According to new United Nations figures published on Wednesday, India is expected to become the world’s most populated nation by mid-year, surpassing China by about 3 million people.
According to the UNFPA’s “State of the World Population Report, 2023,” India is expected to have a population of 1,428.6 million by the year 2023, putting it slightly ahead of China’s population of 1.4257 billion.
Data revealed that the United States ranked third, with a population of over 340 million.
The study used data that was current as of February 2023.
Using historical United Nations statistics, population experts have predicted that India would surpass China this month. Nevertheless, the international organization’s most recent report failed to disclose when the switch will occur.
U.N. Population authorities have said that they are unable to provide a firm date because of “uncertainty” in statistics from India and China. This is particularly true considering that India’s last census was in 2011 and the next one was scheduled for 2021 but was postponed due to the Covid pandemic.
Population growth in both China and India has been declining, but China’s decline has been more pronounced. Together, these two Asian giants will make up more than a third of the predicted world population of 8.045 billion.
For the first time in over sixty years, China’s population declined last year, a historic reversal that is likely to signal the beginning of a long era of decrease in the number of Chinese citizens and have far-reaching consequences for China’s economy and the global economy.
Government statistics show that India’s yearly population growth has slowed to 1.2% from a decade-long average of 1.7%.
Representative for UNFPA India Andrea Wojnar stated in a statement, “The Indian poll results imply that population fears have infiltrated into wide segments of the general populace.” Population estimates are not a cause for concern. “If individual rights and freedoms are being protected, then they should be considered as a sign of progress, growth, and ambitions,” she said.
