According to reports by United Nations, India has now overtaken China as the world’s most populated country. The UN’s latest figures illustrate that, by the end of April 2023, India’s population had surpassed an estimated 1,425,775,850 people*, overtaking that of China.

India and China, often referred to as the ‘population billionaires’, are each home to over 1.4 billion people, together accounting for more than one third of the planet’s entire human population. Since 1950, China has always been acknowledged as the world’s most populated country. In 1982 China was also the first country to surpass one billion people. But the combined effect of China’s one-child policy (introduced in 1979) and India’s higher fertility rate, have resulted in India’s population finally overtaking that of China.

The world’s population is predicted to grow from its present 8 billion, peaking at around 10.4 billion in the second half of this century. With the earth already struggling to support 8 billion people, what will the future look like with 25% more people spread across it?

* Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs