Indias population is projected to reach its zenith in the early 2060s at approximately 1.7 billion before experiencing a 12% decline. Despite this reduction, India will remain the worlds most populous country throughout the century, according to a United Nations report.The World Population Prospects 2024 report, released on Thursday by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), projects the global population to continue growing over the next 50-60 years. It is expected to peak at around 10.3 billion in the mid-2080s, up from the current 8.2 billion in 2024, before gradually declining to 10.2 billion by the centurys end.Indias Demographic ForecastIndia, having surpassed China as the worlds most populous nation last year, will retain this position through 2100. The report states, The population of India, which is expected to remain the worlds largest throughout the century, will likely decline by 12 per cent after reaching its peak in the early 2060s at about 1.7 billion.Indias population in 2024 is projected to be 1.45 billion, peaking at 1.69 billion in 2054. After this peak, the population is expected to decline to 1.5 billion by 2100, yet India will continue to be the most populous nation globally.Expert InsightsResponding to a question on population projections for India, Clare Menozzi, Senior Population Affairs Officer at UN DESA, said, India is currently the largest country in the world in terms of population, and it is projected to stay so throughout the century. The population is currently estimated at 1.45 billion, and its supposed to increase further to 1.69 billion.In contrast, Chinas population, currently at 1.41 billion, is projected to fall to 1.21 billion by 2054 and further decline to 633 million by 2100. The report anticipates that China will experience the largest absolute population loss between 2024 and 2054, followed by Japan and Russia. Due to its large size and sustained low level of fertility, China is likely to record the largest population decline of any country through the end of the century, the report notes.John Wilmoth, Director of the Population Division at UN DESA, explained that Chinas significant population decline is largely due to its low fertility rate. The current number is right around one birth per woman on average over a lifetime, Wilmoth said. Given that you need 2.1 births to maintain the current population without migration, low fertility levels produce a long-term decline thats quite significant.
