India likely to surpass China as world's most populous country in 2023, says UN report
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The latest population projections by the United Nations have revealed that India will replace China as the most populous country in the world in 2023.
According to the World Population Prospects 2022 (WPP), released by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) on Monday, India's population will reach 1.428 billion on July 1, 2023, which will be marginally higher than the 1.426 billion figure for China at the time. This will catapult India to the top of the population ranking, with a peak figure likely being hit in 2064 when the country is predicted to have 1.697 billion people.
By 2100, the number will gradually come down to 1.53 billion.
The UN stated that over half of the projected increase in global population by 2050 will be concentrated in eight nations, namely the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Tanzania.
China's population, which is expected to have peaked at 1.425 in 2021, will decline significantly to reach just 0.77 billion by 2100.
The UN numbers also predict that the global population is expected to cross the 8 billion mark this year, even though it has already entered a phase of significant deceleration.
"The relationship between population growth and sustainable development is complex and multidimensional" said Liu Zhenmin, UN under-secretary-general for Economic and Social Affairs, according to a statement by the UN's department of economic and social affairs. "Rapid population growth makes eradicating poverty, combatting hunger and malnutrition, and increasing the coverage of health and education systems more difficult. Conversely, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, especially those related to health, education and gender equality, will contribute to reducing fertility levels and slowing global population growth."
The latest WPP projections also show that global population has already entered a phase of significant deceleration. It is likely to cross the 8-billion mark on November 15, 2022 and is expected to cross the 9-billion figure in 2038.