India Ageing Report 2023 unveils critical insights into elderly care in the country
New Delhi: More than half the 60+ years of women in India were widowed, with the proportion increasing significantly in higher age cohorts, the India Ageing Report 2023, revealed today.
“Physical and financial well-being of elderly widowed women is therefore a key policy concern,” noted the report, which was published by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), India, in collaboration with the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS). The publication was released today by Saurabh Garg, Secretary, Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, and Andrea M. Wojnar, UNFPA India Representative and Country Director Bhutan.
Around 2.5 per cent of elderly men and 8.6 per cent of elderly women were living alone in India according to a Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) survey, the report revealed.
The LASI survey also indicated that around 33 per cent of the older females had never worked and did not have any income. A larger percentage of the male elderly belonged to the category of having ever worked or currently working but earning no income (25.9 per cent) as compared to females (20.3 per cent).
A higher proportion of the male elderly was currently working and earning income (43.3 per cent) than their female counterparts (17.4 per cent). In terms of pension, nearly 11 per cent of elderly males received a pension from their previous work and 16.3 per cent were receiving social pension exclusively. In the case of females, 27.4 per cent were exclusively getting social pensions while only 1.7 per cent were getting pensions from their previous work.
Moreover, according to the report, in India, over 30 per cent of elderly women and 28 per cent of men suffered from one chronic morbid condition and nearly one-fourth (across both sexes) suffered from more than two morbid conditions. Besides, 27.1 per cent elderly were underweight, 16.8 per cent were overweight and 5.6 per cent were obese.
The LASI also surveyed impairments among older persons in India related to physical, mental, hearing, speech and visual capabilities. Women over 80 years reported a far higher incidence of impairments (179 per 1,000) than their male counterparts (119 per 1,000). Among the 60+ years, the incidence of any impairment was found to be 105 per 1,000 population.
In general, ageing is defined in terms of chronological age with a cut-off at 60 or 65 years (in part because it broadly coincides with the age at retirement). Amongst South Asian countries, the pace of ageing in India is moderate with the proportion of the aged increasing to 20 per cent in 2050 and 36.1 per cent in 2100.
By 2050, the share of older persons aged 60 years and above will double to 20.8 per cent, with the absolute number at 347 million, from 149 million persons as of July 1, 2022, comprising around 10.5 per cent of the country’s population.
Four years before 2050, the population size of the elderly in India will be higher than the population size of children aged 0–14 years. By that time, the population share of 15–59 years will also see a dip.
While states reporting higher fertility rates and lagging in demographic transition, such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, expect to see an increase in the share of the elderly population between 2021 and 2036, the level will remain lower than the Indian average.
“This unprecedented rise in the ageing population will have significant implications for health, economy and society in India,” the report said. It cited the Census of India 2011 figures which showed that on average, 71 per cent of older persons lived in rural areas, with significant interregional variation, ranging from 62–63 per cent in the west and south to 78–80 per cent in the east, north and north-east. A greater share of city dwellers in the total 60+ years’ population was seen only in the Union Territories (71.7 per cent).
“Large parts of rural India are still remote with poor road and transport access. Income insecurity, lack of access to adequate and quality healthcare and isolation are, therefore, more acute for the rural elderly than their urban counterparts,” it added.
The report, which sheds light on the challenges, opportunities and institutional responses surrounding elderly care in India, as the country navigates a demographic shift towards an ageing population, represents a “thorough review of the living conditions and welfare of older individuals in India”.
The publication leverages the latest data available from the Longitudinal Ageing Survey in India (LASI), 2017–18, Census of India, Population Projections by the Government of India (2011–2036) and World Population Prospects 2022 by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs to provide an up-to-date perspective.
“As India ages, it is imperative to ensure that our elderly population has access to the care and support they need to live healthy, dignified, and fulfilling lives,” said Garg, adding that the India Ageing Report 2023 “provides a valuable roadmap for achieving this goal and I urge all stakeholders to work together to implement its recommendations”.
Andrea commented, “This comprehensive report is a valuable resource for scholars, policymakers, programme managers, and all stakeholders involved in elder care. Older persons have contributed significantly to society, and they deserve nothing less than our best efforts to ensure their well-being.”
The report’s key findings encompass a range of analyses related to elderly well-being, including:
- The enhancement of geriatric care to cater to the unique healthcare needs of seniors;
- A multitude of government schemes and policies addressing the health, financial empowerment, and capacity-building needs of the elderly population;
- Community-based organizations actively engaged in digital empowerment through computer and internet usage sessions;
- Ministerial committees dedicated to shaping policies for elderly welfare;
- Corporate efforts for joyful ageing, social assistance, old age homes, and elder abuse awareness campaigns.
The report highlighted Government of India’s commitment to population ageing concerns is evident in some of its laws and policies.
(a) The National Social Assistance Programme for the Poor is an outcome of the Directive Principles of the Indian Constitution (Articles 41–42), recognizing the concurrent responsibility of the central and state governments in this regard.
(b) India is a signatory to all the global conferences, initiatives on ageing as well as the Regional Plans of Action.
(c) India formulated the National Policy on Older Persons (NPOP) in 1999, well ahead of the MIPAA (2002).
The report noted that the formulation of NPOP has, in some ways, influenced the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA), 2002, which committed governments to act to meet the challenge of population ageing and provided the world policymakers with a set of 117 concrete recommendations, covering three main priority directions:
(a) older persons and development;
(b) advancing health and well-being into old age; and
(c) ensuring enabling and supportive environments.
“India has significantly gained from the incremental global understanding of ageing issues, such as the 1982 Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing, the UN Principles for Older Persons in 1991, and the Second World Assembly on Ageing in Madrid in 2002,” the report stated.
– global bihari bureau
