India Elderly Population to Double by Mid-Century
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has predicted that by mid-century, the ratio of the elderly population in India aged over 60 years will double. Presently, a tenth of the Indian population is aged 60 plus, and by 2050, it will be a fifth of the total population.
The report says that there are 149 million persons aged 60 years and above now, comprising around 10.5 percent of the country’s population. By 2050, the share of older persons will double to 20.8 percent, with the absolute number at 347 million.
This has been facilitated by the progress in health and medical care of this South Asian nation; however, at the same time, it also poses certain challenges.
Indians have not been hit by the effects of the aging population as much as some other countries. The report also highlights that there would be a higher demand for government services, oversight, and care units.
In 2023, India stands on the brink of an aging process. As per the UN data, India’s aging population will accelerate during the latter decades of the century.
At a rate of 30 percent, a decade, the elderly population was growing in the 1980s. In the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s, this value increased by approximately 35 percent. By 2020, this increase was close to 40.6 percent.
Kerala and Tamil Nadu are the oldest regions of India south and west.
Adults aged 60 years and above live mostly independently in southern India, with the highest proportion of older people not residing with their grown-up children. Often, they resided with their spouses only, or solo if their life partner was dead.
Often this refers to elderly women who have longer life expectancy, and become poor due to being widows with little or no personal finances as against widowers.
In general, it is expected that the demand for care of elderly persons living independently will rise in India because people have fewer or zero children. Families are becoming more scattered and other informal support networks are shrinking. In India, older people are more likely to reside in rural areas causing a strain on accessing healthcare resulting in income uncertainty.
Besides the increase in the elderly population, there is also a rising trend of hate speech against minorities, especially Muslims.
In the first half of 2023, India witnessed a surge in anti-Muslim hate speech incidents, with 255 cases reported, concentrated in election-bound states. Hindutva Watch’s report used the UN’s definition of hate speech. About 70% of incidents occurred in states with upcoming elections, with conspiracy theories, violence, and socio-economic boycotts as common themes. Roughly 80% of incidents took place in areas under the control of the Hindu nationalist BJP party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who faces criticism for policies viewed as discriminatory towards Muslims, including the 2019 citizenship law and anti-conversion legislation.
