Demographics of Ageing in India

The continuing population growth in India during the past 50 years has been accompanied by a marked increase in the number of persons aged 60 and above. The simultaneous urbanisation and the spread of individualism have led to a widespread concern about the living conditions of the aged population. The possible role of state-sponsored or non-familial sources of support to enable them to live with self-respect and without undue hardship needs to be explored. The ministry of social welfare has set up an expert group for a review of the relevant facts and possible policies. This paper attempts to present a comprehensive review of the available data on the subject and highlights the difficulties in obtaining precise estimates of the number of the aged and of their actual needs. It also presents a summary of the key results of two large surveys conducted by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) during 1987-88 and 1995-96.