Geriatric Population Dependency in India: An Analytical Review

The present study examines the dependency among the elderly population of India, the distribution of dependency in the elderly population across states in India and the causes that are responsible for the dependency among elderly population in India. The study analyses the various data points present on the elderly population enumerated in the Population Census 2011 and the report “Elderly in India” [1] published by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India [2]. The focus of the paper is on analyzing the status, distribution and the causes of old age dependency in India. A few government measures that have been taken in recent times to reduce the old age dependency in the country have also been included as a part of the research. In the end some suggestions how to improve the situation of the elderly population and therefore reduce dependency and promote a better quality of life to them have been provided.