What is age composition of a population? Describe its broad categories. What is its importance?

(a) The age composition of a population refers to the number of people in different age groups in a country i.e., children, working age and aged.
(b) There are three broad categories of the population in a country. These are as given below:
(i) Children (generally below 15 years) : They are economically unproductive because they do not do any work to earn money. But they need food, clothing, education and medical care.
(ii) Working age (15-59 years): They are economically productive and biologically reproductive. They comprise the working population.
(iii) Aged (above 59 years) : Generally, they are retired people, but they can be economically productive. They may work voluntarily but they cannot be recruited for employment.
(c) It is an important basic characteristic of a population because the age of a person influences what he needs, buys, does and his capacity to perform. It determines the population’s social and economic structures. If the population of working age is more, the country may make rapid progress.