News Highlights:
- According to data released by the United Nations, India is set to overtake China to become the world’s most populous country by the middle of 2023.
- India’s population is predicted to be 142.86 billion, compared to China’s 142.57 billion. This shows India will have 29 lahks more people than its Asian neighbour.
Key takeaway:
According to the State of World Population Report, 2023 of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the world’s population hit the 800-crore mark in November 2022.
Drivers of population growth:
- Decrease in the death rate:
- Crude Death Rate (CDR): The CDR — the number of persons dying per year per 1,000 population — were 23.2 for China and 22.2 for India in 1950.
- It fell to single digits for China first in 1974 (to 9.5) and for India in 1994 (9.8), and further to 7.3-7.4 for both in 2020.
- Decrease in the death rate due to improved medical facilities with the birth rate remaining the same is one of India’s major causes of population growth.
- Life Expectancy at Birth:
- Another mortality indicator is life expectancy at birth.
- Between 1950 and 2020, it went up from 43.7 to 78.1 years for China and from 41.7 to 70.1 years for India.
- Total Fertility Rate:
- The total fertility rate (TFR) — the number of babies an average woman bears over her lifetime — was as high as 5.8 for China and 5.7 for India in 1950.
- India’s TFR fell to 2 in 2019-2021 from 3.4 in 1992-93.
- Populations can keep growing even with TFRs falling. De-growth requires TFRs to remain below replacement levels for extended periods.
- The effects of that — fewer children today becoming parents tomorrow and procreating just as much or less — may reflect only after a couple of generations.
- China’s TFR dipped below replacement first in 1991, which was almost 30 years before India’s.
- Lack of family planning:
- Illiteracy prevalent in major parts of India makes people believe that ‘children are god’s blessings’ hence making them against the ‘family planning’ concept.
- People of India follow different religions, some of which do not advocate the concept of ‘family planning’.
- As most of the families in rural areas are below the poverty line, they think having a large family will increase their source of income by sending children to work.
Issues Related to Population Growth:
- Social Aspects:
- Crime: Population growth and poverty are directly related, and lack of resources and job prospects result in unemployment. The educated youth affected by unemployment are thus driven to commit social crimes like robbery, beggarly, prostitution, murder, etc.
- Minority-majority gap: Fears of supremacy over minorities and identity loss might arise in some cultures as a result of overpopulation. Thus, it has the potential to fuel communalism and cause rifts in the social fabric based on religion.
- Economic Aspects:
- Ageing population: India’s population is ageing due to increased life expectancy. This has increased the percentage of the elderly population. An increase in the senior population results in higher healthcare and social security costs.
- Unemployment: Although there is a large army of labourers due to overpopulation, giving each working person a job that pays a living wage is difficult due to a lack of capital resources.
- Resource Depletion: Overpopulation is a direct cause of excessive resource exploitation, environmental degradation, and deterioration.
- Uneven Income Distribution: The government’s need for investment and capital formation is impacted by overpopulation, which impacts the government’s overall development efforts.
- Poverty: People become poor due to unemployment, unfair income distribution, and a lack of resources.
- Political Aspects:
- Caste politics: Political parties engage in caste-based politics to satisfy their vote bank, another factor contributing to the nation’s division.
- The disparity in population distribution: States have significant differences regarding growth and population. Increased migration into states with smaller populations and more established economies will be caused by rising populations in some states. Social conflict, including the insider-versus-outsider debate, may result from this.
- Environmental Aspects:
- Environmental deterioration: Overpopulation is putting pressure on the land, and there is less land available per person.
- Environmental deterioration brought on by population growth includes pollution, biodiversity loss, and global warming, among other things.
- Health Aspects:
- Spread of infectious diseases: Population growth is one of the main elements affecting people’s health.
- Numerous infectious diseases have emerged due to concerns like urban overcrowding and environmental changes brought on by population growth.
What should be the Strategy of India?
- Raising the Marriage Age:
- Fertility is influenced by marriage age. Therefore, raising the marriage age to 21 is a good idea.
- Education dissemination:
- It influences people’s perspectives. It increases understanding of the significance of family planning and birth control options.
- Women who have received education are more health concerned and steer clear of repeated pregnancies, which lowers the birth rate.
- Adoption:
- Adoption is another powerful tool for reducing the population.
- Despite costly medical care, some parents are unable to conceive.
- It is advised that they adopt children from orphanages.
- Economic Measures
- Numerous financial actions must be implemented as preventative measures against population expansion.
- The government must create more employment opportunities through policies. It is essential to increase employment opportunities in both urban and rural locations.
Pic Courtesy: Freepik
Content Source: The Hindu