India will have an elderly population of over 319 million by 2050, which is a rise of 19.5 per cent from the previous 2011 census, according to the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI).
In 2011 census, the elderly population (60 years and above) accounted for 8.6 per cent of the total population, which came to 103 million people. The LASI study said that the 655 million people by 2050 will come under the older adult population (45 years and above). This constitutes 40 per cent of the entire Indian population. The LASI also said there will be an increase of 340 per cent in the population of people aged 75 and above between 2011 and 2050.
LASI launched in 2016 is a national survey of scientific investigation of the health, economic, and social determinants and consequences of population ageing in India.
In the study, the LASI indicated that the ageing challenges that the country will face are both inevitable and exist on an enormous scale. It said that the changes presented social, health, social and economic challenges and the country should adapt to it.
The LASI surveyed 72,250 individuals aged 45 and above and their spouses. These include 31,464 elderly persons aged 60 and above and 6,749 oldest old persons aged 75 and above from 35 states and union territories. The state of Sikkim was not included in the survey as data collection was still pending.
