The 'World Population Prospects 2024' report released by the United Nations states that the world's population is expected to continue to grow during the next 50-60 years and will reach 8.2 billion in 2024, while the world's population will be around 10.3 billion by the mid-2080s. However, after reaching the peak, the global population is expected to decline gradually and it will fall to 10.2 billion by the end of the century.
It has been said that India's population is estimated to reach around 1.7 billion in the early 2060s and after that it will decrease by 12 percent, but despite this it will remain the most populous country in the world throughout the century.
India overtook China last year to become the world's most populous country and will remain in this position till 2100. The UN report published by the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) of the world body said, 'India is likely to remain the most populous country in this century, although it is also estimated to decline by 12 percent after reaching about 1.7 billion in the early 2060s. According to the report, India's population can reach 1.45 billion in 2024. At the same time, it will increase to 1.69 billion in 2054.
According to this, it is also estimated that by the end of the century in 2100, India's population will decrease to 1.5 billion, but despite this it will remain the most populous country in the world. Responding to a question asked by 'PTI-Bhasha' on the estimate of India's population, Claire Menozzi, a senior official of the Population Division of the United Nations DESA, said, 'India is currently the largest country in the world in terms of population and it is estimated to remain at the top throughout the century. At present, India's population can reach 1.45 billion and later it will also increase to 1.69 billion. Menozzi said, 'It is believed that India's population will peak around the 2060s and then it will gradually start decreasing. In such a situation, by the end of the century, India's population will be around 1.5 billion, but it will still remain the most populous country in the world. The report says that China's population will decrease to 1.21 billion in the year 2054. At present, China's population is 1.41 billion. It said, 'At present, China is the second most populous country in the world, but its population is expected to decrease between 2024 and 2054, which can reach 20.4 crores in this period. Apart from this, Japan's population will be 2.1 crores, Russia's population will be reduced to 1 crore. China is likely to see the biggest decline in population (786 million) of any country by the end of the century due to its continued low fertility rate.
The report said that the current global fertility rate is 2.25 live births per woman, down from 3.31 births in 1990. It said that Pakistan's population will reach 389 million by 2054 and with this, Pakistan will overtake the US to become the third most populous country in the world. Currently, the US is the third most populous country in the world and its total population is 345 million. At the same time, its population will reach 384 million in 2054 and it will become the fourth most populous country in the world. Pakistan will remain the third most populous country in the world with a population of 511 million in the year 2100.
The report said that there is an 80 percent chance of the world's population reaching its peak in this century, whereas a decade ago the United Nations had predicted only 30 percent of this possibility. The world's population is now estimated to be 6 per cent smaller in 2100 than it was a decade ago, or about 700 million people fewer. The UN report said populations in about 126 countries and territories will continue to grow until 2054 and will probably peak at the end of the century or after 2100. This group includes many of the world's most populous countries - India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan and the United States.
In 2023, the global number of deaths of children under the age of five fell below 500,000 for the first time in recent history. However, 95 per cent of such deaths occurred in 126 countries whose populations are still growing - including the Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Nigeria and Pakistan. The report said life expectancy at birth globally will reach 73.3 years in 2024, an increase of 8.4 years since 1995.
