Notes on Age Composition of India’s Population

Notes on Age Composition of India’s Population

i. Age composition of a population is the number of people in different age groups in a country.

ii. It is one of the most basic characteristics of a population.

a. A person’s age influence what he needs, buys, does, and thinks.

b. Numbers and percentage of a population within the children (young) adult (middle aged) and the aged (old) groups determine population’s social and economic structure.

iii. According to age composition population of a nation is grouped into three broad groups:

Children (0-14 years):

a. They are economically unproductive.

b. They need food, clothing, education and medical care.

Adults (15-59 years):

a. They are economically productive.

b. They are biologically reproductive.

c. They comprise the working population.

Aged (60 years and above):

a. They are mostly economically unproductive but some of them are still economically productive.

b. They need medical care.

Dependency Ratio:

High percentage of children affects the dependency ratio. Children are not producers; they depend upon working population for their sustenance.