MUMBAI: India is on track to surpass China as the world’s most populated nation by the middle of this year, adding almost 3 million more people, data released by United Nations on Wednesday showed.
The demographic data from the State of World Population Report 2023 by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates the population of India at 1,428.6m or 1.4286 billion compared to 1.4257 billion for China.
With an estimated 340 million people, the U.S. comes in third place. According to the paper, the data is based on information available as of February 2023. According to population experts using prior UN data, India is expected to surpass China this month. But a timeframe for the change’s implementation was not included in the most recent report from the international organisation.
United Nations population officials stated that it was not possible to set a date due to “uncertainty” regarding the data coming from China and India, particularly given that India’s previous census was performed in 2011 and that country’s upcoming census, which was scheduled for 2021 but has been delayed due to the epidemic.
Despite making up more than one-third of the estimated 8.045 billion people on the planet, China and India have both experienced a slowdown in population growth, with China experiencing this decline at a rate significantly quicker than that of India.
The population of China declined last year for the first time in six decades. This historic development may signal the beginning of a protracted period of reducing citizen numbers, which will significantly affect the economy of China and the rest of the world.
Official statistics by the government show that India’s population growth has averaged 1.7% over the previous ten years, compared to 1.2% since 2011.
According to a representative for UNFPA India, Andrea Wojnar, “The findings of Indian survey suggest that population anxieties have spread in the significant portions of the general public. However, these population figures shouldn’t be alarming or cause worry. If individual rights and preferences are upheld, they should be viewed as a sign of growth, development, and aspirations, she said.
