India to become most populous nation by 2050

India on Saturday recorded a population of 127,42,39,769, which is growing at a rate of 1.6 per cent a year, and could make the country the most populous in the world by 2050.

At 5pm on that day, the World Population Day, the number of Indians hit 127,42,39,769, and is 17.25 per cent of the global population, as per National Population Stabilisation Fund (NPSF), an autonomous body under the union health ministry.

The ministry has raised concerns about over-population related problems, if the rate persists.

Noting that India's population was growing at a faster rate than that of China, which is now the world's most populous country at around 1.39 billion, an official of the fund said that India could become the most populated one by 2050.

"If the current growth rates continue, India will have 1.63 billion people by 2050 and will surpass China," the official said.

According to data from NPSF, the total fertility rate in India has seen a decline and stood at 2.3 in 2013 although the decline is not consistent.

The population of India, at 1.21 billion as per the 2011 Census, is almost equal to the combined population of the USA, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Japan put together.