Cohort Profile: The Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI)

Abstract

Population ageing, which entails an increasing share of older persons in a population, represents an unprecedented global demographic transformation and is expected to intensify during the remainder of the 21st century. India, home to 1.38 billion people, 1 is undergoing population ageing at a much faster rate than expected. In 2011, the elderly population aged 60 and older accounted for 8.6% of the total population in India, numbering 103 million older people. 2 This share is projected to rise to 19.5% (319 million people) by 2050. 1 Including the pre-retirement phase, the share of the older adults (aged 45 and above) will be more than 40% (655 million people) of the total population of India by 2050. Furthermore, between 2011 and 2050, the number of the oldest-old people (aged 75 and older) is expected to increase by 340%. 1 These demographic changes present complex health, social and economic challenges to which this heterogeneous country must rapidly adapt, both in the present and continuing in the future. lthough ageing and its associated issues are increasingly investigated in India, currently no comprehensive and internationally comparable national survey data in the country collect the full range of topics necessary to understand the health, economic, social and psychological aspects of the ageing process. The Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI), a survey of 72 250 individuals aged 45 and older and their spouses less than 45 years, is designed to fill this gap.