India has surpassed China as the world’s most populous country, according to UN data released on Wednesday, marking a historic crossover moment for the two Asian neighbours and geopolitical rivals.
According to the UN’s Population Dashboard, India’s population has surpassed 1.428bn, just overtaking China’s more than 1.425bn people. The update in the population estimates came as the world body’s main agency that tracks demographic trends, the UNFPA, released its annual State of the World Population Report.
India’s population growth rate peaked at 2.4 per cent in the 1980s and had dropped to 1 per cent by 2020, a UN official told the Financial Times, and the population in 31 of its 36 states is now at replacement rate or in decline. However, because of higher fertility rates in the remaining five states, India’s population continues to grow.