According to the State of World Population (SOWP) 2023 titled “8 Billion Lives, Infinite Possibilities: the case for Rights and Choices” published by the
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), India overtakes China to become the most populous nation in the world, the population of India has grown by 1.56% in the past year and it is estimated to be 142.86 crore.
- The population of China is estimated to be 142.57 crore.
Note:
- India’s population number is an estimate since there has been no Census in India after 2011.
- As of China’s population, the estimate does not include the two Special Administrative Regions – Hong Kong and Macau and the island of Taiwan.
Global population:
In November 2022, the global population has crossed the 8 billion mark. Experts states that the population growth is not as rapid as it was and the growth is at its slowest rate since 1950.
- According to the report, the estimated global population is 8,045 million, of which 65% is between 15-64 years, 24% between 10-24 years, and 10% above 65 years.
Key Points:
i.The report states that India’s total fertility rate(births per woman in the reproductive age) is estimated to be at 2.0 and the average life expectancy for an Indian male is 71 and Indian female is 74.
ii.India also has the largest youth cohort with 254 million youths – aged between 15-24 years.
- According to the report, 68% of India’s total population is between the ages of 15 – 64 years, which is considered the working population.
- About 25% is between 0-14 years; 18% between 10-19 years, 26% between 10 -24 years, and 7% above 65 years.
iii.Around 44% of the women and girls with partners in the 68 reporting countries have no right to make informed decisions about their bodies regarding sex, using contraception and seeking health care.
- Around 257 million women across the globe have an unmet need for safe, reliable contraception.
Key Highlights:
i.As a part of the report, the UNFPA commissioned a public survey that asked a representative sample of 7,797 people across eight countries (India, Brazil, Egypt, France, Hungary, Japan, Nigeria, and the United States) for their views on population issues.
- The survey was conducted through YouGov.
ii.The sample size for India was 1007 and the survey was carried out online.
According to the respondents, the population in India is too large and fertility rates are too high.
iii.Around 63% of Indians identified economic issues as the top concerns when thinking about population change, followed by environmental concerns 46%, and sexual and reproductive health and rights and human rights concerns 30%.
Recent Related News:
According to the report titled “Trends in maternal mortality 2000 to 2020” produced by World Health Organization (WHO), which tracks maternal deaths nationally, regionally and globally from 2000 to 2020, it was estimated that around 287 000 women died from a maternal cause in 2020, which is approximately 800 deaths every day and one every 2 minutes.
About United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA):
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency.
Executive Director– Natalia Kanem
Headquarters– New York, United States of America(USA)
