Old-age dependency ratio in Ireland
In 2025, Ireland had 23.8 people aged 65 or over for every 100 people aged 15 to 64. The value for 2025 is the highest in the series, which starts in 1960.
Ireland, 2025
23.8
Change from 2024
+0.8%
European Union, 2025
34.5 per 100 working-age peopleep (Source flag ep)
Median of European Union (27 countries), 2025
32.7 per 100 working-age people
Position in 2025
37th of 40
Old-age dependency ratio in Ireland over time
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Ireland
European Union
×
The chart loads when you scroll to it. The table below shows the same data.
The chart shows a calculation from the published values. The table below keeps the published values.
People aged 65+ per 100 people aged 15 to 64. Source: Eurostat. Gaps mean no published value; points are not joined across missing years.
| Period | Ireland | European Union |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 23.8 per 100 working-age people | 34.5 per 100 working-age peopleep (estimated, provisional) |
| 2024 | 23.6 per 100 working-age people | 33.9 per 100 working-age peopleep (estimated, provisional) |
| 2023 | 23.2 per 100 working-age people | 33.4 per 100 working-age peoplebep (break in time series, estimated, provisional) |
| 2022 | 23.0 per 100 working-age people | 33.1 per 100 working-age peopleep (estimated, provisional) |
| 2021 | 22.5 per 100 working-age people | 32.6 per 100 working-age peoplebep (break in time series, estimated, provisional) |
| 2020 | 22.0 per 100 working-age people | 32.0 per 100 working-age peoplee (estimated) |
| 2019 | 21.5 per 100 working-age people | 31.4 per 100 working-age people |
| 2018 | 21.2 per 100 working-age people | 30.8 per 100 working-age peoplee (estimated) |
| 2017 | 20.6 per 100 working-age people | 30.2 per 100 working-age peoplebe (break in time series, estimated) |
| 2016 | 20.2 per 100 working-age people | 29.6 per 100 working-age peoplebe (break in time series, estimated) |
| 2015 | 19.7 per 100 working-age people | 29.0 per 100 working-age peoplebe (break in time series, estimated) |
| 2014 | 19.1 per 100 working-age people | 28.4 per 100 working-age peoplebe (break in time series, estimated) |
| 2013 | 18.6 per 100 working-age people | – |
| 2012 | 17.9 per 100 working-age people | 27.1 per 100 working-age peopleb (break in time series) |
| 2011 | 17.2 per 100 working-age people | 26.6 per 100 working-age peopleb (break in time series) |
| 2010 | 16.5 per 100 working-age people | 26.3 per 100 working-age peopleb (break in time series) |
| 2009 | 16.0 per 100 working-age people | 26.0 per 100 working-age people |
| 2008 | 15.6 per 100 working-age people | 25.7 per 100 working-age peopleb (break in time series) |
| 2007 | 15.7 per 100 working-age people | 25.4 per 100 working-age people |
| 2006 | 16.0 per 100 working-age people | 25.1 per 100 working-age people |
| 2005 | 16.3 per 100 working-age people | 24.7 per 100 working-age people |
| 2004 | 16.3 per 100 working-age people | 24.4 per 100 working-age people |
| 2003 | 16.4 per 100 working-age people | 24.1 per 100 working-age people |
| 2002 | 16.5 per 100 working-age people | 23.8 per 100 working-age people |
| 2001 | 16.6 per 100 working-age people | 23.4 per 100 working-age peopleb (break in time series) |
Flags: b break in time series; be break in time series, estimated; e estimated; bep break in time series, estimated, provisional; ep estimated, provisional . A dash means no value was published.
In short
- That is a change of +0.8% from 23.6 per 100 working-age people in 2024.
- Since 2015, when it was 19.7 per 100 working-age people, the figure has changed by +20.8%.
- Among the 40 countries with data for 2025, Ireland has the 37th highest value.
- The figure for the European Union in 2025 was 34.5 per 100 working-age people.
More for Ireland
All statistics for Ireland
Population aged 65 and over
15.7%
2025 · Eurostat
Median age of the population
39.6 years
2025 · Eurostat
Population on 1 January
5,440,278 people
2025 · Eurostat
Population by age and sex
5,440,278 people
2025 · Eurostat
Crude birth rate
9.9 per 1,000 people
2025 · Eurostat
Crude death rate
6.5 per 1,000 people
2025 · Eurostat