According to the United Nations, by this weekend, India will overtake China to become the most populous country in the world.
According to new data, India’s population is expected to reach 1,425,775,850 by the end of April. Another United Nations agency predicted last week that India would overtake China by mid-year. Asian countries have accounted for more than one-third of the world’s population for over 70 years. “China will soon relinquish its longstanding status as the world’s most populous country,” the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) said in a statement. “Due to the uncertainties associated with population estimates and projections, the specific date when India is projected to surpass China in population is an estimate and is subject to revision,” he added.
The United Nations Population Fund said last week that India will have 2.9 million more people than China by mid-2023. China’s birth rate has fallen sharply in recent years and its population declined last year for the first time since 1961.
According to DESA, China’s population could fall below 1 billion by the end of this century. “In contrast, the Indian population is expected to continue growing for decades,” the agency added.
But India’s fertility rate is also declining, from 5.7 births per woman in 1950 to 2.2 births per woman today. In November, the world’s population passed 8 billion. However, according to experts, growth is not as fast as it used to be and is currently the slowest since 1950.
