Ageing in India: When Financial Dependence Shapes Healthcare Utilization - Research Presentation

I recently had the opportunity to participate in the Student Project Conclave 2026 at Azim Premji University, where I presented my research titled “How Financial Dependence Affects Healthcare Utilization Among Older Adults in India.”

This study is based on evidence from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI)—one of the largest and most comprehensive datasets on older adults globally. Through this dataset, we attempt to understand how financial security, or the lack of it, shapes healthcare-seeking behaviour among the elderly population in India.

Our findings strongly resonate with insights from United Nations Population Fund reports, which highlight the rapid pace of population ageing. India is expected to witness a major demographic shift, with older adults constituting nearly 20% of the total population by 2050. At the global level, the elderly population was estimated at 1.1 billion (13.9%) in 2022 and is projected to double to 2.1 billion by 2050.

In this context, our research aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of how financial dependence influences access to and utilization of healthcare services among older adults. It also provides important policy insights for strengthening social protection systems, improving healthcare accessibility, and designing inclusive ageing policies—especially in developing countries like India.

This is not just a distant future concern but an emerging structural challenge. If not addressed proactively, it has the potential to evolve into a significant social and economic crisis, affecting both individuals and public systems. Ensuring financial independence and healthcare access for the elderly is therefore not just a policy priority, but a societal responsibility.

This research is being carried out under the guidance of Dr. Bilal Ahmad Bhat, and in collaboration with Ram Krishna, and we are continuing to refine and expand this work further.