Lower middle income
Population: 57.53 million people (2025)
GDP: US$135.94 billion (2025)
GDP per person: US$2,363 (2025)
Life expectancy: 63.8 years (2024)
Urban population: 32.2% of population (2025)

Largest cities: Nairobi, Mombasa.

Also ranks #8 in prevalence of undernourishment · #8 in deposit interest rate · #12 in poverty headcount ratio.

Full country profile

#8 Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste ranks #8 on this list with −7.88.

Capital: Dili
Continent: Asia
Income group: Lower middle income
Population: 1.42 million people (2025)
GDP: US$1.9 billion (2025)
GDP per person: US$1,341 (2025)
Life expectancy: 67.9 years (2024)
Urban population: 28.8% of population (2025)

Also ranks #1 in smoking prevalence · #3 in government revenue share of gdp · #4 in prevalence of stunting (under-5).

Full country profile

#9 Senegal

Senegal ranks #9 on this list with −7.44.

Capital: Dakar
Continent: Africa
Income group: Lower middle income
Population: 18.93 million people (2025)
GDP: US$37.01 billion (2025)
GDP per person: US$1,955 (2025)
Life expectancy: 68.9 years (2024)
Urban population: 55.8% of population (2025)

Largest cities: Dakar.

Also ranks #1 in gender parity index (school enrolment) · #3 in crop production index · #8 in debt service share of exports.

Full country profile

#10 Chad

Chad ranks #10 on this list with −7.43.

Capital: N'Djamena
Continent: Africa
Income group: Low income
Population: 21 million people (2025)
GDP: US$21.47 billion (2025)
GDP per person: US$1,022 (2025)
Life expectancy: 55.2 years (2024)
Urban population: 27.6% of population (2025)

Largest cities: N'Djamena.

Also ranks #1 in fertility rate · #2 in birth rate · #2 in maternal mortality ratio.

Full country profile

Profile facts: World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0); weather links go to Purr Weather, another ChowChow Labs site.

Source and method

Change in Age dependency ratio (young) over the five years to each country's latest year, in points (a share or rate is not shown as a % of itself). Only countries that fell are listed.

Source: The World Bank, indicator SP.POP.DPND.YG. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Retrieved: 2026-11-14.

The World Bank: Age dependency ratio, young (% of working-age population): World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division (via World Development Indicators)

Original data provider, as recorded by the World Bank: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division; Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).

Values are shown as published (changes are computed from the published values). Provider terms: The World Bank. All licences: Sources & licences.

Summary

Full ranking

About the top 10

#1 Syrian Arab Republic

#2 South Sudan

#3 Burundi

#4 Malawi

#5 Burkina Faso

#6 Eritrea

#7 Kenya

#8 Timor-Leste

#9 Senegal

#10 Chad

Related rankings

Source and method