UN expects India to surpass China as the world's most populous country in 2023

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. projects in a new report that India will replace China as the world's most populous country next year.

According to the U.N.'s World Population Prospects 2022 report, the two most populous regions in the world are both in Asia. East and southeast Asia account for 29% of the globe's population or about 2.3 billion people.

The 54-page report also expects that the globe's population will reach 8 billion in November. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called 2022 a "milestone year" with "the birth of the Earth's eight billionth inhabitant."

According to U.N. projections, the world's population is expected to grow to approximately 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050 and peak at 10.4 billion people sometime during the 2080s. The U.N. believes that the globe's population will be stagnant at this level until about 2100.

The report details that population growth is caused in part by declining levels of mortality due to advancements in health. Further reductions in mortality are expected to result in an average lifespan of 77 years by 2050, according to U.N. estimates.

"This is an occasion to celebrate our diversity, recognize our common humanity and marvel at advancements in health that have extended lifespans and dramatically reduced maternal and child mortality rates," Guterres wrote in a statement.

"At the same time, it is a reminder of our shared responsibility to care for our planet and a moment to reflect on where we still fall short of our commitments to one another. Amidst Covid-19, the climate crisis, wars and conflicts, humanitarian emergencies, hunger and poverty, our world is in peril," he added.