Chandigarh has been placed in the top five States/Union Territories of the country for high percentage of youth and working age population. The Census 2011 data reveals that Chandigarh is ranked at third among States/Union Territories with high working age population percentage in the country. Also, the city stands at fifth spot among top five places with high percentage of youth population.
According to the census data, out of its total population, the city has 21.1 per cent young people in the age group 15-24 years while 68.9 per cent population falls in the working age 15-59 years. Chandigarh spreading over an area of 114 sq km has a total population of 10,55,450 people including 28,991 rural and 10,26,459 urban population. The city has 97.25 per cent population living in urban areas and 2.74 per cent living in rural areas.
The recently released census data on age groups stated that Daman & Diu tops the chart with youth population of 26.7 percent of its total population. The young population in Chandigarh’s neighbouring States Punjab and Haryana constitutes of 20.2 per cent and 20.7 per cent respectively.
The Union Territory Daman & Diu is again at top slot with 72.5 per cent working age population (15-59 years) followed by Andaman & Nicobar Islands at 68.9 per cent. The census data on age group revealed that nearly 17 per cent of Chandigarh’s total population are in 0-9 years age group, about 17 per cent are adolescent (10-19 years), about 72 per cent are adult population (18 years and more) and elderly (60 years and more) is only 6.1 percent.
In 2011 census, Chandigarh has registered decline in percentage of persons in 0-9 years, adolescent (10-19 years), youth (15 to 25 years) as compared to census 2001. An increase in adult (18 years and more), working age population and elderly population has been registered in census 2011 as compared to 2001.
Among top five states/union territories in the country with high elderly population, Punjab at fourth rank has 10.3 percent elderly people of its total population followed by 10.2 percent in Himachal. The neighbouring Haryana has 8.2 percent elderly people.
In census 2011, 8.6 percent of persons are in age group 60 + years in the country compared to 7.4 percent in Census 2001. The aged persons have increased in all the States and UTs, except in Daman & Diu. A total of 19.8 percent of persons are in age group 0-9 years in census 2011 as compared to 23.2 percent found in census 2001 in the country.
The dependency ratio in Chandigarh is nearly 350 per 1000 persons, according to the census data. The census department defines that the dependency ratio gives the proportion of persons whom the persons in economically active age group need to support. Earlier, the Census Department had released houselisting and housing data of the city. According to it, the city has the highest car ownership in the country. Of the total households, 25.7 percent own four wheelers including cars, jeeps and vans in Chandigarh.
In the city, 80.1 percent households avail banking services, 47.7 per cent have owned houses, 47 per cent lives in rented accommodation, 89.3 per cent have telephone facility, 46.7 per cent owns scooter, motorcycle, moped, 82.5 per cent owns television, 87.6 per cent have toilet facility within premises and 98.4 percent have electricity facility.