By India is on course to overtake China to become the most populous country in the world in 2023, as the global population is expected to witness more growth.
The United Nations made this known in its World Population Prospects 2022 report, which was released on Monday.
According to the report, the UN predicts that the world’s population could grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050.
While China — which currently boasts of 1.43 billion people — is expected to have a smaller population of 1.32 billion in 2050, India’s population is projected to hit 1.67 billion.
The report reads in part, “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 UN also said that more than half of the projected increase in the global population up to 2050 would be concentrated in eight countries — the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania.
