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every year 11th July Worldwide to date ‘World Population Day’ Is celebrated as. This special day started in the year 1987, when the global population touched the figure of 5 billion. Today, the total population of the world is estimated to reach around 8.2 billion in 2026. But this time Population Day is very special and thought-provoking for India, because in terms of population, we have overtaken our neighboring country China and now occupy the first position in the world.
Is it a matter of pride for us to lead the world with this huge population of more than 140 crores or a warning of the coming crisis? Let us understand the complete analysis of this biggest capital of the country and the challenges associated with it.
Why can India’s huge population be a reason for pride?
1. The world’s largest and most attractive domestic market
The presence of more than 140 crore consumers makes India the most attractive and largest domestic market in the world. We have crores of people consuming mobiles, clothes, digital services, cars, houses and education. When there are more buyers in a country, production increases, new companies come and foreign investment (FDI) is attracted. India’s rapidly growing digital market and online payment system that has reached villages is the biggest and living example of this.
2. ‘Demographic Dividend’ i.e. power of youth
While on one hand Japan, South Korea, China and many European countries are struggling with the problem of aging population and decreasing workforce, on the other hand India is very fortunate in this matter.
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65% youth population: About 65 percent of the population in India is youth, who are of working age.
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When there are more earning and tax paying hands in a country than dependents (elderly people and children), then that country can run at double the speed on the economic front. This is the largest long-term capital that India has.
Challenges that are increasing the lines of worry
But this ‘demographic dividend’ i.e. youth power will not automatically benefit us. For this, the country will have to work on war footing on many fronts, because large population also brings with it some serious concerns:
1. Huge gap of employment and skill gap
Every year crores of youth in India enter the working age. But employment does not come just by handing over a degree. There is a huge skill gap between a college education and the advanced skills required in today’s corporate and technical markets. India will have to create new opportunities in sectors like construction, AI, robotics, logistics and green energy. Also, the youth will have to become not just job seekers but job creators through ‘startups’.
2. Scary statistics related to women’s health
The figures of National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) are very worrying. According to the report, in the age group of 15 to 49 years in India 57 percent women are suffering from anemia (blood deficiency)which has increased further compared to the previous survey (53%). If half of the country’s population i.e. women will not remain healthy, then the coming generation will also be physically weak. Health services will have to be strengthened at the basic level, moving away from election promises.
3. Huge pressure on natural resources and environment
The increasing population is directly affecting our limited natural resources:
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Water crisis: Ground water level is continuously going down in many big cities of the country and the shortage of drinking water is increasing.
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Impact of urbanization: Due to increasing crowd in cities, traffic, air pollution and waste management are becoming uncontrollable. Cultivable lands are shrinking and forests are being destroyed.
4. Women’s participation in education and labor
The most direct path to population control and development of the country is related to women’s education and their rights. When girls get educated and become part of the workforce, family planning becomes a matter of awareness and not of any pressure. No country can fulfill its dream of becoming a superpower by keeping half the population confined in their homes or leaving them behind.
What is the lesson from China’s declining population?
China adopted strict population policies for a long time, the consequences of which are visible to it today. The population there has now started gradually decreasing and the number of elderly people is exceeding the working youth, which is having a negative impact on their economy. This is a lesson for India that today’s young workforce will not remain young forever. We have to prepare them for the future by giving them proper education, health and employment in this decade.
Conclusion: This population will become a strength, not a burden.
India becoming the most populous country in the world is not just a matter to be celebrated or feared, but a huge national responsibility. This huge population will become our greatest strength only when every citizen gets a dignified life, quality education, accessible health services and clean water. Only then will we be able to take full advantage of this demographic opportunity and India will emerge as a self-reliant superpower on the global stage.