Average age of MP on the rise as is their educational qualification

For a country that is among the youngest in the world at the moment with the average age of an Indian fixed at 25, according to the 2011 census, the average age of an elected Member of Parliament (MP) seems to be slightly more than twice that age. 

According to statistics released by the Election Commission of India, the average age of a parliamentarian in the 15^thLok Sabha (2009 – 2014) is 53.03. And that number has been steadily on the rise barring a few exceptions. While average age of a Lok Sabha member during the 1^st Lok Sabha was around 46.5, it has steadily risen since then to 49.2 in the Fifth Lok Sabha and 51.4 in the 10^th Lok Sabha to its present median age.

As the country goes to the first phase of polls for the 16^th Lok Sabha that would be formed next month, the trend seems to be strongly in favour of the older politicians despite a large number of youngsters jumping into the fray for these elections as the figures point out.

However, the good news is that we now have more educated people sitting in the Parliament as opposed to the past.. While 112 under matriculates got elected for the 1^st Lok Sabha, the number has dwindled steadily with only 20 parliamentarians who have not completed their matriculation in the most recent Lok Sabha.

Also, the number of post graduates who have been elected to the Lok Sabha has been steadily increasing with almost half of the MPs a total of 256 elected parliamentarians boasting of a post graduate degree in the Lower House of the Indian parliament at present.

Back in 1952 when the first Lok Sabha was formed, there had only 85 post graduates besides 177 graduates and 88 under graduates. Fifteen members of the lower house had a doctorate degree as opposed to 24 of them now.

(source for data: Lok Sabha secretariat)