| In Africa, where fertility remains high, the dependency ratio has not yet begun to decline. |
| Last year, Ireland's dependency ratio hit an all-time low: for every ten dependents, it had twenty-two peofle of working age. |
| That matters, because a higher dependency ratio means a lower growth potential. |
| The increasing population growth raises the dependency ratio and puts pressure on education, health system, and food supply. |
| All nine parties agreed that the dependency ratio of people currently in and those outside of the labour force is weakening, which means steep challenges for society at large. |
| But buyouts, which turn active workers into pensioners, only worsen the company's dependency ratio. |
