Episode Details

India’s life expectancy has soared since 1950—but with that success comes a looming crisis. In this episode, we explore how the country’s celebrated “demographic dividend” is already beginning to fade as India races toward a future where its elderly population will double by 2050. The danger? Growing old before growing rich. Many seniors—especially widows—face retirement with little savings, fragile health support, and shrinking family networks as multigenerational homes give way to nuclear ones. Government schemes exist, but they’re patchy, bureaucratic, and rarely enough. So where will care come from? We look at the quiet rise of community day-care centers offering companionship, meals, and dignity—and ask whether India can scale these lifelines fast enough to meet the needs of a rapidly aging nation.

https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/02/27/the-trouble-with-ancient-indians