India on course to retain its position as the most populous country in the world throughout this century
The population of India, the most populous country in the world, is set to reach a peak of 1.7 billion in the 2060s before it will start declining, a new United Nations (UN) report has predicted. At present, the South Asian country has a population of around 1.4 billion.
According to the World Population Prospects 2024 report, after reaching the peak, the Indian population is set to dip by around 12% by 2100. However, the country is likely to remain the most populous nation in the world throughout the century, according to the report.
India last year overtook China to become the most populous country. The UN expects that China’s population has peaked and is declining. “This is because of a rapid drop in China’s fertility rates, which have been below the “replacement rate” – the average number of children per woman needed to keep the…