India’s population is expected to surpass China’s population, the United Nations’ Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) said on April 24, 2023. Earlier, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said that India would have 2.9 million more people than China by mid-2023. According to DESA estimates, the country’s population is likely to reach 1,425,775,850 by the end of April 2023.
According to DESA, China’s population reached a peak at 1.426 billion in 2022 and began to fall. The projections show that the size of the Chinese population may drop below 1 billion before the end of the century. India’s population, on the other hand, is expected to continue growing for several decades, it said.
It has also been estimated that the number of people aged 65 or above is likely to almost double in China and more than double in India between 2023 and 2050. However, as a proportion of the total population, the growth of India’s senior citizen population will be much slower than in China, DESA added. It further stated that due to the uncertainty related to estimating and projecting populations, the specific date when India’s population size is expected to surpass that of China is approximate and subject to revision.
Impact of growing population
The population of India is 1.4 billion, which is expected to rise in the coming years, as per reports. The rapid growth of the population puts immense pressure on a country’s resources and increases the demand for food, water, healthcare, housing, energy, transportation, etc. There is also a growing need to create enough employment opportunities to support the increasing population.
What do experts say?
There is no official reaction from India to the UNFPA report. According to Indian analysts and economists, there is no cause for alarm in becoming the world’s most populous country as the country’s growth in that regard has been slowing. Experts believe that the country’s majority young population could be advantageous if more education and employment opportunities are created.
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