HYDERABAD: India’s youngest State — Telangana — is growing old. Its population above 60 years is set to double in the next two decades, according to the latest economic survey. The middle-aged population will also increase, while the number of people below 19 will reduce considerably by 2041.
The overall increase in population, however, will be very low in the next two decades. “Population growth will be close to zero in Andhra Pradesh, and as low as 0.1-0.2 per cent in Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Punjab and Maharashtra,” as per the economic survey.
The proportion of Telangana’s population aged 0-19 will reduce from 37%in 2011 to 23% by 2041, the survey indicated. Overall, the State’s population is projected to grow by 0.8% annually between 2011 and 2021, 0.53% between 2021 and 2031, and 0.21% between 2031 and 2041.
Telangana’s population was 35.2 mn in 2011 and 36.7 mn in 2016 and will be 38.0 mn in 2021. It is expected to touch 40 mn by 2031, and 40.9 mn by 2041, according to the survey. The projected population growth between 2021 and 2041 is 7.4%.
The State will see a sharp drop in the number of 5-14-year-olds in next two decades. The population of this group was 6.64 mn in 2011 and fell to 6.01 mn in 2016. It is expected to decline to 5.64 mn in 2021, 5.17 mn in 2031, and 4.70 mn in 2041. The number of kids aged 5-14 is expected to drop by 16.57% between 2011 and 2041.