India has overtaken China as the world’s most populous nation, according to UN data released Wednesday. Western media quoted UN’s World Population dashboard as saying that India’s population surpassed 1.428 billion, slightly higher than China’s 1.425 billion people.
The burgeoning population will add urgency for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to create employment for the millions of people entering the workforce as the nation moves away from farm jobs. India, where half the population is under the age of 30, is set to be the world’s fastest-growing major economy in the coming years.
Asia’s third-largest economy is now home to nearly a fifth of humanity — greater than the entire population of Europe or Africa or the Americas. While this is also true for China for now, that’s expected to change as India’s population is forecast to keep ticking up and touch 1.668 billion by 2050 when China’s population contracts to about 1.317 billion.
It may be added here that China experienced a population decline last year for the first time since 1960 due to factors such as a high cost of living, an aging workforce, and low birth rates. The government ended its one-child policy in 2016 and is trying to encourage more births, but these efforts have not yet been successful.
In contrast, India has not conducted a census since 2011, and its government has been criticized for delaying the next one, possibly to hide data on unemployment ahead of national elections next year. India’s population has grown by more than one billion since 1950, presenting challenges in providing electricity, food, and housing to its citizens.
Meanwhile, a new UN report estimated that the global population will reach 8.045 billion by mid-2023.
