Over thirty years a State sees medical facilities, education, awareness and prosperity rise steadily. Judged by the direction in which each moves, identify the odd one out among the following indicators of its population.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Average life expectancy
Option (1) Infant mortality rate — Incorrect. The infant mortality rate is the number of deaths of babies before the age of one year per 1000 live births. It falls sharply as medical care, education and prosperity grow, so it moves with the other falling indicators.
Option (2) Maternal mortality rate — Incorrect. The maternal mortality rate is the number of women who die in childbirth per 1,00,000 live births. Development brings a sharp fall in this rate too, so it belongs with the falling indicators.
Option (3) Share of younger age groups — Incorrect. The share of younger age groups is part of the age structure of a population. As life expectancy improves with development, smaller proportions are found in the younger age groups, so this share also falls.
Option (4) Average life expectancy — Correct. Life expectancy is the estimated number of years an average person is expected to survive. It rises as quality of life improves, so it is the only indicator here that moves upward with development.
NCERT (2026-27): “C C I … “The age structure of the population refers to the proportion of persons in different age groups relative to the total population. The age structure changes in response to changes in levels of development and the average life expectancy. Initially, poor medical facilities, prevalence of disease and other factors make for a relatively short life span. Moreover, high infant and maternal mortality rates also have an impact on the age structure. With development, quality of life improves and with it the life expectancy also improves. This changes the age structure: relatively smaller proportions of the population are found in the younger age groups and larger proportions in the older age groups. This is also referred to as the ageing of the population.” |