'India to surpass China's population by 2050'

India's burgeoning population has seen a five-fold increase over the last 100 years and will surpass that of China by 2050.

India's burgeoning population has seen a five-fold increase over the last 100 years and will surpass that of China by 2050.

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Projections made by the Government show that while India's population grew by 1.4 per cent over the last five years, China saw only a 0.6 per cent population growth for the corresponding period.

India's total population in 2009 was 119.8 crore, China's 134.5 crore and Pakistan's 18 crore.

While India's population will increase to 161.38 crore by 2050, that of China will only reach 141.7 crore.

Interestingly, Pakistan's population grew at the highest rate in the sub-continent -- 2.2 per cent over the last five years.

India will have to share an additional burden of 371 million by 2026. Out of this, Uttar Pradesh will have a share of 22 per cent of the population, Bihar eight per cent, Uttarakhand one per cent, the four southern states 13 per cent and Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan 7 per cent each.

The report by the 'Janasankhya Sthirta Kosh' under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said if India continues at the current pace it will double its population in the next 50 years making sustainable development unattainable.

Another interesting fact is that the individual populations of Indian states equal the total population of many countries.

For example, Uttar Pradesh with a population 18.3 crore, nearly touches that of Brazil at 18.7 crore, Maharashtra's 10.4 crore is equal to that of Mexico's 10.4 crore and Bihar's nine crore is more than Germany's 8.3 crore.

Talking about aspects of family planning which have been initiated over the years, the report says the rate of sterilisation was the highest in Chhattisgarh at 74 per cent while in Jharkhand 68 per cent had been achieved.

Rajasthan had 73 per cent sterilisation, Uttar Pradesh 43 per cent and Madhya Pradesh 58 per cent.

According to the document, the major factors fuelling population growth were the high infant mortality rate which leads to demand for more children, women being married off before the age of 18 and teenage pregnancies.