Daily Data InsightsJapan has the highest ratio of elderly people relative to working-age people globally

April 08, 2024

Japan has the highest ratio of elderly people relative to working-age people globally

Demographers define the “old-age dependency ratio” as the number of people older than 64, relative to the number of working-age people.

It’s in Japan that this ratio is the highest in the world. As the chart shows, it surpassed 50% in 2021. This means there are only two working-age people for every elderly person in Japan.

Italy and Finland come next, with 37% — closer to three working-age people for every elderly person. The global figure is 15% — a ratio of 1 to 6.

The world is aging overall, and some countries are aging much more rapidly than others.

Explore this data →

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Scatterplot titled "Richer countries tend to have higher self-reported life satisfaction," showing life satisfaction (0-10 scale) against GDP per capita (log scale). Countries with higher GDP per capita, like Finland, Norway, and Qatar, report greater satisfaction (~7-8), while lower-GDP countries, such as Afghanistan and Burundi, report lower satisfaction (~2-4). Examples like Costa Rica and Honduras show moderate GDP and satisfaction. Data is from the World Happiness Report (2012-2024) and the World Bank (2025), with GDP adjusted for living cost differences.

Today

People in richer countries tend to say they are more satisfied with their lives

Putting a number on “happiness” is hard. But one way to better understand how satisfied people are with their lives is to ask them.

Self-reported life satisfaction is one key metric that researchers rely on. Respondents are asked to rate their lives on a 10-step ladder, where 0 represents the worst possible life, and 10 is the best.

The chart shows self-reported life satisfaction measured against gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. The two are positively correlated: people in richer countries tend to be more satisfied with their lives.

Of course, income is not the only thing that matters. You can also see the large spread of values for countries with similar levels of GDP per capita. For example, South American countries tend to have higher happiness levels than those in other regions.

Explore more data on life satisfaction across countries, within countries, and over people’s lifespan →

Bar chart titled "Countries that have emitted the most CO2 emissions to date," showing each country's share of cumulative global emissions since 1750. The USA leads with 24%, followed by China (15%), Russia (6.7%), Germany (5.2%), and the UK (4.4%). Other notable countries include Japan (3.8%), France (2.2%), Canada (1.9%), and Ukraine (1.7%). Data reflects fossil fuel and industry emissions, excluding land use, sourced from the Global Carbon Budget (2024).

Yesterday

Which countries have contributed the most to historical CO₂ emissions?

When we emit carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the atmosphere, most of it stays there for centuries or millennia. This means that CO₂emitted even a century ago has contributed to the rising temperatures we see today.

In other words, how much the climate warms depends on how much cumulative CO₂is emitted over time.

The chart shows the ten countries with the largest share of the world’s historical emissions, based on cumulative emissions from fossil fuels and industry since 1750.

The United States has contributed the most, accounting for almost one quarter. This is followed by China and Russia.

There are many other ways to understand contributions to climate change – explore data on annual, per capita, and trade-adjusted emissions →

Line chart showing cereal yields from 1961 to 2022, measured in tonnes per hectare. Maize, rice, wheat, and barley yields have significantly increased, with maize reaching about 6 t/ha and rice around 5 t/ha by 2022. In contrast, millet and sorghum yields have remained relatively stagnant at around 1 t/ha. Data source: Food and Agriculture Division of the United Nations, via Our World in Data.

March 14

Global cereal yields have increased a lot, but millet and sorghum lag behind

Global average yields of cereal crops have tripled over the past 60 years. This has been crucial to feeding a growing population while sparing natural habitat from expanding agricultural land.

However, some cereal crops have seen much larger gains in efficiency. Maize (corn) and rice achieve the highest yields and have seen huge gains in recent decades. Wheat and barley have also performed well.

As the chart shows, crops like sorghum and millet have lagged behind. A hectare of land could yield 5 to 6 tonnes of corn or rice but only 1 to 1.5 tonnes of millet and sorghum.

It’s not just that yields for these crops are much lower today; growth over the past 60 years has been much more modest, increasing by less than 50%.

This is a huge challenge since these are key staple crops across much of Sub-Saharan Africa, where hunger rates are the highest and farmer incomes are the lowest.

Read more in my article on increasing yields in Sub-Saharan Africa →

A set of four line graphs showing government health expenditure as a percentage of GDP from 1990 to 2021 for Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, and United States. Japan increased from 4.5% to 9.3%, Germany from 6.1% to 11%, the UK from 4.3% to 9.9%, and the US from 4.5% to 16%. Each country is represented by its national flag and name. All graphs show an upward trend, with the US showing the steepest increase, particularly in recent years. The source is cited as Our World In Data based on Lindert (1994), OECD (1993), with a note indicating the metric includes social as well as compulsory health insurance.

