Age Structure, Demographic Dividend | UGC NET Economics – Notes

Age Structure

The number of people in various age groups is represented by the age structure. The age structure of a country’s population indicates the extent to which that country’s population is economically productive. This is a key indicator of population composition.

• The proportion of people in different age groups in relation to the total population is referred to as the population’s age structure.
• The age structure of a country’s population indicates the extent to which that country’s population is economically productive.
• The working population refers to people between the ages of 15 and 60. Non-working/dependent population refers to people who are under the age of 14 and over the age of 60.
• A higher proportion of the population working is beneficial to the country’s economic development.
• In India, the proportion of the population aged 0-14 years is still high.
• The age structure shifts as levels of development and average life expectancy rise or fall.
• Poor medical facilities, disease prevalence, and other factors contribute to a relatively short life span at first.
• Furthermore, high rates of infant and maternal mortality have an effect on the age structure.
• Quality of life improves as a result of development, as does life expectancy.
• This alters the age structure of the population, with younger age groups accounting for a smaller proportion of the population and older age groups accounting for a larger proportion.
• This is also known as population aging.

Age Structure of India

• India has a very young population; that is the majority of Indians are under the age of 30, and the average age is lower than in most other countries.
• The proportion of people under the age of 15 in the total population has decreased from 42 percent in 1971 to 29 percent in 2011.
• The 15–59 age group’s share has increased slightly from 53 percent to 63 percent, while the 60+ age group’s share has begun to increase (from 5 percent to 7 percent) over the same time period.
• However, the Indian population’s age profile is expected to shift dramatically over the next two decades.
• The majority of this shift will occur at the extremes of the age spectrum: the 0-14 age group will lose about 11 percent of its share (from 34 percent in 2001 to 23 percent in 2026), while the 60+ age group will gain about 5 percent (from 7 percent in 2001 to about 12 percent in 2026).