Difference between India Population and China Population
In terms of culture and history, India and China would have to be two of the world’s richest countries. It is therefore hardly surprising that the two are often compared with one another, as in the case of this comparison article. But instead of looking at their significant cultural and historical contributions, this article explores their respective populations, both of which are also frequent points of comparison.
In Brief
The Indian population currently numbers over 1.15 billion people, a figure which comprises more than 17% of the earth’s total population. While the country’s population was only 5 million when it first won its independence from Great Britain, it had managed to triple in only sixty years.
China’s population was pegged at only 563 million in 1950, although the next few decades saw a dramatic increase to over one billion in the next three decades. The country's population now stands at more than 1.3 billion people, making China the most heavily populated country in the world. In fact, China’s population comprises 20% of the world's total population, which means that one in every five people on the planet is Chinese.
In The Next Few Years
The population of India has experienced a five-fold increase in the last hundred years, and it the country is expected to have a higher population than China by 2050. Studies have also shown that while China’s population increased by only 0.6% in the last five years, India’s population increased by 1.4% over the same period. By 2050, it is expected that India will have a population of over 161.38 billion compared to China’s 142 billion.
Fertility Rates And Government Intervention
With much of India’s population determined by the country’s high fertility rate of 6 children for every woman, the government has taken steps to control its growth. Nevertheless, the projected fertility rate of 2.1 by the year 2000–which was proposed in 1983–did not come about. The government’s next step at this point was to introduce the National Population Policy, which aimed to reduce the total fertility by 2010, again to 2.1 by 2010.
China on the other hand has a fertility rate of 1.7, which means that Chinese women have 1.7 children in her lifetime on average. In any case, the country's population growth has been slowed by the “One Child” policy, which came into effect in 1979.
Similarities and Differences
India population
- Currently numbers over 1.15 billion people
- Comprises more than 17% of the earth’s total population
- Had managed to triple in only sixty years since the country’s independence
China population
- Saw a dramatic increase to over one billion in the three decades since 1950
- Now stands at more than 1.3 billion people
- Makes China the most heavily populated country in the world
- Comprises 20% of the world's total population
- Every one in every five people on the planet is Chinese
