Adani Enterp. 2534.05↓-10.30(-0.40%)
Adani Ports 737.50↑10.65(1.47%)
Apollo Hospitals 4640.45↑30.55(0.66%)
Asian Paints 3137.40↑9.00(0.29%)
Axis Bank 929.80↑2.85(0.31%)
B P C L 361.70↓-2.60(-0.71%)
Bajaj Auto 4618.50↑2.55(0.06%)
Bajaj Finance 6932.05↑27.55(0.40%)
Bajaj Finserv 1449.55↑10.40(0.72%)
Bharti Airtel 821.25↑3.30(0.40%)
Britannia Inds. 4575.25↓-20.95(-0.46%)
Cipla 956.25↑4.90(0.52%)
Coal India 246.10↑4.60(1.90%)
Divi's Lab. 3477.85↓-36.15(-1.03%)
Dr Reddy's Labs 4556.25↑25.30(0.56%)
Eicher Motors 3711.45↑21.10(0.57%)
Grasim Inds 1713.30↑25.00(1.48%)
H D F C 2690.55↑39.95(1.51%)
HCL Technologies 1126.20↓-13.00(-1.14%)
HDFC Bank 1635.50↑19.70(1.22%)
HDFC Life Insur. 579.05↑1.85(0.32%)
Hero Motocorp 2776.90↑31.75(1.16%)
Hind. Unilever 2650.30↓-2.05(-0.08%)
Hindalco Inds. 419.90↑6.35(1.54%)
ICICI Bank 948.15↓-2.55(-0.27%)
IndusInd Bank 1284.95↑16.90(1.33%)
Infosys 1314.40↓-3.05(-0.23%)
ITC 449.10↑5.50(1.24%)
JSW Steel 702.20↑0.50(0.07%)
Kotak Mah. Bank 1953.20↑8.15(0.42%)
Larsen & Toubro 2224.55↑6.10(0.27%)
M & M 1330.15↑48.30(3.77%)
Maruti Suzuki 9333.50↓-66.45(-0.71%)
Nestle India 21729.45↑147.70(0.68%)
NTPC 176.30↑1.80(1.03%)
O N G C 159.00↓-4.75(-2.90%)
Power Grid Corpn 234.50↓-2.80(-1.18%)
Reliance Industr 2520.60↑14.10(0.56%)
SBI Life Insuran 1218.10↑22.35(1.87%)
St Bk of India 595.00↑9.00(1.54%)
Sun Pharma.Inds. 968.45↓-1.45(-0.15%)
Tata Consumer 794.25↑4.55(0.58%)
Tata Motors 521.45↑3.00(0.58%)
Tata Steel 108.45↑2.05(1.93%)
TCS 3320.35↓-8.55(-0.26%)
Tech Mahindra 1114.05↓-0.70(-0.06%)
Titan Company 2812.25↑70.10(2.56%)
UltraTech Cem. 7840.55↑118.70(1.54%)
UPL 690.00↑1.90(0.28%)
Wipro 399.80↓-1.90(-0.47%)

Prepare now, India's population won't be a demographic dividend forever

India's average age is still around 28, compared to 38 in China or 47 in Germany. But, as we have seen with China, those numbers can change more rapidly than expected

Premium

5 min read Last Updated : Jan 25 2023 | 7:32 AM IST

India is now the world’s largest country by population — or, at least, it will be at some point during 2023. While this shift has been a long time coming, it arrived sooner than anyone expected because China’s population appears to have begun shrinking in advance of projections.

Undivided India and China have vied across history for the population crown. The partition of India in 1947 appeared to put China permanently ahead in the numbers game. But India’s new position will likely last into mid-century and beyond. The Lancet’s projections for population in 2100 suggest India will still have over a billion people, while China will have slipped to third position, with 730 million inhabitants to Nigeria’s 750 million.

Moreover, this shift of demographic weight from East and Northeast Asia to the south is likely permanent. A UN report points out that in 1980, 42% of Asians lived in East Asia; that proporti