If child dependency falls from 50 to 30 while elderly dependency rises from 20 to 35, how does total dependency change?

Correct answer: From 70 to 65

Total dependency is obtained by adding child dependency and elderly dependency, because both groups depend mainly on the working-age population. Initially, child dependency is 50 and elderly dependency is 20, so the starting total is 70. Later, child dependency becomes 30 and elderly dependency becomes 35.

The new total is therefore \(30+35=65\). Comparing the two totals, dependency changes from 70 to 65, a fall of 5 percentage points. The decrease in child dependency is 20 points, while the increase in elderly dependency is only 15 points, so the overall result is a net decline of 5. Option A is correct.