(Washington, DC)—The population of India will reach 1,680.1 million in 2050, up 308.8 million from an estimated 1,371.3 million now, according to projections in the 2018 World Population Data Sheet from the Population Reference Bureau (PRB).
PRB also estimates India’s current total fertility rate (TFR, or average lifetime births per woman) at 2.3. This compares with an average TFR of 2.4 in South Asia.
The world population will reach 9.9 billion in 2050, up 2.3 billion or 29 percent from an estimated 7.6 billion people now, according to PRB.
The world population will also continue to age over time, albeit with variations by country. By midcentury, 16 percent of the world population will be ages 65 and older, up from 9 percent now. In India, the share of the population ages 65 or older will reach 13 percent by 2050, up from 6 percent now. Children (ages under 15) will be 19 percent of the population by 2050, down from 28 percent now.
Changing age structures—or the share of the total population in each age group—will influence countries’ economic trajectories and how they allocate resources to ensure that all generations can thrive. These themes are explored in the 2018 Data Sheet’s analytical features.
PRB projects Africa’s population to more than double to 2.6 billion by 2050 and account for 58 percent of the global population increase by that date. The number of people in Asia is projected to rise about 717 million to 5.3 billion, while Europe (which includes all of Russia) would see a decline in population from 746 million to 730 million. The Americas population is projected to increase from 1 billion now to 1.2 billion, and Oceania (which includes Australia and New Zealand) is seen rising from 41 million to 64 million.
PRB’s widely referenced World Population Data Sheet (www.worldpopdata.org) has been produced annually since 1962. This year’s edition provides the latest data on 26 key population, health, and environment indicators for the world, major regions, and more than 200 countries. Explore all PRB information products at www.prb.org.