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People throng a street near the Jama Masjid People in the old quarters of New Delhi on April 19, 2023. - India is set to overtake China as the world's most populous country by the end of June, UN estimates showed on April 19, 2023, posing huge challenges to a nation with creaking infrastructure and insufficient jobs for millions of young people.
India is now on its way to overtaking China's population sometime in the middle of 2023, according to recent estimates by the United Nations (UN).
The United States (US) currently sits at the third spot of the most populous country in the world ranking. China and India are in first and second place, respectively. However, the latter is inching closer to the top spot.
India is Set to Surpass China's Population
According to CNN, the UN population record shows China has been the most populous country globally since 1950. The organization started taking population records from various countries in the same year.
After taking the top spot for several decades, China might no longer be second to any by the middle of 2023. A new report from the United Nations Population Fund or UNFPA, the "State of World Population Report," predicts that India could likely surpass the Chinese country.
The data shows that the Indian nation will likely attain a new population record at a staggering 1.4286 billion. Meanwhile, the population of China will shrink to around 1.4257 billion people. CNN did the math. The Chinese superpower might lag by about 2.9 million compared to India once the latter takes the top spot.
The Guardian notes in a story that India has yet to react to the new data. The Indian federal minister disclosed that their recent cabinet meeting failed to discuss the latest UN estimates.
Meanwhile, the estimates of the UN predict that the US will remain at the third ranking with a population of 340 million.
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People walk along Heritage Street near the statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Amritsar on April 19, 2023. - India is set to overtake China as the world's most populous country by the end of June, UN estimates showed on April 19, 2023, posing huge challenges to a nation with creaking infrastructure and insufficient jobs for millions of young people.
What Impact Does This Have on the World?
As per Al Jazeera, the close population race between India and China will take over one-third of the world's total population, now at around a whopping 8 billion. However, it is worth noting that both Asian countries are slowly decreasing their population growth. But China is doing a better job at doing so compared to India.
Statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics in China show that the population in the Asian nation fell to roughly 1.411 billion last year. The country also recently booked its lowest birth rate, with a record-breaking rate of 6.77 births for 1,000 people.
The UN says that people should focus on women's reproductive rights rather than the growing population in the world. The chief of UNFPA, Natalia Kanem, reveals a disturbing reality wherein almost half of the women "are unable to exercise bodily autonomy."
She explains that they cannot "make choices about contraception, healthcare, and whether or with whom to have sex." Not to mention that almost half of the pregnancies in the world are unplanned.
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