India, which presently has 1.38 billion people, is on track to overtake China, which currently has 1.4 billion people, as the world’s most populous country in 2023.
- India’s population is expected to reach 1.668 billion in 2050, surpassing China’s 1.317 billion at the time.
This can be attributable to the fact that China’s population began to decline in 2022, for the first time in six decades since 1962.
- It signals a turning point for the world’s second-largest economy, which is battling with an escalating demographic crisis.
Government Data On India’s Demography:
i.Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in India, with an estimated 230 million people.
- Lakshadweep has the least population, with only 68,000 people.
ii.India is one of the world’s youngest countries, with 27.3% of its population aged 15 – 29 years.
iii.According to the United Nations (UN), India is one of the 8 countries estimated to account for more than half of the projected increase in the global population up to 2050.
- The 8 countries are: The Philippines, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan.
iv.Since 2011, India’s annual population growth has averaged 1.2%, down from 1.7% over the past ten years.
v.India witnessed an increase in the usage of family planning methods from 53.5% in 2015–16 to 66.67% in 2019–21.
vi.The total fertility rate (TFR) in India, or the number of children per woman, decreased to 2 in 2019-2021, from 3.4 in 1992-93.
Note: According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), Population Division, in its report titled “World Population Prospects 2022” (November 2022), India is projected to overtake China as the world’s most populous country in 2023, despite decreasing population growth.
NBS Report: China’s First Population Drop in Six Decades Raises Concerns About Demographic Crisis
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of China reported that as of the end of 2022, China’s population was 1.41175 billion, a decrease of about 850,000 people from the end of 2021.
- The last time China recorded a decline in population was in 1961, the final year of the Great Famine under former leader Mao Zedong.
The total population of China will still exceed 1.4 billion in 2035 and stay around 1.3 billion in 2050, despite a decline in the population that started in 2022.
Key Statistics with respect to China:
i.The NBS reported that despite attempts by the government to encourage families to have more children, China registered roughly 9.56 million new births in 2022, down from 10.62 million in 2021, the lowest level ever since 1950.
- The birth rate in China, or the number of newborns per 1,000 people, decreased from 7.52 in 2021 to 6.77 in 2022, the lowest level at least since 1978.
- In China, the death rate was 7.37 per 1,000 people in 2022, which resulted in a natural growth at negative 0.6 (-0.6) per 1,000 people.
ii.China terminated its decades-long “one child policy” in 2016, resulting in population decline and an ageing population.
iii.China enacted a “third child” policy in May 2021, allowing Chinese citizens to have up to three children, as well as a slew of stimulus measures to encourage population growth.
Recent Related News:
According to the UN DESA  World Population Prospects 2022:Summary of Results (27th edition), the global population is projected to achieve 8 billion on November 15, 2022, and India is expected to overtake China as the world’s most populated country in 2023.
The World Population Prospects 2022 is published to commemorate World Population Day 2022 (July 11, 2022), which occurred in the year in which the world population welcomed the birth of its 8 billionth inhabitant.
About People’s Republic of China:
President – Xi Jinping
Capital – Beijing
Currency – Renminbi (RMB)
