In news– As per United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) the State of World Population Report, 2023 India’s population surpassed 1.428 billion while China stood at 1.425 billion.
Key highlights-
- India’s population is pegged to reach 142.86 crore against China’s 142.57 crore.
- There is a difference of 2.9 million people between India and China. Half of the population is under the age of 30 in India.
- India’s population is expected to touch 1.668 billion by 2050. While China’s population is expected to contract to about 1.317 billion.
- The latest figures were given under the category of ‘Demographic Indicators’ in the report.
- It will be the first time that India’s population will overtake China’s since 1950 when the UN began to collect and release population data.
- The UNFPA report said 25% of India’s population is in the age group of 0-14, 18% in 10-19, 26% in 10-24, 68% in 15-64, and 7% above 65.
- The corresponding figures for China are 17%, 12%, 18%, 69%, and 14%, which means the country has nearly 200 million above the age of 65.
- According to the report, China is doing better than India in the context of life expectancy, which in the case of women is 82 and 76 that of men. The figures for India are 74 and 71.
- China’s population decreased by 850,000 people in 2022, the first such decline since 1961.
- The world’s population hit the 800-crore mark in November 2022.
- Just eight countries will account for half the projected growth in global population by 2050 — the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania.
- While two-thirds of people now live in a country where lifetime fertility corresponds with zero growth.
Recommendations-
The report strongly recommended that governments introduce policies with gender equality and rights at their heart, such as parental leave programmes, child tax credits, policies that promote gender equality in the workplace, and universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)-
- The United Nations Population Fund UNFPA, formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is a UN agency aimed at improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide.
- UNFPA was created in 1969, the same year the United Nations General Assembly declared “parents have the exclusive right to determine freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children.”
- Mission: To deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.
- Its work includes developing national healthcare strategies and protocols, increasing access to birth control, and leading campaigns against child marriage, gender-based violence, obstetric fistula, and female genital mutilation.
- It advises against reactionary policy responses, which can be extremely harmful if they violate rights, health and choices.
- It calls for prioritizing reproductive health and rights for all through access to information and services in the face of fertility and demographic shifts.
Source: Hindustan Times
