NEW DELHI – Asia Times may have best summarized recent reports about the continuing population growth in India. “Top demographers feel that within three to five years, India will overtake China as the world’s most populous country.”

While the population growth rate has been on the decline in China, India’s population continues to advance at a phenomenal rate. During the eight-month period from January through August 2018, the Chinese population grew by 4.1 million to an estimated 1.339 billion people.

Meanwhile, the population in India grew by 14 million, a rate more than three times that of China. The United States Census Bureau’s World Population Clock now estimates that the Indian population has reached 1.336 billion as of September 9, 2018.

For China, the diminished birth rate could adversely impact the country’s economic growth plan that includes an annual birth rate of 20 million per year necessary to sustain its workforce.

For India, the potential problems of population growth are much different. Maps of India described “Every nook and corner of India is a clear display of increasing population.”

While there is a certain amount of national pride in being able to say that India (or any other country) has the world’s largest population, there are several problems that accompany growing populations.

• Unemployment. Years ago, a leader in the UAE formulated that unemployment plus more available workers equal more unemployment. This is true in any growing population. It is one of the primary reasons officials are working so diligently to advance the country’s economic development. Economic development will provide the jobs that support the growing population.
• Resources. Increased populations mean more mouths to feed. China has three times more land than India in which to grow the food need to feed their people. That does not make India’s challenge impossible. On the contrary, officials are continually working to develop and implement agricultural efficiencies to make more effective use of the land.
• Infrastructure. Infrastructure must grow at a rate adequate to support the increase in population. India is hard at work to improve its vast infrastructure of transportation, education, housing, healthcare, and access to fresh water and sanitation systems to be ahead of the growth curve.

Being the most populated country in the world is an amazing status. Like every other advantage, it comes with its own set of problems.

Pray for India.

Pray for officials to make wise decisions.

Pray that Gospel for Asia (GFA) and other NGOs working in India will be able to contribute to help the nation of India on its way to being a proud and productive leader.