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India's population to surpass China this

week - UN
7 hours ago

GETTY IMAGES
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 A crowd at the India Gate in New Delhi on Sunday

By George Wright
BBC News

India will overtake China to become the most populous country in the world
by the end of this week, the United Nations has said.

India's population is expected to reach 1,425,775,850 people by the end of

April, the new data shows.

A different UN body last week predicted that India would overtake China by
the middle of this year.

The Asian nations have accounted for more than a third of the global
population for over 70 years.

"China will soon cede its long-held status as the world's most populous
country," the UN's Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) said in a
statement.
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It added that "due to the uncertainty associated with estimating and

projecting populations, the specific date on which India is expected to surpass
China in population size is approximate and subject to revision".

The UN Population Fund said last week India would have 2.9 million more
people than China by the middle of 2023.

What it will mean when Indians outnumber Chinese

Should China worry about its shrinking population?

What will China's population drop mean for the world?

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China's birth rate has plunged recently, with its population shrinking last year
for the first time since 1961.

China's population could drop below 1 billion before the end of the century,
DESA said.

"By contrast, India's population is expected to continue growing for several

decades," it added.

However, fertility rates are dropping in India, too - from 5.7 births per woman
in 1950 to 2.2 births per woman today.

In November, the global population crossed 8 billion. But experts the growth
is not as rapid as it was - and is now at its slowest rate since 1950.

Related Topics
:
 Population growth Asia China India

More on this story

India to have more people than China by mid-2023

5 days ago

China's population falls for first time since 1961

17 January
:
17 January

What it will mean when Indians outnumber Chinese

20 December 2022

India's population on track to overtake China's

11 July 2022

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