Context: The report, titled Caring for our elders: Institutional response-India Ageing Report 2023, added that current projections show that India is likely to have more elderly people than children (aged 0 to 15 years) by 2046.

About the Report

• UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) India, in collaboration with the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), unveiled the “India Ageing Report 2023.”

• This report sheds light on the challenges, opportunities and institutional responses surrounding elderly care in India, as India navigates a demographic shift towards an ageing population.

• It represents a thorough review of the living conditions and welfare of older individuals in India. 

Data on Ageing Population

• Population ageing is associated with a rise in the proportion of population termed as ‘old’, usually at 60 or 65 years and above.

• Three key demographic changes—declining fertility, reduction in mortality and increasing survival at older ages—contribute to population ageing. 

• Global: There are 1.1 billion persons aged 60 years or above in 2022, comprising 13.9 percent of the total population.

• Asia is home to about 58 percent of the global population of older persons.  

• India: There are 149 million persons aged 60 years and above in 2022 comprising around 10.5 percent of the country’s population. 

Findings

• Share of Aged Population:  The share of population over the age of 60 years is projected to increase from 10.5 percent in 2022 to 20.8 percent in 2050.

• By the end of the century, the elderly will constitute over 36 percent of the total population of the country.

• 80+Years Population: The population of people aged 80+ years will grow at a rate of around 279% between 2022 and 2050, with a predominance of widowed and highly dependent very old women.

• Inherently gendered: Poverty is inherently gendered in old age when older women are more likely to be widowed, living alone, with no income and with fewer assets of their own, and fully dependent on family for support.

• Poor and No income: More than 40% of the elderly in India are in the poorest wealth quintile, with about 18.7% of them living without an income.

• Life expectancy: Women, on average, had higher life expectancy at the age of 60 and at the 80, when compared to men — with variations across States and Union Territories.

• Gap in States: Most States in the southern region and select northern States such as Himachal Pradesh and Punjab reported a higher share of the elderly population than the national average in 2021, a gap that is expected to widen by 2036.

• Compared with southern and western India, central and northeastern regions have the younger group of States. 

Challenges of an Ageing Population

Three aspects of ageing that create significant challenges are:

• Women living longer than men (feminization) resulting in higher levels of widowhood and associated socio-cultural and economic deprivations and dependencies; 

• High proportion of rural population among the elderly (ruralization); and 

• Ageing of the aged persons.

Suggestions/Recommendations

• The enhancement of geriatric care to cater to the unique healthcare needs of seniors.

• The government must work on increasing awareness about schemes for older persons, bring all Old Age Homes under regulatory purview and focus on facilitating in-situ ageing to the extent possible.

• A multitude of government schemes and policies addressing the health, financial empowerment, and capacity building needs of the elderly population.

• Community-based organizations actively engaged in digital empowerment through computer and internet usage sessions.

• Ministerial committees dedicated to shaping policies for elderly welfare.

• Corporate efforts for joyful aging, social assistance, old age homes, and elder abuse awareness campaigns.