Demographics
Ranked: Old-Age Dependency of the Top 10 Economies
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Old-Age Dependency Ratios of the Top 10 Economies
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The old-age dependency ratio measures the number of people over the retirement age of 65 for every 100 working-age people. The lower the ratio, the more people there are supporting retirees, which translates to less fiscal strain on government systems.
In charts by creator Preyash Shad, we look at old-age dependency ratios of the top 10 economies based on data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Japan in Trouble
Japan has had a rapidly rising old-age dependency ratio for several decades and has the highest ratio currently at 54.5.
| Country | 2023 | 2050F |
|---|---|---|
| 🇯🇵 Japan | 54.5 | 80.7 |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | 40.9 | 74.4 |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 41.4 | 58.1 |
| 🇫🇷 France | 38.4 | 54.5 |
| 🇨🇳 China | 20.0 | 47.5 |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 34.2 | 47.1 |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | 33.4 | 44.9 |
| 🇺🇸 United States | 31.3 | 40.4 |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | 17.1 | 39.5 |
| 🇮🇳 India | 11.6 | 22.5 |
Source: OECD
Meanwhile, Germany is the runner-up in the top 10 economies with a distant second-place dependency ratio of 41.4.
At the same time, the United States maintains a relatively low old-age dependency, with a ratio of 31.3, which places it seventh among the top 10 economies.
India, now the world’s most populous country, has the lowest ratio of 11.6, in large part because it also has the youngest population.
Projections for 2050
By 2050, Japan will maintain the highest old-age dependency ratio of the group, moving from 54.5 to a staggering 80.7. In an effort to head-off such a high ratio, Japan is has put policies in pace to attract young immigrants and migrant workers and is making some progress.
Italy, which is facing similar demographic pressures, will move from distant third to a close second, moving from a ratio of 40.9 to 74.4.
China, because of the results of the one-child policy and low immigration, could surpass the U.S. by 2050 with a ratio of 47.5.
This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.
Demographics
Ranked: Countries With The Most Native German Speakers
Brazil has the sixth largest number of native German speakers in the world.
Ranked: Countries With The Most Native German Speakers
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
Roughly 110 million people in 42 countries speak German as their primary language.
This graphic ranks the top 10 countries by number of native German speakers. Figures were sourced from WorldData.info, which were last updated in July 2024.
German Brazilians
Germany, Austria, and Switzerland occupy the top positions in our ranking, concentrating 81% of German speakers. In these countries, German is also the official language. Russia ranks fourth with 2.1 million speakers, followed by the United States with 2 million.
Surprisingly, Brazil has the sixth largest number of native German speakers in the world. This is due to a wave of German immigration between 1824 and 1972, which saw roughly 260,000 Germans settle in the country. German Brazilians had the highest birth rate among immigrant groups and largely settled in Southern Brazil.
| Country | Region | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 🇩🇪 Germany | Western Europe | 76,119,000 |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | Western Europe | 8,091,000 |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | Western Europe | 5,531,000 |
| 🇷🇺 Russia | Eastern Europe | 2,157,000 |
| 🇺🇸 U.S. | North America | 2,009,000 |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | South America | 1,082,000 |
| 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | Central Asia | 617,000 |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | North America | 521,000 |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | Eastern Europe | 477,000 |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | Southern Europe | 294,000 |
Due to numerous German emigration movements since the Middle Ages, variants of the German language that are rare or no longer found in Germany are still preserved. For example, Pomeranian, a dialect of Low German, is now spoken almost exclusively in Brazil.
Additionally, German is the primary language for roughly 20,000 people in Namibia due to the country’s German colonial history. In Papua New Guinea, a variant known as “Unserdeutsch” evolved, consisting of German vocabulary and grammatical structures from other languages, such as Creole.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
To learn more about global languages, check out this graphic that shows the top countries by native Chinese speakers.
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