Elderly population up, Tamil Nadu has second highest

CHENNAI: Population of those above 60 years in India has been increasing steadily since 1961 and it touched 13.8 crore in 2021. It’s growing faster since 1981 due to decrease in death rate, said a study by the National Statistical Office (NSO).
Between 2011 and 2021, the general population went up by 12.4% while the elderly population has risen by 35.8%. As per NSO’s projection, when the general population goes up by 8.4% between 2021 and 2031, the elderly population will increase by 40.5%.
“Data on elderly population of 21 major states divulge that Kerala has the maximum proportion of elderly people in its population (16.5%) followed by Tamil Nadu (13.6%), Himachal Pradesh (13.1%), Punjab (12.6%) and Andhra Pradesh (12.4%) in 2021.
On the contrary, their proportion is the least in Bihar (7.7%) followed by UP (8.1%) and Assam (8.2%).” It also stated that for the year 2031, maximum proportion of elderly people in its population is projected in the state of Kerala (20.9%) followed by Tamil Nadu (18.2%), Himachal Pradesh (17.1%), AP (16.4%) and Punjab (16.2%).” The study said that elderly males have outnumbered females over the last two decades (till 2021). But elderly women would outnumber elderly men in 2031.