Mumbai/ New Delhi: A new report by Primus Partners, ‘Empty Courtyards, Fading Voices: Elderly Lives Amid Migration’, highlights the growing crisis of loneliness, neglect, and mental health distress among India’s elderly, worsened by urbanisation and migration.

By 2030, India will be home to more than 150 million elderly citizens—a number greater than the populations of Japan, Germany, or the UK. Yet fractured families and mass migration are leaving older parents and grandparents isolated in “Aging Villages,” struggling in “Greying Cities,” or uprooted into unfamiliar environments.

The report underscores the urgent need for investment. India currently spends about USD 7 billion annually on elderly care, primarily healthcare. To meet the OECD benchmark of 1.5% of GDP, this would need to rise nearly tenfold, to USD 60 billion per year, to build a robust ecosystem spanning healthcare, social security, community support, and digital enablement.

Key Findings

  • 70% of India’s elderly remain financially dependent, many working beyond retirement.
  • Depression and cognitive decline are significantly higher among those with migrant children.
  • Continuity of care is often disrupted, with missed medications, delayed treatments, and incomplete recoveries.
  • Fragmented urban communities heighten risks of neglect, abuse, and despair.

The report also shares the human cost. One elderly woman, living alone in her village while her son worked in Delhi, said: “All I wish for is simple — someone to share a conversation, a hand to hold, and dignity in these final years.”

Solutions Proposed

The report recommends scalable interventions to address the crisis, including:

  • Community care circles and senior citizen clubs.
  • Corporate-supported day-care centres and adoption of public parks.
  • Digital inclusion programs to bridge generational divides.
  • One-stop geriatric support hubs in migration hotspots.
  • Mapping of “elder migration clusters” for targeted policy interventions.

Nilaya Varma, Co-Founder & Group CEO, Primus Partners, said:
“Migration is reshaping ageing in India in ways traditional systems were never designed to handle. Empty Courtyards, Fading Voices is a humanitarian call for urgent action—millions of elderly Indians are slipping into invisible loneliness.”

Vivek Tandon, Vice President – Health Practice, Primus Partners, added:
“This is not just a social issue, but a public health emergency. Scalable community-based care and accessible mental health services are essential to ensure seniors live not only longer, but better.”

The report urges policymakers to look beyond pensions and healthcare, and to design neighbourhoods and communities where older citizens remain visible, engaged, and supported. Partnerships between governments, corporates, and civil society will be critical to prevent India’s elders from being left behind.