Science, Tech, Math › Social Sciences Dependency Ratio Share Flipboard Email Print Sam Edwards/OJO Images/Getty Images Social Sciences Sociology Key Concepts Major Sociologists Deviance & Crime News & Issues Research, Samples, and Statistics Recommended Reading Psychology Archaeology Economics Ergonomics Maritime By Ashley Crossman Updated March 02, 2017 Definition: The dependency ratio is the number of young and elderly people in a population divided by the total adult population. The larger the dependency ratio is, the greater the burden on the average adult because the needs of the dependents must be met by the rest of the adult population. Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Crossman, Ashley. "Dependency Ratio." ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/dependency-ratio-definition-3026250. Crossman, Ashley. (2020, August 27). Dependency Ratio. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/dependency-ratio-definition-3026250 Crossman, Ashley. "Dependency Ratio." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/dependency-ratio-definition-3026250 (accessed January 23, 2021). copy citation