India To Be The Youngest Nation In The World By 2020

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NEW DELHI – Today every third person in Indian cities is a youth. By 2020, the median individual in the country will be 29 years, most probably a city-dweller, making India the youngest country in the world, reported Girija Shivakumar for The Hindu.

A report ‘State of the Urban Youth, India 2012: Employment, Livelihoods, Skills’ published by IRIS Knowledge Foundation in collaboration with UN-HABITAT outlined that the population in the age-group of 15-34 increased from 353 million in 2001 to 430 million in 2011. Existing predictions indicate a steady increase in the youth population to 464 million by 2021 and lastly a decline to 458 million by 2026.

It is noted that by 2020, India is set to become the world’s youngest country with 64 percent of its population in the working age group. This demographic potential gives India and its growing economy an edge over the aging West, as well as Japan and China. Economists think this could add a significant 2 percent to India’s GDP growth rate.

However, the report also suggested that urban spaces have not necessarily helped the quality of life enjoyed by Indian youth. The report said that while income levels in cities appear to be higher, the cost of living is also continually increasing, leading to shrinking savings, insufficient access to health care and lack of quality education.

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