India is regarded as a country with a “Demographic Dividend”. This is due to:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) Its high population in the group of 15-64 years
A demographic dividend arises when the working-age group (generally 15 to 64 years) forms a large share of the population. Dependants, meaning children and the elderly, are then relatively few. India's large working-age population is the reason it is said to have this dividend.
- ✗ (a) Children below 15 are dependants. A large child population raises the dependency ratio, so it is not the source of the dividend.
- ✓ (b) The working-age group is generally defined as 15 to 64 years. A bulge in this group means more workers relative to dependants, which gives the potential for faster growth.
- ✗ (c) People above 64 are dependants. A large elderly share means an ageing population, which raises the dependency ratio.
- ✗ (d) Total population size alone does not create a dividend. What matters is the age composition, specifically the share of working-age people.
Remember · Demographic dividend = falling dependency ratio, with a bulge in the 15–64 working-age group. It is temporary, and it turns into actual growth only if jobs are created.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Indian Society, Ch 2 (practise this chapter) · Class 12 Indian Society, Ch 2 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 12 · Indian Society, Chapter 2 “with the portion that is in the working age group, generally defined as 15 to 64 years.”
- NCERT Class 12 · Indian Society, Chapter 2 “This dividend arises from the fact that the current generation of working-age people is a relatively large one, and it has only a relatively small preceding generation of old people to support.”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2011, General Studies Paper I. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·
