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Demographics of Ageing in India: Socio-Economic Inequalities and Challenges on the Health Front

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Ageing Issues in India

Part of the book series: International Perspectives on Aging ((Int. Perspect. Aging,volume 32))

Abstract

The paper investigates emerging ageing challenges consequent to demographic changes in India. Demographic transition brings changes in the age structure of the population. Ageing is an important consequent process of demographic change. Faster ageing in India at lower socio-economic development and poor social security policies are posing a huge challenge in terms of ensuring better living conditions. Using data from the Census of India (2011) and the 71st round of National Sample Survey Organisation, the paper brings out major challenges in terms of addressing disability-free life as well as the economic independence of the elderly in India. Findings suggest that the Indian older population suffers from multiple disabilities, and 70% of them are not working and financially and physically depend on others for caregiving support. However, there is a huge state-level and rural–urban variation. Such a burden is expected to rise with an increase in life expectancies. Although, current living arrangements indicate that most of the older population still depends on children, with urbanization, changing employment patterns and migration, left behind older population tend to go-up. In particular, elderly who are bedridden are going to increase and pose a huge challenge in the future. The country needs to strengthen its social security mechanism to ensure healthy and active ageing in the country. Also, convergence in state-level ageing policies is the need of the hour.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    “Second Demographic Transition: the new developments from the 1970s onward, to bring about sustained sub-replacement fertility, a multitude of living arrangements other than marriage, a disconnection between marriage and procreation, and no stationary population. Furthermore, populations will face declining sizes if not complemented by new migrants (i.e., “replacement migration”), and they will also be much older than envisaged by the First Demographic Transition as a result of lower fertility and considerable additional gains in longevity. Migration streams will not be capable of stemming ageing altogether, however, because migrants also age and lower their own fertility with time spent in receiving nations.“ (Lesthaeghe and van de Kaa, 1986; Lesthaegh, 2010).

  2. 2.

    Third Civilization Wave: the new developments from the 1950s onwards, termed as information revolution age, the process that affects the production but also many aspects of the life of the society—culture, family system, education, mass media, and others.

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  1. International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, India

    K. S. James

  2. Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

    Srinivas Goli

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  1. University of Delhi, Gurgaon, Haryana, India

    Mala Kapur Shankardass

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James, K.S., Goli, S. (2021). Demographics of Ageing in India: Socio-Economic Inequalities and Challenges on the Health Front. In: Shankardass, M.K. (eds) Ageing Issues in India. International Perspectives on Aging, vol 32. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5827-3_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5827-3_6

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