DEPENDENCY RATIO

DEPENDENCY RATIO The dependency ratio is computed by dividing the number of children plus old people by the number of adults and m' ltiplying it by hundred. It is mainly governed by the age structure of the population. The Oxford Dictionary of Geography defines dependency ratio as the ratio between the number of people in a population between the ages of 15 and 64 and the dependent population: children (0-14) and elderly people (65 and over). Dependency ratio quantifies the ratio be­tween the economically active population and the depen­dent population. The age-limits for dependency ratio are arbitrary in different countries of the world. Generally developing countries are characterised by higher depen­dency ratios owing to higher population growth and;~ck of employment opportunities, mainly.

As per the 2001 census, the total number of persons' in age group 0-14 and 60+ were about 443 million. Such a huge population is dependent on 586 million people of
India. The national average of dependency ratio is 755 persons. Taking the overall scenario into consideration, the North Indian states reveal a very high dependency ratio compared to the states of South India. The lower Ganga plains of Uttar Pradesh and adjoining Bihar have extremely high dependency ratios. The lowest range of dependency ratio is found in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.