New Delhi: India is estimated to surpass China to become the world’s most populous nation with 142.86 crore people, according to the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) “State of World Population Report, 2023” stated. The UN projections estimate that the country’s population is expected to grow for the next three decades after which it will begin declining. China now has a population of 142.57 crore, thus being the second most populous country, the UN world population dashboard showed.
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According to experts, India has achieved the replacement level of fertility but the population will grow due to the momentum phenomenon. Replacement level fertility is the level of fertility at which a population exactly replaces itself from one generation to the next.
The UN analysis stated that India’s population is expected to grow for the next three decades after which it will start declining. According to the United Nations’ World Population Prospects-2022, India’s population by 2050 is expected to rise to 166.8 crore while China’s population would dip to 131.7 crore.
According to the UNFPA, the size of elderly population will nearly double to touch 192 million by 2030, largely in southern and western states. The UNFPA said,
By 2050, every fifth Indian will be an elderly person, hence planning for this segment also deserves equal attention. The health and economic security of the elderly will need to gain primacy.
The population demographics of India vary from state to state. Kerala and Punjab have an ageing population while Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have a young population, UN analysis has revealed. Andrea Wojnar, the representative for United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) India and the country director for Bhutan, said,
India’s 1.4 billion people must be seen as 1.4 billion opportunities. As the country with the largest youth cohort — its 254 million youth (15-24 years) — can be a source of innovation, new thinking and lasting solutions. The trajectory can leapfrog forward if women and girls, in particular, are equipped with equal educational and skill building opportunities, access to technology and digital innovations, and most importantly with information and power to fully exercise their reproductive rights and choices.
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NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
