New Delhi: India’s population is estimated to shrink by 41 crore in the next 78 years.
India’s population density is estimated to fall significantly in the years to come. India and China’s populations look similar at the moment but there is a vast difference in their densities, according to a Stanford Study report, said India Today.
While on average, 476 people live in every sq. kilometre in India, it is only 148 people per sq. kilometre in China. By 2100, India’s population density is expected to fall to 335 persons per km sq. The fall in India’s population density is projected to be much higher than what is projected for the entire world.
The fall in India’s population density projection is due to the shrinkage of the country’s population estimates. India’s population is expected to fall from 141.2 crore in 2022 to 100.3 crore in 2100, according to the latest report by the Population Division of the United Nations.
China and the U.S. are also expected to witness a similar trend. China’s population may shrink by an astounding 93.2 crore to just 49.4 crore in the year 2100. These projections are based on a low fertility rate scenario. The total fertility is projected to remain 0.5 births below what it is by around 2050.
The fall in population is expected due to the decline in fertility rates. Based on the low fertility rate projection scenario, India’s fertility rate is expected to fall from 1.76 births per woman to 1.39 in 2032, 1.28 in 2052, 1.2 in 2082, and 1.19 in 2100.
“A sharp downward trend in India and for the world as a whole is evident. As countries get richer, fertility rates appear to decline to levels consistent, not with a constant population, but actually with a declining population,” the Stanford study noted.