Sunanda K. Datta-Ray | Most populous in world: An asset or a burden for India?
2 years ago

Sunanda K. Datta-Ray | Most populous in world: An asset or a burden for India?

Deccan Chronicle  

Come April 14 next year and there will be no dearth of patriotic Indians to applaud the National Democratic Alliance if India’s population touches 1,425,775,850, as the United Nations has predicted. In spite of the fact that the family planning and welfare programmes undertaken by previous governments brought down the fertility rate, India’s population is not expected to stabilise before 2050. India has been lukewarm about population control ever since 1977 when Indira Gandhi’s defeat was attributed to her younger son’s over-zealous birth control campaign and the abuses it encouraged. Although China’s economy is nearly six times larger than India’s, India, as the world’s most populous country, is expected to provide more than one-sixth of the global working population in the 15-64 age group.

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History of this topic

Patralekha Chatterjee | Too few babies? Reset the India fertility rate debate
2 weeks, 5 days ago

Patralekha Chatterjee | Too few babies? Reset the India fertility rate debate

Deccan Chronicle  

The idea of defining a woman primarily as a mother, duty bound to uphold the interests of the nation, is not new. India stands out because it is the world’s most populous country with a largely youthful population, where many states are simultaneously witnessing a steady decline in fertility, though at a varying rate, and a spike in the number …

From the India Today archives (2021) | India's population policy: Myths and reality
3 weeks, 1 day ago

From the India Today archives (2021) | India's population policy: Myths and reality

India Today  

When Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath chose the occasion of World Population Day on July 11 to announce a new state population policy, there normally should have been no quarrel about it. After all, the state is India’s most populous, harbouring nearly 200 million people or 17 per cent of India’s population. Population Foundation of India’s executive director Poonam …

Resolving India’s population woes requires political maturity
4 weeks, 1 day ago

Resolving India’s population woes requires political maturity

Al Jazeera  

The best solutions are to be found in getting politicians to behave apolitically and look at the long-term future of the country, not their own immediate gains. Economist Shamika Ravi, a member of the Economic Advisory Council to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, recently commented on X that fertility rates in more than three-quarters of India’s states are now below …

India's population projected to reach 1.53 billion by 2100: How can it leverage this growth?
1 month ago

India's population projected to reach 1.53 billion by 2100: How can it leverage this growth?

New Indian Express  

India, which became the most populous country in the world in 2023, surpassing China, is projected to have a total population of 1.53 billion by 2100, according to estimates from the United Nations. The UN's population growth estimate projects the total world population to reach 10.4 billion by 2100, based on factors such as fertility rates, increasing life expectancy, and …

India's elderly population expected to double by 2050, with 346 million aged 60 and above: UNFPA
5 months ago

India's elderly population expected to double by 2050, with 346 million aged 60 and above: UNFPA

New Indian Express  

NEW DELHI: India's elderly population is expected to double by 2050, UNFPA India chief Andrea Wojnar said, stressing that more investment in healthcare, housing and pensions is needed, especially for older women who are "more likely to live alone and face poverty." "With India projected to be 50 percent urban by 2050, building smart cities, strong infrastructure, and affordable housing …

Demography and its discontents
5 months, 1 week ago

Demography and its discontents

Hindustan Times  

India does not have an official population number after 2011. India is believed to have become the world’s most populous country sometime between January and July 2023 / AFP PHOTO / ARUN SANKAR A country’s demographics, of course, do not wait for official data. The World Population Prospects report released by the United Nations — it is the most authoritative …

India’s population to peak at 1.7bn in 2060s, decline afterwards; China and Japan’s population to reduce significantly
5 months, 1 week ago

India’s population to peak at 1.7bn in 2060s, decline afterwards; China and Japan’s population to reduce significantly

Live Mint  

India’s population will most likely peak at 1.7 billion in the early 2060s and is projected to decline after that by 12 per cent. However, according to the World Population Prospects 2024 report released on July 11, the population is expected to decline to 10.2 billion people by the end of this century. The population is currently estimated at 1.45 …

