China-India population debate comes down to quantity vs quality after social media sparks storm
- China’s overall population only increased by less than half a million last year to 1.4126 billion, according to official government data
- A widely shared social media claimed India’s population had hit 1.415 billion earlier this month, although the figure was widely criticised as it lacked official authority
A social media post in early March claiming that India had become the world’s most populous country created a storm in China.
The post claimed India’s population had hit 1.415 billion and was widely shared on social media, adding to rocky relations between Beijing and New Delhi and concerns over domestic growth hurdles in China, while also fuelling discussions about a host of social issues.
Demographic issues have been a hot topic in China since last year, when the once-a-decade census found the national fertility rate was alarmingly low.
India’s government, though, has not been able to complete its planned own once-a-decade census in 2021 due to the coronavirus and the 1.415 billion figure was widely criticised as it lacked official authority.
Given its comparable population, land mass and development goals, India has been a target for comparison since the 1950s, and a UN report in 2019 said that it could overtake China in terms of population in around 2027.
The two countries have been neck and neck in per capita gross domestic product (GDP) terms for more than three decades.