India To Become World's Most Populous Country In 2023, UN Says

India is on track to overtake China as the planet's most populous country next year, according to a U.N. report published on Monday. CNBC reports: The report, from the population division of the U.N.'s Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said China and India were each home to over 1.4 billion people in 2022. 'India is projected to surpass China as the world's most populous country during 2023,' the U.N. said. The Indian government's census for 2011 put the country's population at more than 1.2 billion. 'The global human population will reach 8.0 billion in mid-November 2022 from an estimated 2.5 billion people in 1950,' according to the U.N.'s report.

Looking further ahead, the U.N. said its latest projections showed the global population could reach roughly 8.5 billion in 2030 and 10.4 billion in 2100. Last year, the U.N. said that the 'average fertility' of the planet's population amounted to 2.3 births per woman across a lifetime. This compares to approximately 5 births per woman in 1950, according to Monday's report. 'Global fertility is projected to decline further to 2.1 births per woman by 2050,' it said.

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