March 13

Health spending has been rising across rich countries with different systems

Government spending on health has grown substantially across rich nations since 1990, with particularly steep increases in the United States. The chart shows healthcare spending as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) in four countries.

Japan and the UK saw their share more than double, while it more than tripled in the United States, from 4.5% to 16% of GDP. The rising costs partly reflect demographic change, as older populations typically need more medical care, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Each country organizes healthcare differently. Germany requires everyone to buy insurance from regulated providers, while Japan gives everyone government insurance. The United Kingdom provides healthcare directly through its national health service, while the US combines private insurance with government coverage for the elderly and those on low incomes.

Explore government health spending for more countries →

Line chart showing maternal mortality rates in Sierra Leone from 2000 to 2020. The rate was 1,680 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000 and declined steadily to 440 per 100,000 by 2020, a 74% reduction. Data source: UN MMEIG (2023).

March 12

Sierra Leone has reduced maternal death rates by almost 75% since 2000

In 2000, Sierra Leone had the highest rate of maternal mortality in the world (alongside South Sudan). Around 1,800 pregnant women died for every 100,000 live births.

Since then, risks for mothers have plummeted. The country has focused on expanding healthcare, increasing the retention of skilled medical staff, and improving access to crucial medicines and treatments. In 2010, it rolled out free healthcare to pregnant women and children.

The results are shown in the chart. Maternal mortality rates have fallen by 74% in two decades.

While these rates are still extremely high — rates in the safest countries are around 100 times lower — Sierra Leone has made massive strides in saving both women and children.

Explore more global data on maternal deaths and declines over time →

A bar chart displays the percentage of national income that various developed countries allocated as Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the least developed nations in 2022, compared to a target of at least 0.15%. The bar for Luxembourg shows the highest percentage at 0.46%, followed by Sweden at 0.28% and Norway at 0.2%. Other countries listed include Iceland and Denmark at 0.14%, Belgium at 0.13%, Switzerland, Netherlands, and Japan all at 0.12%, each followed by Germany, France, and Ireland at 0.11%. Canada provides 0.1%, while the United States and the United Kingdom each contribute 0.08%. Austria gives 0.07%, Slovenia and South Korea both provide 0.06%, and Italy is at the lowest at 0.05%.

Data source: OECD (2024). The note indicates that it represents the 20 OECD nations providing the most aid, percentage-wise, to the poorest nations.

March 11

Most OECD countries fail to reach the UN’s target for aid to the poorest countries

In 1981, the major foreign aid donor countries, also known as the Development Assistance Committee, made a promise at the UN: to aim for at least 0.15% of their national income to assist the world's least developed countries — about 1 dollar out of 700.

Over the years, they repeated this pledge. But by 2022, most countries failed to honor this promise. The chart shows the 20 OECD countries giving the most aid, as a percentage of their national income, to the world’s poorest nations.

Only three countries met the target: Luxembourg, Sweden, and Norway.

Some countries are so wealthy that even a rounding error in their budgets could mean the difference between life and death for people in the poorest parts of the world.

Explore foreign aid given to least-developed countries for all donor countries →

A bar graph compares cancer survival rates after five years for patients diagnosed in 2014 in Australia and the U.K. The title states that cancer survival rates are higher in Australia.

For colorectal cancer, 71% of Australian patients are alive after five years compared to 60% in the U.K. In ovarian cancer, the survival rates are 44% in Australia and 37% in the U.K. Stomach cancer shows a survival rate of 33% in Australia versus 21% in the U.K.

Liver cancer survival is at 21% in Australia, while 13% are alive in the U.K. Lung cancer survival rates are 21% in Australia and 15% in the U.K. Finally, for pancreatic cancer, 14% of Australian patients survive five years post-diagnosis compared to 8% in the U.K.

Data source is listed as Global Cancer Observatory from 2019.

March 10

Patients in the United Kingdom are less likely to survive cancer five years after diagnosis than in Australia

Patients diagnosed with cancer in 2014 were more likely to survive in Australia than in the UK across multiple types of cancer. This is despite both countries having similar socio-economic conditions, allocating a comparable amount per person to healthcare, and having a similar share of their populations living with cancer.

For colorectal cancer, 71% of Australian patients survived five years after diagnosis, compared to 60% in the UK.

Lung, liver, and pancreatic cancers, which are among the most aggressive, also had lower survival rates in the UK.

The survival gap was most dramatic for pancreatic cancer patients, where Australia's 14% five-year survival rate was nearly double the UK's 8%.

These survival rates only account for diagnosed patients, meaning early detection and prompt treatment access significantly impact outcomes. Differences in healthcare systems, screening coverage, treatment approaches, and other health risk factors may contribute to the gap.

Explore how cancer survival rates compare across other countries →