India will surpass China to become the world’s most populous country by the middle of this year, according to a UN report, with the South Asian nation estimated to have nearly three million more people.
The UN Population Fund’s latest report, State of World Population Report 2023, estimates India's population will hit 1.4286 billion this year — exceeding China's by more than 2.9 million.
In India, 68 per cent of the population is projected to be between 15 and 64 years of age, with 25 per cent between newborn and 14 years of age, and just 7 per cent of the population 65 or older.
The UN, however, did not specify a date for when the change would take place, but said India's population will overtake China's by mid-2023.
India’s official population according to the most-recent census in 2011 was 1.21 billion and New Delhi has said the population was expected to have risen to 1.4 billion.
No official figures have been released so far.
India was expecting to overtake neighbouring China as the most populous nation this year after Beijing announced in January that its population had fallen for the first time in 60 years, to 1.44 billion.
While the Asian giants represent 19 and 18 per cent of the world’s population, respectively, population growth in the countries has been slowing, but more rapidly in China.
Official figures from China's National Bureau of Statistics showed mainland China had 850,000 fewer people at the end of last year than in the previous year, whereas India’s population has grown from 358 million in 1951 to 1.2 billion in 2011, according to the last census.
India releases its census every 10 years, but failed to conduct the exercise in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Population has remained a touchy subject in India, which has seen decades of debate on state intervention, including a controversial forced sterilisation campaign in 1970s that saw tens of thousands of men, most of them unmarried, being forcibly sterilised by the government.
The country had abandoned its strict family welfare policies after the sterilisation programme.
It raised serious questions about the government’s intent, including its targeting of minority community Muslims, a group perceived as the biggest contributor to the population despite showing growth patterns similar to other religious groups.
Since then, the government has adopted contraceptive and reproductive awareness campaigns to try to control the increase in its population.
The expanding population has been a concern for the country in terms of the economy, health, education and employment opportunities.
India has witnessed a steep increase in jobless rates in recent years, with unemployment touching 7.45 per cent last month, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, a private organisation.
About 22 per cent of its mammoth population lives below the poverty line, according to the last census, while 16 per cent were undernourished in 2021, according to the Global Health Index that assesses the health security capabilities of 196 countries.
There are fears that rapid population growth could exacerbate poverty and hunger and put the country's resources could be under even more pressure.
But Andrea Wojnar, representative for UN Population Fund in India, said that the population growth was a “symbol of progress”.
“The Indian survey findings suggest that population anxieties have seeped into large portions of the general public,” Ms Wojnar said in a statement.
“Yet, population numbers should not trigger anxiety or create alarm. Instead, they should be seen as a symbol of progress, development, and aspirations if individual rights and choices are being upheld,” she said.
Many experts believe that India’s young population will help the country to yield the demographic dividends and help accelerate national growth in the world’s fifth-largest economy, unlike China where the population is ageing at a faster pace.
About 254 million people in China are over the age of 60, a figure expected to reach 400 million by 2040.
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Crops that could be introduced to the UAE
1: Quinoa
2. Bathua
3. Amaranth
4. Pearl and finger millet
5. Sorghum
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
Emirates Cricket Board Women’s T10
ECB Hawks v ECB Falcons
Monday, April 6, 7.30pm, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
The match will be broadcast live on the My Sports Eye Facebook page
Hawks
Coach: Chaitrali Kalgutkar
Squad: Chaya Mughal (captain), Archara Supriya, Chamani Senevirathne, Chathurika Anand, Geethika Jyothis, Indhuja Nandakumar, Kashish Loungani, Khushi Sharma, Khushi Tanwar, Rinitha Rajith, Siddhi Pagarani, Siya Gokhale, Subha Srinivasan, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish
Falcons
Coach: Najeeb Amar
Squad: Kavisha Kumari (captain), Almaseera Jahangir, Annika Shivpuri, Archisha Mukherjee, Judit Cleetus, Ishani Senavirathne, Lavanya Keny, Mahika Gaur, Malavika Unnithan, Rishitha Rajith, Rithika Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Shashini Kaluarachchi, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Vaishnave Mahesh
Manchester United's summer dealings
In
Victor Lindelof (Benfica) £30.7 million
Romelu Lukaku (Everton) £75 million
Nemanja Matic (Chelsea) £40 million
Out
Zlatan Ibrahimovic Released
Wayne Rooney (Everton) Free transfer
Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad) £9.8 million
CREW
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali
Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 621Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.9L / 100km
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday Valladolid v Osasuna (Kick-off midnight UAE)
Saturday Valencia v Athletic Bilbao (5pm), Getafe v Sevilla (7.15pm), Huesca v Alaves (9.30pm), Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid (midnight)
Sunday Real Sociedad v Eibar (5pm), Real Betis v Villarreal (7.15pm), Elche v Granada (9.30pm), Barcelona v Levante (midnight)
Monday Celta Vigo v Cadiz (midnight)
INDIA SQUAD
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shikhar Dhawan (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik (wicketkeeper), Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Vijay Shankar, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammad Siraj and Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper)
