India likely to add 273 million people between 2019 and 2050: UN report

India projected to surpass China as the worlds most populous country around 2027 is expected to add nearly 273 million people between now and 2050 and will remain the most populated country through the end of the current century a UN report said on MondayThe World Population Prospects 2019 Highlights published by the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs said the worlds population is expected to increase by two billion people in the next 30 years from 77 billion currently to 97 billion in 2050The worlds population could reach its peak around the end of the current century at a level of nearly 11 billion according to the study which presents the main results of the 26th round of the UNs global population estimates projections and global demographic patternsThe new report released here said that more than half of the projected increase in the global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in just nine countries led by India and followed by Nigeria Pakistan Democratic Republic of the Congo Ethiopia Tanzania Indonesia Egypt and the USThe report highlighted that disparate population growth ratesiquest among the worlds largest countries will reorder their ranking by size India is projected to surpass China as the worlds most populous country around 2027 according to current projections made in the reportIndia is expected to add nearly 273 million people between 2019 and 2050 while the population of Nigeria is projected to grow by 200 million Together these two countries could account for 23 percent of the global population increase to 2050 the report saidPrevious UN projections had estimated that India will surpass China as the worlds most populous country as early as 2022 The 2017 world population report released by the UN two years ago had estimated that the population of India will surpass that of Chinas by around 2024 In its 24th round of estimates released in 2015 the UN had projected that India will become more populous than China by 2022China with 143 billion people in 2019 and India with 137 billion have long been the two most populous countries of the world comprising 19 and 18 percent respectively of the global total in 2019 They are followed by the United States of America with 329 million in 2019 and Indonesia with 271 million the 2019 report saidThe report said that after this reordering between 2019 and 2050 the ranking of the five largest countries is projected to be preserved through the end of the century when India could remain the worlds most populous country with nearly 15 billion inhabitants followed by China with just under 11 billion Nigeria with 733 million the US with 434 million and Pakistan with 403 million inhabitantsIt further said that in 2019 around 40 percent of the worlds population lives in intermediatefertility countries where women have on average between 21 and four births over a lifetimeAverage lifetime fertility of 21 live births per woman is roughly the level required for populations with low mortality to have a growth rate of zero in the long run Intermediatefertility countries are found in many regions with the largest being India Indonesia Pakistan Mexico the Philippines and EgyptThe report also confirmed that the worlds population is growing older due to increasing life expectancy and falling fertility levels and that the number of countries experiencing a reduction in population size is growingBy 2050 one in six people in the world will be over age 65 16 percent up from one in 11 in 2019 9 per cent The number of persons aged 80 years or over is projected to triple from 143 million in 2019 to 426 million in 2050Global fertility rate which fell from 32 births per woman in 1990 to 25 in 2019 is projected to decline further to 22 in 2050 A fertility level of 21 births per woman is needed to ensure the replacement of generations and avoid population decline over the long run in the absence of immigrationUN UnderSecretaryGeneral for Economic and Social Affairs Liu Zhenmin said the report offers a roadmap indicating where to target action and interventionsMany of the fastest growing populations are in the poorest countries where population growth brings additional challenges in the effort to eradicate poverty achieve greater equality combat hunger and malnutrition and strengthen the coverage and quality of health and education systems to ensure that no one is left behindA growing number of countries are experiencing a reduction in population size Since 2010 27 countries or areas have experienced a reduction of one percent or more in the size of their populations caused by sustained low levels of fertilityIn China the population is projected to decrease by 314 million or around 22 percent between 2019 and 2050 Further life expectancy at birth for the world which increased from 642 years in 1990 to 726 years in 2019 is expected to increase further to 771 years in 2050The report added that migration has become a major component of population change in some countries Between 2010 and 2020 14 countries or areas will see a net inflow of more than one million migrants while 10 countries will see a net outflow of similar magnitudeCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get the latest updates