According to the study published in an indexed medical journal ‘Nature Aging’, India ranked at 123rd position among 143 countries (accounting 95.4% of the world’s population) worldwide in terms of its readiness to tackle the challenges posed by an aging population.
- Switzerland has secured 1st position with the highest score of 82.3, followed by Norway and Denmark ranked at 2nd and 3rd position, respectively.
- Currently, India is the youngest country in the world, with more than 50% of its population below the age of 25 and more than 65% below the age of 35. But, this scenario will change in the next few decades and Indians will have the largest population of senior citizens.
- In contrast to India’s rank its neighbouring countries ranked better like: Bangladesh (86th), Sri Lanka (94th), Nepal (102nd), and Pakistan (118th).
About Nature Aging:
i.The study was conducted by researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore and New York (the United States of America, USA)-based Columbia University, who developed a new measure “Global Aging Index”.
ii.The index measured as well as compared the preparedness of Low-and-Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) and Developed countries, to tackle the challenges of an aging population.
iii.The study assessed 5 key domains: well-being (25%), productivity and engagement (20%), equity (18%), cohesion (17%), and security (20%).
iv.As per the report, the number of people over 65 years across the world is expected to double from 703 million (in 2019) to 1.5 billion (in 2050).
Rank of Top 5 Countries:
| Rank | Name of the Country |
|---|---|
| 1 | Switzerland |
| 2 | Norway |
| 3 | Denmark |
| 4 | Sweden |
| 5 | Iceland |
| 123 | India |
Key Highlights:
i.The study noted that the likelihood of a newborn living to age 90 in high-income countries has increased from 4.8%(in 1950) to 26.7%(in 2024) and is projected to be 50% by 2060.
ii.As per the study, top rankings are mainly dominated by the high-income countries with an average score of 24.9 higher than LMICs.
iii.The study showed that only 5 countries, accounting 3.5% of 143 countries covered, had higher scores for women than men.
iv.Singapore ranked at 10th position in the index and has topped among Asian countries.
- While, ranks of other major countries: the United Kingdom (UK) (14th); followed by Japan (15th); the United States of America (USA) (24th) and China (46th)
iv.Rwanda (143rd) ranked lowest in the index with an overall score of 36.6, followed by Togo (142nd), Afghanistan (141st), Benin (140th) and Malawi (139th).
Domain Rankings:
i.Countries scored lowest in the ‘productivity and engagement’ domain with average score of 46.8, followed by ‘equity’ (average score of 57.5), ‘well-being’ (average score of 14.2), and ‘security’(average score of 59.3) domain.
- While, countries scored highest for ‘cohesion’ domain with average score of 60.6.
ii.Country with highest and lowest score across 5 main domains of index:
- Well-being: Singapore (88.8) and Afghanistan (14.9)
- Productivity and Engagement: Switzerland (81.7) and Jordan (18.8)
- Equity: Norway (87.8) and Eswatini (27.4)
- Cohesion: Bahrain (81.3) and Benin (26.0)
- Security: Norway (90.2) and Liberia (24)
iii. India’s Ranking on various parameters:
- On universal healthcare access: 106 ; Canada, Australia, and New Zealand were the best.
- On well-being: 141; Singapore, Iceland, and Switzerland were the top three in terms of well-being.
- On cohesion: 127; Bahrain emerged as the most cohesive nation.
- On life satisfaction: 137, while Bahrain (7th) was the best in Asia.
- On physical safety: 67; Singapore ranked 1st.
- On pension: 102; Argentina and Armenia were among the best,
- On mental health: 93; Kuwait was ranked the best
- On food security: 97; Denmark emerged as the best.
- On technology:132, while Iceland, Denmark, and Norway were the top three.
Recent Related News:
According to the 19th edition of 2024 Global Hunger Index (GHI): How Gender Justice Can Advance Climate Resilience and Zero Hunger, India has been ranked at 105th position among 127 countries with overall score of 27.3.
- As per the report, India is among 42 countries that have been placed under the “serious” category, alongside Pakistan (109th) and Afghanistan (116th).
- It was published by Irish humanitarian organisation Concern Worldwide and German aid agency Welthungerhlife, with aim to trigger action to reduce hunger around the world.
