India Is Now The World's Most Populous Country, Leaving China Behind

United Nations (UN) data showed India has surpassed China as the most populous country in the world.

India's population is 142.86 crore, while China's is 142.57 crore.

The population of India grew by 1.56 per cent this past year.

India has become the most populous country on the UN list for the first time since 1950, when the data was first collected.

China's population decreased for the first time last year since 1960, a time when Mao Zedong's agricultural policies had caused the death of millions by starvation.

China has been grappling with a decline in birth rates and an ageing workforce, with efforts to boost birth rates in certain regions failing.

India lacks recent official population data as the last census conducted was in 2011.

India's census due for 2021 — a census is held every decade in the country — had to be delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.