UN: With 1.4bn people, India to surpass China as most populous country in 2023

The United Nations says India will surpass China as the world’s most populous country in 2023, with more than 1.4 billion people.

The UN said this in its world population prospects 2022 released on Monday, adding that the global population will reach 8 billion by November 15, 2022, and 9.7 billion in 2050.

According to the report, China, with 1.43 billion people, is expected to experience an absolute decline in its population as early as 2023 — due to sustained low levels of fertility and emigration.

The report added that by 2050, India’s population will reach 1.67 billion while China will decline to 1.32 billion.

“The latest projections by the United Nations suggest that the global population could grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050 and 10.4 billion in 2100,” the report reads.

“Population growth is caused in part by declining levels of mortality, as reflected in increased levels of life expectancy at birth. Globally, life expectancy reached 72.8 years in 2019, an increase of almost 9 years since 1990.

“China is expected to experience an absolute decline in its population as early as 2023.

“Further reductions in mortality are projected to result in an average longevity of around 77.2 years globally in 2050.”

The report also projected that more than half of the population would be concentrated in Nigeria and seven other countries.

“More than half of the projected increase in global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in just eight countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania,” the report added.

“Disparate growth rates among the world’s largest countries will re-order their ranking by size.

“The populations of 61 countries or areas are projected to decrease by 1 per cent or more between 2022 and 2050, owing to sustained low levels of fertility and, in some cases, elevated rates of emigration.”