India’s population may have already overtaken China’s, estimates show

India may have already surpassed China as the world’s most-populous nation, Bloomberg reported citing estimates from the World Population Review which is an independent organisation focused on census and demographics.

According to the organisation’s estimated, India’s population stood at 1.417 billion as of end 2022, a little over 5 million more than the 1.412 billion reported by China when Beijing announced the first decline in population numbers since the 1960s. Although, the United Nations expects India to reach the milestone later this year.

Another estimate by research platform Macrotrends puts India’s population at 1.428 billion, Bloomberg reported. Although India’s population growth has slowed, World Population Review said that it expected the number to 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.

The decline in China’s population was registered even though the country reversed its strict one-child policy in 2021. The policy, which was implemented in 1980, aimed to reduce the social and economic consequences of rapid population growth by limiting families to have only one child.

It was strictly enforced with fines for violators as well. But Beijing is attempting to boost its population now, offering tax deductions, longer maternity leave and housing subsidies to encourage more births.

In August last year, China’s National Health Commission urged central and provincial governments to increase spending on reproductive health and improve childcare services. China’s state council also said that it is considering new measures to encourage flexible working hours and the option to work from home for employees with children.