Dependency Ratio Denominator Explained
The total dependency ratio is a demographic measure comparing the number of dependents (people too young or too old to work) to the working-age population.
Understanding the Components
- Dependents: Typically children (under 15 years) and the elderly (65 years and older).
- Working-Age Population: The segment of the population considered economically active or available for employment.
Calculating the Ratio
The standard formula calculates the ratio of dependents to the working-age population:
$ \text{Total Dependency Ratio} = \frac{\text{Population} (< 15 \text{ years}) + \text{Population} (> 64 \text{ years})}{\text{Population} (15 \text{ to } 64 \text{ years})} \times 100 $
Identifying the Denominator
Based on the formula and standard demographic definitions:
- The numerator represents the dependent population.
- The denominator represents the economically productive or working-age population.
- The commonly accepted age range for the working-age population used in this calculation is 15 to 64 years.
Therefore, the 'Population 15 to 64 years' is used in the denominator when calculating the total dependency ratio.
Important Questions from Population Studies
- Consider the following data for a country:
Population in 0-14 years of age – 391,558,367
Population between 15–64 years of age – 856,076,200
Population above 65 years of age – 71,943,390
What shall be the dependency ratio of this country? - The life expectancy at birth for a country A is 64 years. The minimum and maximum values of life expectancy are 20 years and 86 years respectively. As part of Human Development Index (HDI), what is the Life Expectancy Index for the country A ?
- Which one among the following was used for measuring economic status of households, in the National Family Health Survey-III (NFHS-III) ?
- Frontline health workers are employed to record the births and deaths in countries which have made slow progress in the development of a comprehensive vital registration system. This approach is known as
As per the United Nations definition of a vital events registration system, 'vital events' include which of the following?
1. Foetal deaths
2. School admissions
3. Legal separations
4. College graduations
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
