India Overtakes China as the Most Populous Country

Whoa! What is India’s current population?

The United Nations (UN) says India has overtaken China to become the world’s most populated country. India’s population is 142.86 crore, whereas China's population is 142.57 crore.

UN data shows India has a young population, with the majority of Indians between the ages of 15 and 64. India’s population is expected to grow for the next 30 years, reaching 165 crores before declining. Meanwhile, China’s population is seen to be declining.

Why is China’s population declining?

China's population is declining due to lower birth rates and an ageing workforce. The one-child policy was started in China in the 1980s. This policy required many families to have only one child to prevent population growth. 

This policy was able to slow China’s population growth but also had a bad effect. China's population has become an aged one, which means that the majority of the Chinese are not young.

In 2016, the one-child policy was removed, but this did not raise birth rates. Many young Chinese are marrying late and having fewer or no children. All these are the reasons behind China’s declining population.

Is India’s population growth good or bad for the country?

An increasing population means more number of people using our country’s limited space and resources. Let’s look at an example to better understand this.

Imagine a classroom that can hold 50 students. Let’s say the teacher has 50 chocolates for the class - one for each student. Suddenly, 50 more students join the classroom. Now, with 100 students in one class, there is less space for everyone to sit and children will only get half a chocolate instead of one full candy bar. This is exactly what will happen if our population is too much - more people with lesser space and lesser resources. 

India has more young people than China. However, youngsters are not able to get proper work. Unemployment is steadily rising in our country.

So, an increase in population with fewer jobs will hurt the country’s development. The good news is that the Indian government has launched many programmes to increase job creation and economic growth. So, as the population expands, so does India's workforce. 

This shows that an increase in population has both advantages and disadvantages.