Ageing population is the result of _____.

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → Decline in birth rate and increased life expectancy

An ageing population has a large share of people above 60 years. The share of old people grows when people live longer and fewer children are born.

Option (1) Decline in birth rate and increased life expectancy — Correct. Longer lives mean more people reach old age. Fewer births mean fewer children. Both raise the share of older people.

Option (2) Larger population in lower age group — Incorrect. Many young people point to a high birth rate and a youthful population, the opposite of an ageing one.

Option (3) Increasing life expectancy and high birth rate — Incorrect. A high birth rate keeps adding many children, so the population stays young even if people live longer.

Option (4) High birth rate and low death rate — Incorrect. This makes the population grow fast with a wide base of children. It is an expanding population, not an ageing one.

Note: This question is taken from the pre-rationalised NCERT book. The latest edition (2026-27) does not have this part. An extract of the pre-rationalised NCERT book is given below for the benefit of students.

Pre-rationalised NCERT: “Age Structure … A greater proportion of population above 60 years represents an ageing population which requires more expenditure on health care facilities. Similarly high proportion of young population would mean that the region has a high birth rate and the population is youthful.”

“Ageing Population Population ageing is the process by which the share of the older population becomes proportionally larger. This is a new phenomenon of the twentieth century. In most of the developed countries of the world, population in higher age groups has increased due to increased life expectancy. With a reduction in birth rates, the proportion of children in the population has declined.”