A demographer calculates a country's dependency ratio. According to standard convention in community medicine textbooks, this ratio is defined as:
- A Number of unemployed persons per 100 employed persons
- B Number of persons aged below 15 years and above 65 years per 100 persons aged 15 to 64 years ✓
- C Number of persons above 60 years per 100 children below 14 years
- D Number of economically inactive women per 100 men in the workforce
Correct answer: B. Number of persons aged below 15 years and above 65 years per 100 persons aged 15 to 64 years
Explanation
The dependency ratio compares the dependent population, conventionally those under 15 years and those 65 years and above, with the economically productive age group of 15 to 64 years, expressed per 100 productive persons. It measures the economic burden on the working-age population. Option C describes an ageing-type comparison rather than dependency, while options A and D relate to employment status, not age structure, and are therefore outside the accepted demographic definition.
Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.
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