Datanomics: Population Day highlights need for demographic dividend plans

India, China, the US, Indonesia, and Pakistan together account for approximately 46 per cent of the world's population

As the world marks Population Day, the global population in 2024 stands at about 8.2 billion, with India accounting for 17.7 per cent. Over the past two decades, popul­ation trends have varied across countries such as India, China, and the United States (US), exhibiting periods of growth, fluctuation, and decline. In 2024, over 66 per cent of India’s popul­ation was under the age of 35, and women accounted for around 48 per cent. India added an average of 14.8 million people annu­ally in the past 14 years, compared to 5.1 million in China and 2.2 million in the US.   Despite