Not 1.3, 1.4 billion Indians

India has overtaken China as the world's most populous country according to the UN Population Report. In 2025, India's population will reach 146.39 crore while China remain at 141.61 crore.

China's skewed authoritarian measures for population control have backfired recently. The number of youngsters decreased drastically, while senile citizens turned into the majority.

As the elderly population increases, the economic benefits will plunge while there will be an extra burden for the treatment and care of those citizens. In a democratic country like India, families have the right to choose the number of children they want and there exists no form of coercion from the government’s side.

The U.N. report mentions India's declining fertility rate which has fallen from an average of 2.1 children per woman to 1.9. In Kerala, the fertility rate is 1.5; in Tamil Nadu and Delhi, it is 1.4. The U.N. report also indicates that India is becoming more youthful despite the slow birth rate. 24 per cent of the country's population is below the age of 14. 68 per cent are between the ages of 15 and 64. Seven per cent are above the age of 65.

The life expectancy of men is 71 years and that of women is 74 years. The report estimates that India's population will increase to 1.7 billion and then make a descent. The report also says that this will happen after forty years. Since no census has been conducted since 2011, real figures are not available about India's population. Even the Prime Minister, in his speeches, often mentions India’s population as 1.4 billion and not the formerly known 1.3 billion. Population experts say that the UN Population Fund report that has just been released is closer to reality. They point out that in 2019, a technical team comprising population experts had predicted that India's population would be 1.41 billion in 2025.

The census scheduled for 2021 was postponed in the wake of the Covid pandemic and other factors. Although the Center has announced that it will conduct a caste census along with the population census this time, it has not specified the dates for the census to begin, except that it will be completed before 2027. It is the need of the hour for India to have an accurate census report of the population rather than relying completely on the UN report.