New Delhi: In the latest projection by the United Nations, India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country next year and the world population is expected to touch eight billion by mid-November 2022. The World Population Prospects 2022 by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division said that the global population is projected to reach eight billion on November 15, 2022, reported news agency PTI.
“This year’s World Population Day (July 11) falls during a milestone year when we anticipate the birth of the Earth’s eight billionth inhabitant. This is an occasion to celebrate our diversity, recognise our common humanity, and marvel at advancements in health that have extended lifespans and dramatically reduced maternal and child mortality rates,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said.
What are key projections for population growth?
India’s population stands at 1.412 billion in 2022, compared to China’s 1.426 billion.
India, which will overtake China as the world’s most populous nation by 2023, is projected to have a population of 1.668 billion in 2050, compared to China’s 1.317 billion population by the middle of the century.
The global population is rising at its slowest rate since 1950, having fallen under one per cent in 2020.
The world’s population could grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050. It is projected to reach a peak of around 10.4 billion people during the 2080s and to remain at that level until 2100.
The world’s two most populous regions in 2022 were Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, with 2.3 billion people, representing 29 per cent of the global population, and Central and Southern Asia, with 2.1 billion, representing 26 per cent of the total world population.
China and India represented the largest populations in these regions, with more than 1.4 billion each in 2022.
It is projected that more than half of the estimated increase in global population up to 2050 will be focused in eight countries of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania.
It is estimated that 10 countries experienced a net outflow of more than 1 million migrants between 2010 and 2021.
In many of these countries, these outflows were due to temporary labour movements, such as Pakistan (net outflow of -16.5 million during 2010-2021), India (-3.5 million), Bangladesh (-2.9 million), Nepal (-1.6 million), and Sri Lanka (-1 million).