India will overtake China as the worlds most populous nation by 2030, five years earlier than had been expected, according to a new UN study released on Thursday.
The UNs latest global population report predicted that India, at 1,103 billion people this year, would reach 1,593 billion by 2050, while China will go from 1,316 billion to 1,392 billion.
But India will actually surpass China as early as 2030 – the last such report had predicted in 2035 – according to the latest available data about birth rates in the two countries, UN demographer Cheryl Sawyer said.
– Today, Indias fertility rate is over three children per woman while Chinas is about 1,7, Sawyer noted.
– That is whats going to be causing the (earlier) crossover. The data from China indicate that fertility is a bit lower than we had previously thought, said she.
Kilde: The Push Journal
