UN: India overtakes China in terms of population

India is soon to become the most populous country in the world, surpassing China by almost 3 million people in the middle of this year, according to UN data.

China's population shrank last year for the first time in more than six decades, official data showed earlier this year.

According to population demographic data from the 2023 report UN Population Fund (UNFPA), India's population is estimated to reach 1,4286 billion and China's population will reach 1,4257 billion.

The third place is currently occupied by the United States of America, with an estimated population of 340 million.

The report reflects information available through February 2023.

Population experts, using previous UN data, predicted that India would overtake China this month. The latest report, however, does not specify the date when that change occurs.

India still without population census

UN population officials said it was not possible to give a date because of "uncertainty" about data coming from India and China, especially since India's last census was conducted back in 2011 and the next one was planned for 2021. . was postponed due to the pandemic.

Although India and China will account for more than one-third of the estimated global population of 8,045 billion, population growth in both Asian giants is slowing, at a much faster rate in China than in India.

Last year, China's population fell for the first time in six decades, a historic reversal that is expected to mark the beginning of a period of population decline, with profound implications for its economy and the world.

India's annual population growth since then averaged 1,2 percent in 2011, compared with 1,7 percent over the previous 10 years, according to government data.

"India's census findings suggest that anxieties about population growth have penetrated large sections of the public," said Andrea Wojnar, UNFPA India Representative.

"However, the population numbers should not cause concern or raise alarms." Instead, they should be seen as a symbol of progress, development and aspiration, if the rights and choices of individuals are supported," she said.

The poor live on less than two dollars a day

India fell into a severe recession three years ago, after a blockade due to a pandemic that lasted almost four months. While the economy recovered, the number of unemployed approached record levels.

According to an analysis by the Pew Research Center, India's middle class will shrink by 2020 million people from 32 as a result of the economic slowdown.

Meanwhile, the number of poor people in India, with incomes of $2 or less a day, is estimated to have increased by 75 million due to the Covid-19 recession.

 ZS/Politika