Why in news?

• The India Ageing Report 2023 was released recently by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS).
  • The report used 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.
  • The report projects that the number of people aged 60 and above in India will double from 149 million in 2022 to 347 million in 2050.

What’s in today’s article?

• United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
• International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
• News Summary

What is UN Population Fund (UNFPA)?

• It is trust fund under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
  • UNFPA was formerly (1969–87) known as United Nations Fund for Population Activities.
• Established in 1969, the UNFPA is the largest international source of assistance for population programs.
• It is the leading UN organization for the implementation of the 1994 Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development.
• In other words, UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency.
  • Its mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.

What are the functions of UNFPA?

• UNFPA funds assistance, research, and advocacy programs in three major areas:
  • reproductive health, including family planning, safe motherhood, and the prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases,
  • population problems of developed and developing countries and possible strategies for addressing them, and
  • issues related to the status of women, including the gender gap in education.
• UNFPA assistance programs are undertaken only in response to government requests.

International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

• IIPS is a research and training centre for population studies in Mumbai, India.
• It was established in 1956 by the Government of India, the United Nations, and Sir Dorabji Tata Trust.
• The institute is a regional centre for the Asia and Pacific region.
• IIPS is an autonomous organization of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.
• It conducts research using its own resources and external funding.

News Summary

• UNFPA India, in collaboration with the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), unveiled the India Ageing Report 2023.
• This report sheds light on the challenges, opportunities and institutional responses surrounding elderly care in India, as India navigates a demographic shift towards an ageing population.

Key highlights of the report

• Projection of elderly population in the country
  • The decadal growth rate of the elderly population of India currently estimated to be at 41%.
  • With this rate, the percentage of elderly population in the country projected to double to over 20% of total population by 2050.
  • By 2046, it is likely that elderly population will have surpassed the population of children (aged 0 to 15 years) in the country.
• Population of people aged 80+
  • The report projected that the population of people aged 80+ years will grow at a rate of around 279% between 2022 and 2050 with a predominance of widowed and highly dependent very old women.
• Vulnerabilities of elders
  • More than 40% of the elderly in India are in the poorest wealth quintile, with about 18.7% of them living without an income.
    • Such levels of poverty may affect their quality of life and healthcare utilisation.
• Higher life expectancy of women
• The data showed that women, on average, had higher life expectancy at the age of 60 and at the 80, when compared to men — with variations across States and Union Territories.
• The sex ratio (females per 1,000 males) among the elderly has been climbing steadily since 1991, with the ratio in the general population stagnating.
• Significant inter-State variation in absolute levels and growth of the elderly population
  • Most States in the southern region and some northern States such as Himachal Pradesh and Punjab reported a higher share of the elderly population than the national average in 2021.
    • This gap is expected to widen by 2036.
  • States reporting higher fertility rates and lagging in demographic transition, including Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, expect to see an increase in the share of the elderly population between 2021 and 2036.
  • Compared with southern and western India, central and northeastern regions have the younger group of States as indicated by the ageing index.
• Challenges: Poverty is inherently gendered in old age
  • The report suggested that poverty in old age is not a uniform or gender-neutral phenomenon.
    • Older women are more likely to be widowed, living alone, with no income and with fewer assets of their own, and fully dependent on family for support.
  • The report pointed out that the major challenges facing India’s ageing population are the feminisation and ruralisation of this older population.
  • The report also highlighted that there is a lack of credible data on various issues related to the elderly in India.
• Suggestions
  • Called for a special focus on older persons in disaster-preparedness plans
  • The government must:
    • work on increasing awareness about schemes for older persons,
    • bring all Old Age Homes under regulatory purview and focus on facilitating in-situ (at home) ageing to the extent possible.
      • This can be done by creating short-term care facilities like creches or day-care facilities.
    • The government should encourage the creation and running of elderly self-help groups,
    • Ensure that elderly people live in multigenerational households.