India will officially become the most populous country this year, UN claims  

India has remained right behind China in terms of population for decades, but it appears that India will officially overtake its neighbour to become the most populous country this year. United Nation’s latest survey, titled United Nations Population Fund, shows that India’s population will reach 1.4286 billion ahead of China’s 1.4257 billion later this year. India’s national capital New Delhi contributes 30 million to India’s population, whereas other cities like Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru with 20 million, 15 million and 12 million inhabitants each.   

There can be many disadvantages to having such a rapidly growing population, especially given India’s current economic size and finite availability of natural resources. On the other hand, the majority of India’s population is below the age of 35, which gives the Indian economy a massive potential to grow in the near future. This is contrary to China’s situation, where a large chunk of their population is older due to their One Child Police, which was first implemented way back in 1980. Using this as an example, India aims to make the best use of its population to achieve its economic aspirations for the 21st Century.