COURTESY HT JULY 16

India’s population could peak at 1.6bn in 2048

Sanchita Sharma

letters@hindustantimes.com

New Delhi : India’s population will peak at 1.6 billion in 2048, after which it will steadily decline to 1.09 billion in 2100, according to an analysis that covered 195 countries in the Global Burden of Diseases 2017 study, findings that hold mixed economic as well as social implications for the country.

According to the study, the world’s population will peak at 9.73 billion in 2064, after which it will shrink to 8.79 billion in 2100. The projections set the population peak at about 2 billion lower than the UN’s estimate of 10.9 billion at the end of the century.

The global age structure will also shift dramatically, with 2.37 billion people aged above 65 years in 2100, compared with 1.7 billion under 20 years, underscoring the need for liberal immigration policies in countries. Our forecasts have “positive implications for the environment... but possible negative implications for labour forces, economic growth,” it said