India To Be World’s Most Populous Country By 2027 Leaving China Behind, Says UN Report

India is likely to be the most populous country in the world within the next decade as the country’s population is projected to overtake that of China around 2027, a United Nations (UN) report released on Monday (17 June) said.

The population division of the UN department of economics and social affairs came up with the World Population Prospects 2019 stating the largest increases in population between 2019 and 2050 will take place in - India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, the United Republic of Tanzania, Indonesia, Egypt and the United States of America, reports LiveMint.

“Around 2027, India is projected to overtake China as the world’s most populous country,” the report said.

The world’s population is expected to increase by 2 billion persons in the next 30 years, from 7.7 billion currently to 9.7 billion in 2050, it said.

The report also confirmed that the world’s population is growing older due to increasing life expectancy and falling fertility levels, and that the number of countries experiencing a reduction in population size is growing.

The resulting changes in the size, composition and distribution of the world’s population have important consequences for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the globally agreed targets for improving economic prosperity and social well-being while protecting the environment, said the report.