India, having surpassed China as the world's most populous nation last year, will retain this status through 2100. The UN report by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Population Division, predicts India's population will peak at 1.69 billion in 2054 and then decline to 1.5 billion by 2100.

Clare Menozzi, Senior Population Affairs Officer at UN DESA, noted that India is expected to remain the largest country in terms of population throughout the century. The population, currently estimated at 1.45 billion, is projected to peak around the 2060s and then decline slightly to 1.5 billion by century's end, still making India the most populous nation by a large margin.

China's population, currently 1.41 billion, is expected to fall to 1.21 billion by 2054 and further decline to 633 million by 2100. The report highlights that China will likely experience the largest absolute population loss between 2024 and 2054 (204 million), followed by Japan (21 million) and Russia (10 million). By 2100, China is projected to have lost more than half of its current population, returning to levels seen in the late 1950s.

John Wilmoth, Director of the Population Division at UN DESA, attributes China's significant population decline to its low fertility rate, currently around one birth per woman, which is far below the 2.1 births needed to maintain the current population without migration.

India, having surpassed China as the world's most populous nation last year, will retain this status through 2100. The UN report by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Population Division, predicts India's population will peak at 1.69 billion in 2054 and then decline to 1.5 billion by 2100.

Clare Menozzi, Senior Population Affairs Officer at UN DESA, noted that India is expected to remain the largest country in terms of population throughout the century. The population, currently estimated at 1.45 billion, is projected to peak around the 2060s and then decline slightly to 1.5 billion by century's end, still making India the most populous nation by a large margin.

China's population, currently 1.41 billion, is expected to fall to 1.21 billion by 2054 and further decline to 633 million by 2100. The report highlights that China will likely experience the largest absolute population loss between 2024 and 2054 (204 million), followed by Japan (21 million) and Russia (10 million). By 2100, China is projected to have lost more than half of its current population, returning to levels seen in the late 1950s.

John Wilmoth, Director of the Population Division at UN DESA, attributes China's significant population decline to its low fertility rate, currently around one birth per woman, which is far below the 2.1 births needed to maintain the current population without migration.