India’s ageing population and the missing formal care economy
Quick dive
- India’s 60-plus population is estimated at about 149 million in 2022 and projected to reach 347 million, around 20.8% of the population, by 2050.
- NITI Aayog’s August 2026 report frames caregiving as an economic activity and Budget 2026-27 announced training 1.5 lakh caregivers aligned with the National Skills Qualifications Framework.
- An NSO survey cited in the article puts unpaid domestic work and caregiving at 299 minutes a day for women and 97 minutes for men.
- Kerala’s Kudumbashree K4 Care programme had produced 838 certified geriatric, patient or disability-care executives, while ASHA and Ayushman Bharat networks could support training.
- exam_relevance: tests demographic transition, feminisation of unpaid care, human capital and social-sector policy; it echoes UPSC Mains GS-I/II questions on ageing and women’s work, with 149-to-347-million projections and 299/97-minute gender data as precise evidence.
Full explanation
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