Question

The following table provides population information for different age groups in 2010 and 2017. The percentage change in old-age dependency ratio from 2010 to 2017 is ____________ (round off to two decimal places).

Age group	Population in 2010	Population in 2017
0 to 14 years	201630	213609
15 to 64 years	899210	847552
65 years and above	232450	254474

Hint:

Old-age dependency ratio increases when the elderly population grows faster than the working-age population, reflecting demographic ageing.

Answer 1

Correct Answer: 15

Step 1: Formula for Old-Age Dependency Ratio (OADR).
\[ OADR = \frac{\text{Population aged 65+}}{\text{Population aged 15–64}} \times 100 \] Step 2: Calculate for 2010.
\[ OADR_{2010} = \frac{232450}{899210} \times 100 = 25.84 \] Step 3: Calculate for 2017.
\[ OADR_{2017} = \frac{254474}{847552} \times 100 = 30.01 \] Step 4: Percentage change.
\[ %\ Change = \frac{OADR_{2017} - OADR_{2010}}{OADR_{2010}} \times 100 \] \[ = \frac{30.01 - 25.84}{25.84} \times 100 \] \[ = \frac{4.17}{25.84} \times 100 \approx 16.14% \] Final Answer: The percentage change is between 15.00 and 17.00.