India’s Demographic Dividend: Charting a Path to Healthy Aging through Early Intervention and Societal Transformation

India stands at a demographic inflection point, with a predominantly young population today and a rapidly expanding cohort of older adults projected over the next three decades. Current estimates suggest that persons aged 60 years and above will comprise nearly one-fifth of the population by 2050, with the number of older adults more than doubling from present levels. Unless India uses its current youth bulge to invest in lifelong health, social protection, skills, and age-friendly systems, the country risks carrying a large cohort of future older adults with high morbidity, functional dependence, and financial vulnerability. This narrative review synthesizes demographic projections, national policies, and empirical evidence to argue that healthy aging in India must be “front-loaded,” beginning in childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood rather than waiting until old age. We searched PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and key Indian government and United Nations portals (March 2010-March 2026) for literature on aging, life course health, physical activity and sport in youth, social protection, geriatric and palliative care, and age-friendly environments in India and thematically synthesized findings. Guided by the World Health Organization’s concept of healthy aging as maintaining functional ability in older age, the article outlines a life course approach operationalized through four interconnected pillars: health systems (especially primary care and hospitals), government policy and financing, community and civil society engagement, and enabling built and digital environments. Particular emphasis is placed on early interventions in schools and communities to promote daily physical activity and low-cost sports that do not impose economic burdens on families. We highlight implications for future demand on geriatric, palliative, and hospice services. We propose a strategic agenda that links early-life interventions to late-life outcomes, reframes older persons as contributors within a “silver economy,” and calls for intersectoral collaboration to convert India’s demographic dividend into a dividend of healthy longevity.