Caregiving in India has traditionally been treated as a family responsibility. However, nuclear families, migration among young people and rising female workforce participation are putting the social system that supports family-based care under increasing pressure.
With the elderly population projected to reach 347 million by 2050, the Niti Aayog has proposed a national framework to standardize training, certify caregivers and provide social-security support. Mint explains:
Why is caregiving becoming a policy issue?
India’s elderly population was estimated at 149 million in July 2022, or about 10.5% of the population. It is projected to rise to 194 million by 2031 and 347 million by 2050, when older people would account for 20.8% of the population. At the same time, the traditional family-based care system is coming under pressure. Increasing female labour force participation, urbanization, migration of younger family members and the shift from joint to nuclear families are reducing the availability of family caregivers. This means India will need more people who can provide care outside the family.
How can the existing system be made more effective?
India already has formal caregivers and several training programmes. But the system remains fragmented. Care is broadly provided in two ways: informal care, usually by family members, friends and communities, and formal care, provided by trained professionals. Family members, mostly women, remain the main source of informal care.
A Niti Aayog paper showed that India lacks comprehensive data to assess how formal and informal caregiving services are performing. The issue is therefore not simply how many caregivers India has, but whether there is a system to ensure that caregivers are properly trained, recognized and available to those who need them.
Why does caregiving need to become a formal profession?
Formalization could address three key gaps. For families, it could create a system to find trained and recognized caregivers, reducing reliance on informal networks. For caregivers, recognized qualifications could provide clearer career paths, while formal employment could improve access to wages and social-security benefits. For the care system, common training and quality standards could help ensure more consistent and reliable services.
According to the federal think tank, professionalizing the sector could improve care for older people and persons with disabilities while generating skilled employment and increasing women's economic participation.
What is Niti Aayog proposing?
The Niti Aayog report proposes a National Caregiving Council (NCC) to provide institutional leadership and coordination. It also proposes a National Caregiving Qualification Framework to standardise education, training, accreditation and certification. A National Caregiver Registry and digital platform are proposed to improve workforce planning and connect care services with those seeking them.
Will caregivers get social security?
The report proposes that caregiving be treated as a recognized profession with defined roles, fair wages, job security and career progression. It also recommends expanding social security and welfare measures for caregivers, including healthcare, insurance and other protections. The broader objective is to improve workforce retention and give caregivers greater professional recognition.
How are other countries approaching caregiving?
Niti Aayog's international review shows that several countries have already moved towards more organized care systems. Australia has nationally recognized training and regulatory frameworks for aged care. Germany has combined formal and informal caregiving with structured training and long-term-care insurance. Japan has a long-term-care insurance system and a specified-skilled-worker visa for foreign caregivers.
Will it create overseas job opportunities?
Yes, as the ageing population in several developed economies is also creating potential overseas opportunities for trained Indian caregivers. Japan, for instance, has more than 36 million people aged 65 years and above, accounting for nearly 30% of its population. In the European Union, the share of people aged 65 and above rose to 21.6% in 2024, up from 16.4% in 2004, while the share aged 80 and above increased to 6.1%, up from 3.8%, over the same period. Globally, the number of people aged 60 and above is projected to rise from 1.4 billion in 2030 to 2.1 billion by 2050, increasing the need for health and social-care workers.
How caregiving works in India
India’s caregiving sector remains largely fragmented and informal, with no uniform system for training, wages or hiring. Many caregivers are domestic workers who also provide care to elderly people or patients, relying largely on experience rather than formal training. Hospitals and organized care centres are more likely to employ trained caregivers, nurses or general-duty assistants. Wages vary widely, with industry estimates suggesting organised agencies may charge over ₹2,500 a day for a 12-hour shift, compared with around ₹700-1,000 for informal caregivers. A formal registry, standardized training and indicative rates could help families access verified caregivers at transparent prices while improving accountability.