The Census Projection Report shows that India is one of the youngest nation in the world. In year 2020, the average age of Indian will be of

The Census-based population projection report (Technical Group on Population Projections) puts India's median age at about 29 years in 2020. That is the figure this question is testing. Strictly the report speaks of median age, and 'average age' is the loose phrasing used in the question, so the figure to remember is 29.

• A) 27 years: Too low for the projected 2020 figure. It reflects an earlier stage of the demographic transition.
• B) 28 years: Close, but not the projected value for 2020.
• D) 30 years: The projected median age rises after 2020 as fertility falls, so 30 belongs to a later year, not 2020.

Core concept: the demographic dividend. A young population means a large working-age share, which is why India's age profile matters for employment and skilling. This links to GS-I (population and associated issues) and GS-III (employment and human resource).

Trap: Mixing up median and mean age, or picking 30 because it looks like a round number.