India’s demographic journey of hits and misses
5 months, 2 weeks ago

India’s demographic journey of hits and misses

The Hindu  

As we observe World Population Day on July 11, there is much to look at in India’s demographic journey over the decades. With 2030, the target year, drawing closer, India’s progress in the SDGs should be understood particularly in light of its population dynamics. India’s population dynamics Three components, namely fertility, mortality, and migration, play a pivotal role in shaping …

Women, babies, growth: ‘Not a switch that can be turned on and off’
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Women, babies, growth: ‘Not a switch that can be turned on and off’

Hindustan Times  

Some estimates say India’s population will peak as early as the 2040s – close enough to worry about. Round 5 of the NFHS shows that India’s fertility level is below the replacement rate of 2.1 in all but five states. One is that once women decide to have fewer children, it’s not a switch that can be turned on and …

Women’s reproductive autonomy as the new catchword
1 year, 5 months ago

Women’s reproductive autonomy as the new catchword

The Hindu  

The theme of this year’s World Population Day, i.e., ‘Unleashing the power of gender equality: Uplifting the voices of women and girls to unlock our world’s infinite possibilities’, could not be more apt for India. In India, the world’s most populous nation, the template for women-led development, be it in science, technology, agriculture, education or health care, must also include …

Why China got population control wrong; India got it right
1 year, 7 months ago

Why China got population control wrong; India got it right

Al Jazeera  

Yes, India has many challenges ahead, but compared with China, it has shown that slow and steady can win the race. Today, as India’s population passes China’s amid a mix of hope and apprehensions about its implications, it’s important to recall those journeys so societies and policymakers draw the right lessons from them. Under India’s federal structure, state governments set …

Most populous country: Celebrate, contemplate or mourn?
1 year, 7 months ago

Most populous country: Celebrate, contemplate or mourn?

Hindustan Times  

Is this milestone a reason to celebrate, contemplate or mourn? The International Labour Organization estimates that India’s female labour force participation is lower than the world average and declined by 6.9 percentage points between 1990 and 2016 and by 10.3% since December 2019. Besides the decline of women in the workforce, the government has not able to generate the employment …

India as most populous can be more boon than bane
1 year, 8 months ago

India as most populous can be more boon than bane

The Hindu  

China is projected to hand over the baton of the most populous country to India by mid-2023. To answer this, we need to understand: the nature of population growth, size and its composition, as well as mechanisms through which a country translates demographic bonus into economic dividend. With 68% of the working age population in 2023, the country continues to …

India to overtake China in population by July 1: UN
1 year, 8 months ago

India to overtake China in population by July 1: UN

Hindustan Times  

The United Nations expects India’s population to touch 1.429 billion latest by July 1, which will make it the most populous country in the world for the first time. “What we can say is that China’s population reached its peak last year and started to decline, and that while India’s population is growing, its rate of population growth has been …

UN: India's population will be world's largest by mid-year
1 year, 8 months ago

UN: India's population will be world's largest by mid-year

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy India is on track to …

World’s largest population: Will India gain or lose?
1 year, 8 months ago

World’s largest population: Will India gain or lose?

Al Jazeera  

India has the world’s largest workforce. “The greatest obstacle in the path of overall economic development is the alarming rate of population growth,” India’s health and family planning minister S Chandrasekhar said in 1967. In many ways, this is an indictment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” policies that have been pitched as a means to turn the …

India’s healthcare workers struggle to promote birth control in rural areas
1 year, 8 months ago

India’s healthcare workers struggle to promote birth control in rural areas

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery Women wait outside the operating …

Tapping advantages of population structure
1 year, 8 months ago

Tapping advantages of population structure

China Daily  

A nurse takes care of a newborn baby at Gansu Provincial Maternity and Childcare Hospital in Lanzhou. India's large population is set to boost its international standing, especially as it is already the world's fifth-largest economy and the fastest growing major economy. Although India has a young and dynamic population with high fertility potential, farmers make up more than 70 …

India will overtake China as the world's biggest nation, but is it ready to be the next global superpower?
1 year, 8 months ago

India will overtake China as the world's biggest nation, but is it ready to be the next global superpower?

