New Delhi: With its population estimated to touch 142.86 crore by the middle of this year, marginally ahead of China at 142.57 crore, India is on track to be the world’s most populous country, according to the UNFPA’s State of World Population Report 2023 released on Wednesday.
According to the report, 68 per cent of India’s total population is between the ages of 15 and 64 years, which is considered the working population of a country. About 25 per cent is between 0-14 years; 18 per cent between 10 and 19 years, 26 percent between 10 and 24 years, and 7 per cent above 65 years.
Last year, China remained the most populous country with an estimated 144.8 crore people while India’s population was estimated at 140.6 crore.
According to the UN projections, India’s population is expected to grow for the next three decades after which it will begin to decline.
“As the world reaches 8 billion people, we at UNFPA see India’s 1.4 billion people as 1.4 billion opportunities,” said Andrea Wojnar, the representative for United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) India and the country director for Bhutan.
