According to Bloomberg, India may have already surpassed China as the world’s most populous country, citing estimates from the World Population Review, an independent organisation focused on census and demographics.
The organization’s estimates, India’s population will be 1.417 billion by the end of 2022, slightly more than 5 million more than the 1.412 billion reported by China when Beijing announced the country’s first population decline since the 1960s. However, the United Nations anticipates that India will reach the milestone later this year.
According to Bloomberg, another estimate from research platform Macrotrends puts India’s population at 1.428 billion. Although India’s population growth has slowed, World Population Review forecasts that it will continue to rise until at least 2050.
On the other hand, China’s population shrank by 850,000 in 2022 compared to a year ago, according to data released by the National Statistics Bureau. In its estimate, the United Nations said that more than half of the estimated increase in global population between 2022 and 2050 will be in just eight countries: Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania.
Even though China reversed its strict one-child policy in 2021, the country’s population continued to decline. The policy, which went into effect in 1980, aimed to mitigate the social and economic consequences of rapid population growth by limiting families to only having one child.
It was strictly enforced, with fines imposed on violators. However, Beijing is currently attempting to increase its population by offering tax breaks, extended maternity leave, and housing subsidies in order to encourage more births.
China’s National Health Commission urged central and provincial governments to increase spending on reproductive health and improve childcare services in August of last year. The Chinese state council also stated that it is considering new measures to encourage flexible working hours and the option for employees to work from home.