ABC  

There are more than 8 billion people, and counting, spread out across Earth. While the Indian government says its family planning program is "target-free and voluntary", experts like Ms Muttreja say India needs men to be more involved and more engaged in contraception. India was the first country in the world to introduce family planning and population control methods, but …

Explained | India now has 1.4 billion people. What does it mean for their health?
1 year, 9 months ago

Explained | India now has 1.4 billion people. What does it mean for their health?

The Hindu  

Published : Mar 03, 2023 15:01 IST India’s population reached 1.4 billion people at the end of last year, according to estimates from the World Population Review. The US-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation has predicted that India’s population could fall back to around one billion by the end of the century. And population growth is not going to …

A challenge and an opportunity
1 year, 11 months ago

A challenge and an opportunity

Hindustan Times  

In 2022 China’s population fell on an annual basis for the first time in 61 years and for the first time due to a normal demographic transition. PREMIUM Evidence of declining fertility rates among all communities, including Muslims, does not support the shrill narrative of any imminent threat of change in India’s broad social composition. Evidence of declining fertility rates …

It’s time to discuss depopulation
2 years ago

It’s time to discuss depopulation

The Hindu  

Two weeks ago, when the world population touched 8 billion, several headlines focused on how India was the largest contributor to the last billion and is set to surpass China as the world’s most populous nation by 2023. However, what needs more urgent policy intervention is the fact that parts of India have not only achieved replacement fertility, but have …

Population growth slows in India as world reaches eight billion
2 years, 1 month ago

Population growth slows in India as world reaches eight billion

Al Jazeera  

India will still become the world’s most populous country next year, according to the UN estimates. As the global population reaches eight billion, India, formerly a powerful driver of the number of people on the planet, is experiencing a marked slowdown, according to official estimates. But India’s annual population growth has averaged 1.2 percent since 2011, compared with 1.7 percent …

Moving policy away from population control
2 years, 4 months ago

Moving policy away from population control

The Hindu  

The United Nations’ World Population Prospects, 2022, forecasts India becoming the most populous country by 2023, surpassing China, with a 140 crore population. Now, at the third stage of the demographic transition, and experiencing a slowing growth rate due to constant low mortality and rapidly declining fertility, India has 17.5% of the world’s population. Last year, India reached a significant …

Reaping the demographic dividend
2 years, 4 months ago

Reaping the demographic dividend

The Hindu  

The UN report, World Population Prospects 2022, forecasts that the world’s population will touch eight billion this year and rise to 9.8 billion in 2050. A long-time critic of China’s population policy and author of Big Country with An Empty Nest, Yi Fuxian, believes that without its one child policy, China’s population, too, would have naturally risen and peaked at …

Partisan politics promoting population proliferation in India
2 years, 5 months ago

Partisan politics promoting population proliferation in India

New Indian Express  

A doomsday prophesy of caterwauling Cassandras is coming true. As India adds around 3700 individuals hourly to its denizen count, the 1500-million mark will flash by the 2030 milestone faster than the Chinese can spell 'Wuhan'. Even at the highest current rate of economic growth, this ridiculous record indicates that over 500 million Indians would be still leading a BPL …

On Yogi's ‘population’ remark, Mayawati says BJP deviating from real issues
2 years, 5 months ago

On Yogi's ‘population’ remark, Mayawati says BJP deviating from real issues

Hindustan Times  

Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Wednesday joined Opposition leaders in attacking Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath over his recent “population imbalance” remark. The former chief minister hit out at Yogi, saying population control is a long-term matter and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is using the issue to scare people while deviating from real issues like inflation, poverty …

What a burgeoning population entails
2 years, 5 months ago

What a burgeoning population entails

Hindustan Times  

In India, population debate is a sensitive subject. This debate, which often acquires a political-religious colour, gathered steam this week with a United Nations report that said India may surpass China as the world’s most populous country in 2023. PREMIUM This week, a United Nations report said that India may surpass China as the world’s most populous country in 2023. …

India’s population growth: Is it boon or bane?
2 years, 5 months ago

India’s population growth: Is it boon or bane?

