Labour dependency ratio in South America
South America: Labour dependency ratio was 1.1 in 2027. ▼ Falling
Labour dependency ratio in South America, 1991–2027
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2027, labour dependency ratio in South America stood at 1.1. That is the lowest value across all 37 years on record.
The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 11.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labour dependency ratio in South America peaked at 1.61 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 1.1, in 2027.
South America ranks 66th of 87 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 37 years of available data.
Labour dependency ratio in South America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 1.61 | — |
| 1992 | 1.58 | -1.8% |
| 1993 | 1.54 | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 1.53 | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 1.53 | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 1.57 | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 1.53 | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 1.52 | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 1.54 | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 1.53 | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 1.48 | -2.9% |
| 2002 | 1.47 | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 1.44 | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 1.38 | -4.1% |
| 2005 | 1.33 | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 1.29 | -3.0% |
| 2007 | 1.27 | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 1.25 | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 1.24 | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 1.23 | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 1.22 | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 1.21 | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 1.2 | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 1.2 | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 1.2 | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 1.23 | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 1.23 | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 1.22 | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 1.21 | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 1.43 | +18.4% |
| 2021 | 1.3 | -9.2% |
| 2022 | 1.19 | -8.8% |
| 2023 | 1.17 | -1.8% |
| 2024 | 1.14 | -2.4% |
| 2025 | 1.12 | -1.8% |
| 2026 | 1.1 | -1.3% |
| 2027 | 1.1 | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.55 | 1.52 | 1.61 | 9 |
| 2000s | 1.37 | 1.24 | 1.53 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.22 | 1.2 | 1.23 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.19 | 1.1 | 1.43 | 8 |
Countries ranked near South America
- 63 Haiti 1.63 compare
- 64 Cape Verde 1.59 compare
- 65 Mongolia 1.59 compare
- 66 South Sudan 1.58 compare
- 67 Cote d'Ivoire 1.53 compare
- 68 New Caledonia 1.53 compare
- 69 Guinea-Bissau 1.53 compare
More work & labour data for South America
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 188,449 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.3248 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.47 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.6536 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.6731 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.6333 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 379,097 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 190,649 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 49,401 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 450,619 1000 No (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labour dependency ratio in South America?
- Labour dependency ratio in South America was 1.1 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest labour dependency ratio recorded in South America?
- The highest recorded value was 1.61 in 1991.
- What is the lowest labour dependency ratio recorded in South America?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1 in 2027.
- How does South America rank for labour dependency ratio?
- South America ranks 66th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
- Is labour dependency ratio rising or falling in South America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South America data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Labour dependency ratio (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 37 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. This indicator provides the ratio of dependents (persons aged 0 to 14 + persons aged 15 and above that are either outside the labour force or unemployed) to total employment. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.