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| India will overtake China as the most populous country in the world in 2022 |
India will overtake China's population six years sooner than expected.
The United Nations (UN) reported on Wednesday that contrary to its forecast in 2013, India will become the world's most populous country in the world in 2022 rather than 2028.
At present, India's population is 1.31 billion compared to 1.38 billion of China. It is expected that both will account for 1.4 billion people each in 2022. But then, the numbers in India will increase to 1.5 billion in 2030 and 1.7 billion in 2050. China's population on the other hand will be nearly stable in 2030s, after which it is expected to decline.
By 2050, it has been forecast that the world population will be 9.7 billion compared to the present 7.3 billion. India is one of the nine countries which will be responsible for half of the growth of all population.
Indian population-related policies on the other hand, are said to be 'stuck in the past'.
Sterilisation of women remains India's biggest contraceptive method. Lack of other forms of birth control, especially for women in rural areas, remains the biggest challenge . Of the 4.7 million women sterilised in 2013, 77 percent had never used any other forms of contraception.
Though the government has acknowledged this problem and promised to deliver more modern birth control methods to its women, half of whom are of reproductive age, the existing public health system is in no position to provide this. Incentives for getting sterilized however, have been increased.
The UN population projection again draws attention to the need for a more comprehensive and healthy family planning services in India.