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UPSC Prelims 2008 · Indian Geography · People and Settlements
For India, China, the UK and the USA, which one of the following is the correct answer sequence of the median age of their populations?
- (a) China < India < UK < USA
- (b) India < China < USA < UK
- (c) China < India < USA < UK
- (d) India < China < UK < USA
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (b) India < China < USA < UK
India (~26) < China (~32) < USA (~36) < UK (~39) at the time.
The idea
Median age divides a population into two equal halves: half are younger and half older. It differs from average age. A country with many children usually has a lower median age, while prolonged low fertility raises it over time. Use the 2008 comparison for this question.
Why the others are wrong
(a) China is older than India.
(c) Puts China below India.
(d) Puts the UK below the USA.
The trap
China’s one-child policy made it older than India.
Also know
A population pyramid shows age groups, while median age compresses the age structure into one number. Low fertility narrows the pyramid’s base; longer survival expands its older groups. Median age is not life expectancy, which measures expected years of life under a given mortality pattern.
🔒 Median age now: India ~28, China ~39, USA ~38, UK ~40.
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