Geography
The World Population Prospects
- 18 Jun 2019
- 2 min read
According to ‘The World Population Prospects 2019’ published by the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country by 2027.
- Through the end of the century (between 2019 and 2050) India (with an estimated population of 1.37 billion) is expected to remain the world’s most populous country, followed by China, Nigeria, United States of America, and Pakistan.
- The global population is projected to increase by another 2 billion people by 2050.
- Aging of the world's population will also spike due to increasing life expectancy and falling fertility levels.
- By 2050, one in six people in the world will be over age 65 (16%), up from one in 11 in 2019 (9%).
- Aging will result in a decline in the proportion of the working age population that in turn will exert pressure on social security systems.
- Europe and North America will have a much higher number of aging population.
- Many countries are experiencing a reduction in population size (between 2019 and 2050, many countries will experience populations shrink by at least 1%).
- populations shrink can be attributed to sustained low levels of fertility and, in some cases, high rates of emigration.
- In countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and the Philippines out-migration plays a key in population change (outflow of migrant workers).
- In some instances, out-migration could also be caused by violence, lack of security or wars as in Myanmar, Syria and Venezuela.
- Many of the fastest growing populations are in the poorest countries, where population growth brings additional challenges in the effort to eradicate poverty, achieve greater equality, combat hunger and malnutrition and strengthen the coverage and quality of health and education systems to ensure that no one is left behind.
