India's older population is projected to quadruple by mid-century, while that of the world is expected to triple, the US Census Bureau has said.
In its latest report, the Census Bureau said the world's 65-and-older population is projected to increase from 516 million in 2009 to 1.53 billion in 2050. The older population of the US is projected to double by that time.
"Although China and India are the world's most populous countries, their older populations do not represent large percentages of their total populations today," the report said.
However, these countries do have the largest number of older people, 109 million and 62 million, respectively. Both countries are projected to undergo more rapid ageing, and by 2050, will have about 350 million and 240 million people 65 and older, respectively, the US census Bureau said.
From 2009 to 2050, the world's 85 and older population is projected to increase more than fivefold, from 40 million to 219 million. Because women generally live longer than men, they account for slightly more than half of the older population and represent nearly two-thirds of the 85 and older population.