Why India’s population is about to overtake China’s
For the first time in recorded history, China will not be the world’s biggest country
INDIA’S POPULATION is poised to surpass China’s. No one knows exactly when: India’s government postponed the census due in 2021 (because of the covid-19 pandemic, it says), so its numbers are not as exact as they might have been. But, according to the United Nations, a reliable guide on demographic matters, India and China had the same population in April 2023 (1,426m). Since China’s population is falling and India’s is rising, it is a safe bet that the latter will overtake the former imminently.
More from The Economist explains
Where does Santa come from?
How a miracle-working Greek bishop, Dutch folk figure and early New York icon became the ubiquitous symbol of Christmas
Who are the main rebel groups in Syria?
They were united against the country’s dictator. Now they have little in common
Is RFK junior right to say America allows more toxins than the EU?
He is, but things are slowly beginning to change
What would it cost to kill coal?
The price of shutting down coal power, and what would be gained
Should America ban fluoride in its drinking water?
The idea by Robert F. Kennedy junior—nominated by Donald Trump as health secretary—may have teeth
Why is Donald Trump keen to use “recess appointments”?
The president-elect is testing the loyalty of the Senate’s next majority leader