According to the most recent United Nations figures, India has surpassed China to become the world's most populous country, with 142.86 crore inhabitants.
This is the first time India has topped the UN list of most populous countries since data collection began in 1950. As birth rates fall and the workforce ages, China faces a projected demographic downturn.
Several regions have also announced measures to increase birth rates, but official efforts have so far been ineffective in reversing the trend. India lacks recent official data on its population because it has not performed a census since 2011.
The once-in-a-decade census in India was scheduled for 2021, but it was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak. According to UN estimates, about one-quarter of India's population is under the age of 14. 68% of the population is between the ages of 15 and 64, with 7% over the age of 65.
According to various estimates, India's population would continue to grow for about three decades before peaking at 165 million and then dropping. According to the new UN report, the world population will have reached 8.045 billion by mid-2023.
According to other UN numbers published in July that forecast how the world's population would develop between now and 2100, other countries, primarily in Europe and Asia, should expect a demographic downturn in the following decades.