Firstpost  

The greatest growth in population in India, higher than the national average, is taking place amongst the poorest, in the least developed states, amongst the uneducated and malnourished Of the current world population of 8 billion in 2022, India and China account for roughly 2.8 billion, on a more or less equal basis. However, the greatest growth in population in …

India's population to surpass China's in 2023 amid slowing growth globally, says UN report
2 years, 5 months ago

India's population to surpass China's in 2023 amid slowing growth globally, says UN report

ABC  

India is set to surpass China as the world's most populous country in 2023, with each counting more than 1.4 billion residents this year, according to a United Nations report. Key points: The world's population is growing at its slowest pace since 1950, having fallen below 1 per cent in 2020 Global fertility is projected to decline even further The …

Mixed signals on population growth
2 years, 5 months ago

Mixed signals on population growth

The Hindu  

Published : Jul 11, 2022 20:02 IST According to the the latest World Population Prospects Report 2022, which was released on July 11, the World Population Day, global life expectancy at birth fell to 71 years in 2021 due to COVID-19. Its findings show that even though world population was growing, the rate of growth had slowed down in many …

Why India must adopt community driven anti-natalist policies for population management
3 years ago

Why India must adopt community driven anti-natalist policies for population management

Firstpost  

Not only does Uttar Pradesh’s two-child population policy set a dangerous precedent, being harshly regressive and intrusive, it also violates the foundational values of the Constitution The core of a nation is built by the people who inhabit the territories and contribute to its glory. The Chinese tryst with Population Distortion It all started in the 1960s with China’s One …

BJP pushes population control bill
3 years ago

BJP pushes population control bill

The Hindu  

Even as India’s national Total Fertility Rate is falling below the replacement rate, BJP MP in Rajya Sabha Kirori Lal Meena pushed for “Population Control” law on the lines of China’s now discarded one-child policy. Parliament Proceedings | December 3, 2021 However, Mr. Meena said a population control law will help with controlling food inflation and bringing equality for women. …

Should the state stop focusing on population control?
3 years ago

Should the state stop focusing on population control?

The Hindu  

According to the recently released National Family Health Survey -5, India’s Total Fertility Rate, which is the number of children a woman would have in the course of her life, is 2, a decrease from 2.2 in NFHS-4. Poonam Muttreja and S. Irudaya Rajan discuss whether governments should stop focusing on population control, in a conversation moderated by Serena Josephine …

How declining fertility in India will be a great boon in the long run
3 years ago

How declining fertility in India will be a great boon in the long run

Firstpost  

The latest National Family Health Survey, released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare early this week, indicates Indians have stabilised their numbers on average, at just about replacement rate Being the most populous of countries is an economic no-no. The latest National Family Health Survey, the fifth in series, released by the Ministry of Health on 24 November …

Will measure like U.P.'s draft population control Bill work? | In Focus podcast
3 years, 5 months ago

Will measure like U.P.'s draft population control Bill work? | In Focus podcast

The Hindu  

Over the past few weeks, the debate on population control in India has been re-ignited. Uttar Pradesh, the most populous State in India, has introduced a draft bill that says that those with more than two children will be debarred from government- Even while data shows us that India's fertility rate is declining, our population is set to grow, and …

Bihar health minister for mass campaign to control population
3 years, 5 months ago

Bihar health minister for mass campaign to control population

Hindustan Times  

Bihar health minister Mangal Pandey on Wednesday advocated for a mass campaign with public support to control population boom in the state, that had shown a decadal growth rate of 25.1% in the last census. Pandey said it was due to social mobilisation campaign and mass awareness drive that for the first time this year, the state’s decadal population growth …

An unproductive idea: The Hindu Editorial on U.P.’s new population policy
3 years, 5 months ago

