India Becomes the Most Populous Country [UPSC Notes]

The recently (April 2023) released UNFPA’s State of World Population Report 2023 noted that India is on track to become the most populous country in the world by overtaking China. In this article, you can read more about this development, what implications it has for the country and the way forward, from the IAS exam perspective.

India Becomes The Most Populous Country: UNFPA World Population Report

• The population of India is estimated to touch 142.86 crores by the middle of 2023, which is marginally ahead of China’s at 142.57 crores.
• As per UNFPA’s State of World Population Report 2023, the working population of India which includes the 15-64 age group comprises 68% of the total population.
• The population composition is as follows:
  • 25 percent of the population is between 0-14 years   
  • 18 percent of the population is between 10 and 19 years
  • 26 percent of the population is between 10 and 24 years 
  • 7 percent of the population above 65 years
• The World Population Prospects 2022 report of the UN released last year indicated that India’s population would reach 166.8 crores by 2050 while China’s population will decline to 131.7 crores.
• In 1950, the population of India was 86.1 crores, while the population of China was 114.4 crores. 
• The UN projections indicate that the population of India will grow for the next three decades and then it will start to decline.
• While the global population touched 8 billion in November 2022, the UNFPA report said that the world population is growing at its slowest rate since 1950 falling under 1% in 2020.
• The UNFPA report estimated that in India the average life expectancy at birth for males is 71 years while for females it is 74 years. The total fertility rate (births per woman in the reproductive age) of India is estimated at 2.0.

Implications for India:

• According to the UNFPA representative, India has the largest percentage of the youth population between 15-24 years providing great scope as a source of innovation, new thinking and lasting solutions.
• The UNFPA representative also stressed the importance of women’s empowerment through education and skill-building opportunities, access to technology and digital innovations, information and power to fully exercise their reproductive rights and choices. 
• The executive director of UNFPA opined that the efforts of governments to influence fertility should not affect women’s reproductive rights.

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