NEW DELHI: India has overtaken China as the world’s most populous nation, as per the data released by the United Nations. India’s population is 142.86 crore against China’s 142.57 crore. This is the first time that India has topped the UN list of the most populous countries since population data began to be collected in 1950. The UN checked the figures up to February 2023. The United States is in the third place.
China's population shrank last year for the first time since the 1960s, when millions starved to death due to disastrous agricultural policies. China is worried about its population decline. Special plans have also been announced to increase the birth rate to overcome the crisis. However, the Chinese media itself indicates that there are no signs of success.
The world population is estimated at 8.045 billion. One third of these are from India and China. According to government figures, India's annual population growth since 2011 is 1.2 percent.