An unproductive idea: The Hindu Editorial on U.P.’s new population policy

The Hindu  

Incentives and penalties form an integral component of the measures to control population growth, announced by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday. In a draft Uttar Pradesh Population Bill, 2021, the Government aims to incentivise one-child families and reward those with two children with perks in government schemes, rebates in taxes and loans, and cash awards if family …

'Is this India's message': BJP leader targets Aamir Khan over population growth
3 years, 5 months ago

'Is this India's message': BJP leader targets Aamir Khan over population growth

India Today  

Expressing concern over the rising population in the country, BJP MP from Mandsaur Sudhir Gupta blamed “people like Aamir Khan”, the Bollywood actor, for “population imbalance” in India. Lok Sabha MP from Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur, Gupta said, “Talking in Indian perspective, it is Aamir Khan, whose first wife Reena with two kids and second wife Kiran Rao with one kid, …

World Population Day: As UP invites suggestions, a look at India's history of population control
3 years, 5 months ago

World Population Day: As UP invites suggestions, a look at India's history of population control

Firstpost  

These critics argue that rich people have imposed population control on the poor for decades. And, they say, such coercive attempts to control the world’s population often backfired and were sometimes harmful A day before the world observed World Population Day, the Uttar Pradesh government in India released a draft of a proposed population control bill, seeking suggestions from the …

Why India can shed its population obsession
3 years, 6 months ago

Why India can shed its population obsession

Hindustan Times  

That population control is crucial for making India a prosperous nation is an entrenched stereotype. India’s population growth peaked long time ago India will overtake China as the most populous country by 2025 or perhaps sooner. Population statistics show that India’s population growth peaked decades ago and it is already on a downward trajectory. Fertility rates are higher among the …

China’s coercive population measures serve as warning for India: Experts
3 years, 6 months ago

China’s coercive population measures serve as warning for India: Experts

The Hindu  

China’s decision to relax its two-child norm and allow couples to have three children must serve as a warning for India that coercive population strategies can be counter-productive, say experts. India, on the other hand, has been toying with the idea of population control measures through a two-child norm, which found a mention in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day …

India's Birthrate Projected to Decline to 1.73 by 2035, Says Health Minister
3 years, 10 months ago

India's Birthrate Projected to Decline to 1.73 by 2035, Says Health Minister

News 18  

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Saturday said that the fertility rate of Indians may decline to 1.73 from the current 2.37 by the year 2035. “Population projection for India and States 2011-2036, released in July 2020, indicates that the Total Fertility Rate is expected to decline from 2.37 during 2011-2015 to 1.73 during 2031-35,” he said. Vardhan spoke about …

Population Control- Any Coercion To Have Specific Number Of Children Is Counter-Productive, Leads To Demographic Distortions: Centre Tells Supreme Court
4 years ago

Population Control- Any Coercion To Have Specific Number Of Children Is Counter-Productive, Leads To Demographic Distortions: Centre Tells Supreme Court

Live Law  

"The family welfare programme in India is voluntary in nature which enables couples to decide the size of their family and of the family planning methods, best suited to them. Filing its response to a petition filed by BJP leader and lawyer, Ashwani Kumar Upadhyay seeking enactment of law to control population and enforce family planning, the MoHFW avers that …

India’s population data and a tale of two projections
4 years, 4 months ago

India’s population data and a tale of two projections

The Hindu  

A new study, published in the highly regarded journal, The Lancet, and prepared by the Seattle-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, has shaken up the world of population policy. Part of this divergence may come from IHME model’s excessive reliance on data regarding current contraceptive use in the National Family Health Survey and potential for increasing contraceptive use. Research …

World Population Day 2020: India set to overtake China by 2027, but its population problem has a silver lining
4 years, 5 months ago

World Population Day 2020: India set to overtake China by 2027, but its population problem has a silver lining

Firstpost  

India’s total fertility rate fell from 5.9 children per woman in 1950 to 2.2 children per woman in 2020. This is very close to the replacement level fertility of 2.1 children per woman The United Nations began observing World Population Day every year from 1989 to bring attention to the increasing global population and the associated factors. UN Projections suggest …

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