1 India: 1.66bn
Adding over 300 million people to its
census, by 2050 India is predicted to be the most populous nation on Earth by
the huge margin of 295 million – over 1.5 times the size of Western Europe.
This is the despite high infant mortality rates, a low urban population
percentage, minus net migration and a gender demographic skewed significantly
towards men.
2. China: 1.366bn
The big news from the study is that
China will be knocked down to second place in 2050. For centuries the world’s
most populous country, China is set to be surpassed by 2030 – when its population is predicted to have risen to 1.42 billion – before shrinking to
figures below its current size by 2050.
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Predictions suggest the U.S. will maintain
its position as the third largest nation on Earth – but only just. A slowing
birthrate has not precluded overall growth, with lifetime expectancy rising and
net migration figures high.
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4. Nigeria: 397m
With a current fertility rate of 5.5
children born per women, the population of Nigeria is predicted to surpass that
of the whole of Central Africa by 2050.
5. Indonesia: 366m
Indonesia is predicted to add more than
110 million to its population by 2050, despite its negative net migration
figures. The urban population is now a majority on the archipelago, and its
capital Jakarta is set to feel the strain.
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6. Pakistan: 344m
Pakistan has a significantly higher
birthrate than its sub continental cousins, but trails behind India when it
comes to GDP. Like Bangladesh, Pakistan is a non-mover in population rank
between now and 2050, up from 199 million.
The nation’s fertility rate decline since
the 1960s has greatly slowed the population growth rate. At 1.8 children per
mother in 2015, Brazil will have an aging population come 2050, slipping two
places down the overall rankings.
8. Bangladesh: 202m
Bangladesh is already the eighth
largest country in the world, and though it has a net migration loss, it is predicted it will maintain its position come 2050.
9. Democratic Republic of Congo: 194m
The DRC’s densely
populated land is set to become a lot busier. Forty five percent of citizens
are below the age of 15, and its population is predicted to more than double
between now and 2050.
10. Ethiopia: 165m
The population Reference Bureau has
published a report of the most populous countries in the world in 2050. Go
through the gallery to find out the top 10 nations. Ethiopia is at number 10.
Currently standing at 98.1 million, the country’s population is on the rise,
What’s more, with GDP up by 10.3% in 2014 and an annual net migration rate of 0
per 1,000, its people are staying put.