MAM
India braces for a grey wave as elderly numbers set to hit 230m by 2036
MUMBAI India’s population is ageing fast. By 2036, roughly 230 million Indians—one in seven—will be 60 or older, more than double the 100 million recorded in 2011. It’s a demographic earthquake that will reshape everything from healthcare to housing, pensions to public transport.
The south is greying fastest. Kerala, already home to 13 per cent elderly in 2011, will see that figure leap to 23 per cent by 2036, matching developed nations. Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh aren’t far behind.
Meanwhile, northern states like Uttar Pradesh, though younger now, are catching up quickly—elderly numbers there will nearly double from 7 per cent to 12 per cent.
Women dominate the demographic. They make up 58 per cent of India’s elderly, with a sex ratio of 1,065 females per 1,000 males. More than half are widows. The overall dependency ratio—62 dependents per 100 working-age people—signals mounting pressure on families and the state.
The challenges are stacked high. Mental health stigma around dementia and Alzheimer’s persists. Geriatric infrastructure is patchy, especially in rural areas. Social security remains inadequate even as living costs climb. Traditional family support systems are fraying under the weight of urbanisation and nuclear households. And India’s infrastructure—from public transport to pavements—remains stubbornly unfriendly to the elderly.
New Delhi is scrambling to respond. The ministry of social justice and empowerment has rolled out a raft of schemes. The Atal Pension Yojana, launched in 2015, has swelled from 15.4 million subscribers in 2019 to 82.7 million by October 2025, managing assets worth over Rs 49,000 crore. It promises monthly pensions of Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 after subscribers turn 60.
The Integrated Programme for Senior Citizens runs 696 old-age homes across 29 states and union territories, with 84 more approved this year. The Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana distributes walking sticks, hearing aids, wheelchairs and dentures to low-income seniors. A toll-free helpline—14567—offers support. The Sacred portal helps those over 60 find jobs. The SAGE portal encourages start-ups to develop elderly care solutions, offering equity support of up to Rs 1 crore per project.
Legal muscle backs the effort. The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, amended in 2019, compels children—including step-children and in-laws—to provide for parents. It scrapped the Rs 10,000 monthly maintenance cap and mandated special police units for seniors in every district. All hospitals, private included, must now provide dedicated queues, beds and geriatric care.
Technology is pitching in too. Telemedicine platforms like e-Sanjeevani offer free home consultations. Wearable devices track vital signs. Online pharmacies deliver medicines to doorsteps. Smart home sensors let families monitor elderly relatives remotely.
The silver economy—goods and services for those over 50—is booming. Valued at Rs 73,000 crore in 2024, it’s set for multi-fold growth. Globally, senior citizens and professionals aged 45 to 64 are the wealthiest cohort. India’s senior care market presents vast opportunities for health and wellness firms, both at home and abroad.
Yet success hinges on more than schemes and start-ups. India needs specialised regulations for senior care, policy reforms anchored in evaluation frameworks, and better coordination across ministries. Panchayati raj institutions, urban local bodies, NGOs and private providers must work in concert. Public-private collaboration across healthcare is essential.
The clock is ticking. By 2050, India’s elderly population will swell to 319 million, growing at three per cent annually. The country that once prided itself on youthful demographics now faces a greying future. Whether it becomes a burden or a boon depends on how swiftly India adapts. The grey wave is coming. Ready or not.
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
