New York, April 19: India has now crossed China to become the most populous country in the world, according to the United Nations Data. The UN world population dashboard stated that India now has 1428.6 million people while China's population stands at 1425.7 million.

This is for the first time that India has topped the United Nations' list of most populated countries, ever since the UN began collecting population data in 1950. India Set To Become World's Most Populous Country, Will Overtake China With Nearly 3 Million More People by Mid-2023: UN Data.

The year before, China's population shrank for the first time since 1960. In 2016, Beijing ended its strict "one-child policy," imposed in the 1980s amid overpopulation fears, and began letting couples have three children in 2021. China faces an impending demographic decline, as its workforce ages and fertility rates decrease. State of World Population 2023: India Overtakes China to Become Most Populous Country in the World, Says UN Report.

Meanwhile, the United States is in the third position with an estimated population of 340 million. India has not performed a census since 2011, hence there are no fresh official statistics available on its population size.

The once-in-a-decade census in India was scheduled to take place in 2021 but was postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak. The global population is expected to hit 8.045 billion by mid-2023, according to the UN data.

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