 "Elderly, Old age")
United Nations Population Fund's (UNFPA) "India Ageing Report 2023" has said that India's elderly population is increasing fast and may surpass the number of children (aged 0-14 years) in the country by 2050.
The report said that globally, there are 1.1 billion people aged 60 years or above as per 2022 data, which amounts to 13.9 per cent of the global population, which is 7.9 billion.
The UNFPA report said that the number of older persons in the world is likely to double to 2.1 billion by 2050, taking the elderly population to 22 per cent of the total population. While the number of older persons will increase globally, the rise will be more significant in the developed world, where the share of older persons will rise from 26 per cent in 2022 to 34 per cent in 2050, the report said. Whereas for the less developed regions of the world, the elderly population will rise from 11.5 per cent to 20 per cent during the same period.
Population shift in Asia
Asia is home to about 58 per cent of the global population of older persons, with 649 million individuals aged above 60. In the next three decades, the share of older persons and their absolute numbers will double and reach 1.3 billion, which will be 25 per cent of the total population by 2050.
India's demographics in 2050
The UNFPA report said that India is not an exception to the phenomenon of the rising population of the elderly. As per 2022 data, India is home to 149 million individuals aged above 60, which is 10.5 per cent of the country's population. By 2050, the share of the elderly will likely double to reach 20.8 per cent of the total population at 347 million.
International Day of Older Persons
In order to educate people and mobilise political will and resources towards an ageing world, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has designated October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons.
Ageing trends in India and state differentials
While the total elderly population is projected to increase from 10.1 per cent in 2021 to 15 per cent in 2036, the interstate variation in absolute levels and growth of the older population is significant. The UNFPA report said that most of the southern states and select northern states, such as Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, reported a higher share of the elderly population than the national average in 2021. The gap will increase further by 2036, the report said.
On the other hand, while states such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, which have higher fertility rates, are expected to see an increase in the share of the elderly population, their level will remain lower than the Indian average.
