India will overtake China as the world’s most populous country in the coming weeks, reaching nearly 1.43 billion people, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs announced on Monday 24 April.
India is ahead of China due to the rapid growth of its population and the decline in China’s population after reaching 1.426 billion last year. According to UN projections, China is also expected to continue to decline to around one billion people by the end of this century.
Meanwhile, according to the United Nations, India’s population is “almost certain” to continue growing in the coming decades. The UN’s median projections see India reaching 1.5 billion by mid-century although officials say it is likely to be lower or higher. (www.madisonavenuemalls.com)
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This amount of population density is also affected by China’s slower growth due to rising costs of living and the number of women in China who work and seek education. Last year, China’s fertility rate fell to one of the lowest levels in the world with 1.2 births per woman.
India itself takes longer to suppress population growth than China. The fertility rate is 2.0 births per woman, just below the replacement rate of 2.1.
Moreover, India faces considerable challenges in providing food, electricity and shelter to its growing population, with many of its major cities already coping with water shortages, water and air pollution, and overcrowded slums.
Meanwhile, China’s economy is increasingly challenged to fill the gaps due to its aging population. Beijing said last week that its national strategy is designed to actively deal with population aging, promote the triple birth policy and supportive measures, and actively respond to changes in population development.
Source: CNA
