Around 41 per cent of India’s population is below the age of 20 years with Muslims having the highest proportion of children and teenagers among all religions, according to just released Census 2011 data.
The share of the young population has, however, declined in the country since the previous census in 2001 when it was 45 per cent for the whole country.
Forty-seven per cent of Muslims are aged below 20 years, the highest among all religious communities, while children and teenagers make up 40 per cent of the Hindu population, according to the data. Just 29 per cent population among the Jains are in the age group of 0-19 years while among the Christians, it is 37 per cent, Sikhs 35 per cent and Buddhist 37 per cent.
Among India’s total population, around 41 per cent is below 20 years old and nine per cent above 60 years, leaving 50 per cent in the intervening 20-59 age group.