To understand the phenomenon of ageing in India, the UNFPA India, in collaboration IIPS recently released ‘India Ageing Report 2023.’ The report presents a review of the living conditions and welfare of elderly individuals in India. As per this report, the share of those aged 60 and older, the elderly population in India is estimated to rise from 10.5% in 2022 to 20.8% in 2050. In 2022, there were 1.1 billion people aged 60 or older worldwide, accounting for 13.9% of the total population of 7.9 billion. Over the next 30 years, this elderly population is expected to double to 2.1 billion by 2050, making up 22% of the global population. This trend is evident in all regions. The more developed regions will see the proportion of older individuals increase from 26% in 2022 to more than one-third of the population in 2050, while less developed regions will see an increase from 11.5% to 20%. Asia, with 649 million individuals aged 60 and older is home to the majority (58%) of the global elderly population. In the next three decades, the share of older individuals in the total population in Asia is expected to go up from 13.7% to 25%, reaching a total of 1.3 billion by 2050. India, just like the rest of the world, will also witness this demographic transition. India Ageing Report 2023 was released recently To understand the phenomenon of ageing in India, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) India, in collaboration with the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), recently released ‘India Ageing Report 2023.’ The report presents a review of the living conditions and welfare of elderly individuals in India and scrutinizes the obstacles, opportunities, and institutional responses associated with elderly care in the country. The increasing number of elderly people in India will have a significant impact on healthcare, the economy, and society. To deal with this, the government and other groups need to prepare by making plans and policies to ensure the well-being of the elderly now and in the future. The latest data available from the Longitudinal Ageing Survey in India (LASI), 2017–18, Census of India, 2011, Population Projections by the Government of India (2011–2036) and World Population Prospects 2022 by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs have been used in the report. One in five persons by 2050 & one in three persons by 2100 will be a senior citizen aged 60 years & over According to the report, the elderly population in India has been growing rapidly in the past few years, and this trend is expected to persist in the coming decades. The share of those aged 60 and older (hereafter referred to as the elderly population) is estimated to rise from 10.5% in 2022 to 20.8% in 2050. By the end of the century, the elderly will constitute over 36% of the total population of the country. However, the share is still much lower than that projected for 2050 in Japan (43.7%), South Korea (46.4%), and China (38.8%). The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries are projected to have only about 19.8% population above 60 years by 2050. Within SAARC, Bangladesh (21.3%), Bhutan (23.8%), Maldives (34.1%) and Sri Lanka (27%) are estimated to be above the SAARC average by 2050. India is expected to report around 20% elderly by 2050. Though the share seems small, the absolute numbers will be very large. The share of the elderly is low in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Huge variation across states persists in terms of share of elderly population Between 2021 and 2036, the estimated share of the population of elderly persons in India is expected to increase from 10.1% to 15%. The share of the elderly population varies significantly across different states. Several factors contribute to this variation, including differences in birth rates, healthcare access, economic opportunities, and lifestyle choices. In 2021, many states in the south and some in the north, like Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, had a greater share of elderly people in their population compared to the national average. This difference is likely to grow further by 2036. On the other hand, in states with higher fertility rates and slower demographic transition, like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, even though there will be an increase in the share of the elderly population by 2036, it will still be less than the national average. At the same time, in the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the share of the elderly population is estimated to cross 20% by 2036. A larger proportion of the elderly population is composed of women The recent report has highlighted the three aspects of ageing that create significant challenges.