India’s Demographic Dividend Is Exploding—Did Noida’s Workers Just Prove It?
Thousands of garment workers in Noida protested wage disparities compared to workers in neighboring Haryana, leading to a 21% increase in minimum wages. India's demographic dividend is peaking and may reverse within a decade due to rising youth unemployment and stagnant wages.
Garment workers in Noida protested on April 10, demanding equal wages to those in Haryana, where the minimum monthly wage was recently raised from ₹14,000 to ₹19,000. The protests turned violent on April 13, resulting in over 350 arrests and seven FIRs. The state government announced a 21% increase in minimum wages for Noida and Ghaziabad. India's youth cohort is the largest globally, with 367 million people between 15 and 29 years old. The demographic dividend is expected to end within a decade as the working-age population ratio declines. In 2023, 77% of young men aged 15-24 who left education did so to supplement household income, up from 60% in 2017.
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