Auroville’s population: a correction

Looking at the age distribution of Auroville’s residents, two things are immediately visible: there is an unusual contraction in the age group 20 – 29 and there is a sizable proportion of the population who are above 60 years of age. If we consider Auroville to be a developing society, the contraction in the youthful age group is very unusual. Developing societies tend to have a “youth bulge,” which fuels the growth of the society, especially in economic terms. The youth bring fresh energy, innovative ideas and a certain amount of irreverence that forces society to question its old habits. One explanation of the low proportion of youth in Auroville, particularly in the 20 –29 age group, is that young people leave for further education and work. It is possible that many of them come back to Auroville at a later stage. But a recent survey of ex-students of Auroville showed that less than half of this population actually comes back. Many youths continue to live and work outside of Auroville, mainly in Europe and North America.

Another likely reason for fewer youth is our failure to attract young people to Auroville. Many youngsters find Auroville to be too expensive, especially during the Newcomer period. Housing has been a problem, but might be getting better with the new Humanscapes and X & Y projects. Solving the youth demographic challenge might be one of the most important things for the community to address if it wants to be “a city for the future.”

Along with the challenge of youth is the challenge of an aging population. Almost 20% of Auroville’s population is above the age of 60 years. Over the next few years, many of them might choose to slow down and reduce their work commitments. Some will need healthcare support and assisted living. Although Auroville is a place of “youth that never ages,” the reality of an aging population must be addressed, and conscious support systems developed.

About 47% of the population is between the ages 30 and 59, which perhaps explains the large proportion of children in Auroville, who make up 17% of the population. How well is Auroville’s education system serving these children? Are they growing up with a sense of commitment to Auroville’s ideals? Will they participate in the unfolding experiment, or will they look for better opportunities elsewhere?

In terms of population growth, 2017 has been a good year. The number of residents grew by 211 people, which means an 8% growth over 2016. This is certainly because of a liberal Entry Policy, which was in effect for a few months towards the end of last year. That policy is no longer valid, and it is unlikely that we will see the same kind of growth in the coming years.

The number of nationalities have grown to 54, with new residents from Macedonia and Portugal. Six countries have clocked double-digit growth, with Israel leading the pack at 21%. Russia, UK, South Korea and China are the other countries that have added significant numbers of residents. In terms of absolute numbers, the French have always been the leaders from Europe – this year, 21 French nationals joined Auroville. The number of Indians grew by a whopping 123, taking their proportion in the population from 42.1% in 2016 to 43.3 % this year. Is it possible that this was one of the factors that prompted the rethinking of the Entry Policy?

Algeria, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Finland, Kazakhstan, Poland and Romania continue to languish at the bottom of the table. Clearly, Auroville is not very attractive to these nationalities. What makes the Swedes come to Auroville, but not the Finns? Why the Spanish but not the Portuguese?

It might be more fruitful to look at the demographic challenge than to look at national representation. Does it matter if Africa and South America have poor representation in Auroville? Or should we look at policies and programmes that might change the shape of Auroville’s age profile? Perhaps it’s time for Auroville to get a youthful bulge rather than a middle-aged pot belly.