Kerala seems to be aging fast with people who have crossed 60 years forming 15 per cent of the total population.
Alappuzha district has the highest old age population in the state followed by Ernakulam, Kottayam, Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram. The lowest is in Kozhikode and Wayanad districts.
The state's elderly population has steadily increased from 5.9 per cent in 1961 on account of parameters like higher life expectancy and better healthcare facility, according to the State Economic Review.
Kerala's life expectancy of more than 70 years is 10 years higher than the all-India average. The state's life expectancy for men was 69.1 and 76.1 years for women in 1998. Also, contrary to the all-India pattern, women outnumbered men in Kerala with 1,058 females per 1000 males.
India has the second largest number of elderly persons after China. The Planning Commission has projected the number of elderly to be around nine per cent by 2016, the Review noted.
The growth in old age population has thrown up fresh challenges to the state as it has implications in health care, work participation rate, dependency rate, pension and social security requirements.
