Spatial and Temporal Variation of Old Age Group Population in India

Abstract

old age group includes population above 60 years of age. This age group is an economic burden upon the adult age group as it is to be provided with food, clothing and sufficient health care. Social science research on old age group population has been gaining much momentum since 1970's. The rapid growth of elderly population raises two main areas of concern for government policy makers firstly how to ensure adequate health care and secondly how to build adequate economic and social support for elderly population. In this paper an attempt has been made to understand the trend of young age group population at state level from 1881-2001. It reveals that according to 1881 census the proportion of the old age population (60 years and above) was (7.43 per cent) as a country as a whole. However the trend show that the proportion of old age population has continuously increased from 5.27 per cent in 1881 to 7.43 per cent in 2001 to the total population, except during the census 1891, 1901, 1931 and 1951 when the country experienced a slight decline in the percentage of old age population.