India Population

The vibrant and bustling country of India has a long, rich history and an ever-expanding population. India’s 2020 population is estimated at 1.38 billion, which makes it the second most populated country in the world behind China. Located in South Asia, India is bordered by Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, China, Bangladesh, and Myanmar and has the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Sea at its borders. The country is famous for its culture, its spices and food, and its large Hindi movie industry, Bollywood.

India’s skyrocketing growth rate

So many people in the world live in the country of India that, on average, 1 in 6 of every person alive on Earth is living in India. This rapidly expanding nation is well on its way to becoming the world’s most populated country, unseating China by 2027. In only 40 years, India has doubled in size. In fact, in ten years alone (from 2001 to 2011) India’s population grew by 17.7%, or about 18.5 million people. While India’s growth has dropped slightly from 2% per year in 2000, it is still predicted to continue growing at 1.4% for 2020, and beyond.

Population density and space to roam

India covers over 3.2 million kilometres, which makes it the seventh largest country in the world. However, its population far outstrips most of the largest countries. What this means is that India has one of the higher population densities in the world. As a whole, there are 420 people per square kilometer in India, which makes it the 31st most densely populated country. Within some of India’s cities, that density goes up exponentially. In India’s largest city of Mumbai, for example, the population density is 21,000 people per square kilometer.

India’s massive cities

There are 4,000 cities and towns in India. Forty-six of those cities have a population of over 1 million people, while eleven of them have a population greater than 3 million and are considered Mega Cities. The three largest cities in the country are Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore, each of which has a population of over 8 million people.

Mumbai is by far the largest city with an estimated population of 22 million people, which is a greater population than the entire country of Mali. It is also the fourth most populous city in the world and the largest in terms of trade activity and business as well. Like many parts of India, Mumbai has experience a growth explosion over the past two decades. This rapid population growth is attributed to migration as people seek better employment opportunities.

Ongoing issues with poverty

India’s booming growth has done nothing for the country’s poverty issues. It’s estimated that 37% of their population of 1.38 people are below the international poverty line, which is below $1.25 a day. Data from the World Health Organization have shown that almost 100,000 people die every year in India due to health issues caused by diarrhea. This stems from inadequate sanitation, nutrition and unsafe water. Families struggle to grow enough crops to feed themselves and their children, which leads to the a third of the world’s malnourished children living in India. It’s estimated that 46% of all children under three are too small for their age range.

Tech jobs on the rise

While India continues to struggle to fight its poverty issue and find adequate housing and food for its people, one place it does not struggle is in the tech industry. In 2020, India’s IT industry will surge to two million new additions around the world, with 13% of those jobs being in India itself. Driving this growth is the adoption of emerging technologies, AI, machine learning and automation robotics. India also continues to spend money on educating employees to expand their current skillset. India’s tech industry currently provides jobs for four million people and only continues to grow.