On the basis of the Census 2001, and the unit level data on self-reported health from the NSS 52nd and 60th Rounds, this study examines the following: (i) inter-state variations in the age–sex distribution of the rural aged by three broad social groups, (ii) level of their per capita monthly consumption expenditure to gauge changes in their economic conditions over the preceding two NSS rounds, (iii) their health conditions cross-classified by the observed age categories and social groups, and (iv) socio-economic correlates of old age health—both current and relative. In order to avoid comparability problems between the 52nd and 60th Rounds, a health analysis was made for the latter period alone. A few notable observations of the study are: (i) ageing in India is a widely spread phenomenon and, therefore, an issue of serious income and health security considerations, (ii) almost in every state, the aged are concentrated in rural areas and need to be
weighed accordingly in formulations of old age policies, (iii) feminization of ageing, widowhood and rapid growth of the older old are emerging issues for researchers, service providers, insurers, 50+ market analysts, and (iv) later life health is most likely an outcome of socio-economic conditions of the aged including their access to public health facilities. An important value addition of this article is its explicit focus on rural ageing that has so far been given limited
attention in recent economic literature on ageing in India.