The future of grandparenthood in South Asia: the role of population aging and educational expansion

Grandparents are an integral part of family support systems, serving as both providers and consumers of instrumental, financial, and emotional care. They also play a central role in transmitting cultural and financial capital to their grandchildren. Grandparenting, which refers to the care, support, and engagement grandparents provide to their grandchildren, is a socially expected phenomenon in South Asia. Grandparents are often expected to play active caregiving roles and typically co-reside with their grandchildren. While previous research has explored grandparenting across various socioeconomic groups, little is known about how evolving sociodemographic trends might impact grandparenthood in the future. Using data from the United Nations and the Wittgenstein Center for Global Human Capital, we explore how national-level sociodemographic changes are expected to affect the number of living grandparents per grandchild, as well as the age, sex, and educational profiles of grandparents across South Asia. We project that grandparental availability will increase, with grandparents becoming older and better educated. Specifically, the average age of grandparents in South Asia is expected to rise by six to eight years from 2024 to 2100, and the number with post-secondary education will increase significantly. These shifts are likely to affect the balance of care exchanged between generations, with potential benefits and challenges for grandparents, parents, and grandchildren.