Q.In a region, the population aged 0-14 years is 3,00,000, the population aged 65 years and above is 1,00,000, and the working-age population (15-64 years) is 8,00,000. Calculate the dependency ratio.

The dependency ratio compares the dependent population (young plus old) to the working-age population. …

Given: Population 0-14 years = 3,00,000; Population 65+ years = 1,00,000; Working-age population (15-64 years) = 8,00,000.

Formula:

Step 1 — Find total dependent population:

$3,00,000 + 1,00,000 = 4,00,000$

Step 2 — Apply the formula:

Independent verification (cross-check): $8,00,000 \times 0.50 = 4,00,000$, which exactly matches the total dependent population computed above, confirming the result. …

As a cross-check, the total population (0-14 + 15-64 + 65+) equals 3,00,000 + 8,00,000 + 1,00,000 = 12,00,000; the dependent share of the total population is 4,00,000 / 12,00,000 ≈ 33.3%, which is a different (but related) figure from the dependency ratio itself — students should be car …

A common mistake is dividing the dependent population by the TOTAL population instead of by the working-age population alone — the dependency ratio's denomi …