What is the population of India? Is it the largest in the world?

Jacob Livesay, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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As of May 2023, India is the most populous country in the world. According to the United Nations, India surpassed its neighbor China, which was previously the world’s most populous nation, in late April.

China’s population is in decline and skewing older because of family planning policies launched in the 1970s, as well as increasing income and education, Vox reports. The U.N. projects China will lose almost half of its population by the year 2100.

India, however, contributes to global working-age population growth more than any other country, according to CNN. Birth rates in India have decreased recently, so this won’t be the case in 25 years, but at present, India’s young, working population is of a remarkable size.

What is the population of India?

India’s population was reported to be approximately 1.43 billion when it surpassed China’s population in April, according to CNN.

That figure represents a population growth of roughly 20 million since 2021, when India’s population was estimated at 1.41 billion people, according to the World Bank.

April 24, 2023: Commuters travel in an overcrowded train near a railway station at Loni town in India's state of Uttar Pradesh. - India is set to overtake China as the world's most populous country by the end of June, UN estimates showed on April 19, posing huge challenges to a nation with creaking infrastructure and insufficient jobs for millions of young people.

What is India’s most populous city?

Mumbai is India’s most populous city, with a population greater than 12.6 million, according to World Population Review. That’s almost 2 million more people than India’s second most populous city, Delhi, which boasts a population of about 10.9 million.

What is India’s population density?

In 2020, India’s population density was estimated to be about 1217 people per square mile (470 per square kilometer), according to the World Bank.

That’s approximately 13 times the United States’ population density in 2021, which was approximately 94 people per square mile (36 per square kilometer), according to Statista – and India has been growing much faster than the U.S. since then, according to the World Bank.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What is the population of India? Facts about the most populous nation