New Delhi: India is expected to surpass China to become the world’s most populous nation in 2023, four years ahead of an earlier estimate by the United Nations.
According to the World Population Prospects 2022 (WPP), released by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), 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. 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.
According to the report, India’s population stands at 1.412 billion in 2022.
The latest WPP projections also show that the 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.
