Muslims have highest young population, they also die young

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New Delhi: The data released by Census 2011 has revealed that in India, Muslims have the highest share of children and teenagers among all religions.

According to the 15th National census survey conducted by the Census Organization of India, if all communities are grouped together, almost 41 percent of India's population is below 20 years old, leaving 50 percent in 20-59 age group, and nine percent above 60 years.

Across religious communities, Muslims have the highest share of children and teenagers (0-19 age group) at 47 percent, compared to 40 percent for Hindus, reports The Times of India.

Today, every fifth person in India is an adolescent (10-19 years) and every third – a young person (10-24 years), said the report.

Also, in a notable trend, life cycles of different religious communities in the country show declining shares of children and increasing proportion of elderly population.

As per 2001 census, the share of the young population was 45 percent for the whole country (44 percent for Hindus, 52% for Muslims and 35% for Jains).

Notably, there is a considerable variation in the share of the elderly population in 2011 census. In the Muslim community, only 6.4 percent of the population is over 60 years, almost 50 percent lower than the national average.

Also, Muslims have the highest total dependency ratio of 748 compared to the lowest ratio for Jains (498).

Notably, Dependency Ratio has reduced in all the states and UTs. At the all-India level, it has reduced by 100 points compared to 2001.