00:00 India is now the world's most populous country, taking over a title China has held for decades.
00:07 This is based on a UN forecast, which puts India's population at nearly 1,426,000 people.
00:16 Of course, the exact number of people is unknown, and there hasn't been a census completed in
00:21 India for more than a decade, but all signs point to exponential growth.
00:26 Our correspondent in New Delhi, Sadiya Rao, told us more about the challenges this growth
00:31 poses.
00:32 So, on the one hand, Indians can be quite happy that they've now become one of the most
00:39 populous nation, according to UN estimates, which means that we have an overwhelmingly
00:45 young population.
00:46 About 65% of India's population is under 35, so a youthful working population that can
00:53 aid the country's growing economy.
00:56 But in reality, if you look at the conditions, the living conditions for most Indians, they're
01:01 extremely harsh, inadequate at best.
01:05 Access to basic amenities like sanitation, education, healthcare, clean drinking water
01:11 are still lacking for most Indians.
01:14 And this has already been a major challenge for the Indian government for many years,
01:19 and it's only likely to get worse as the population of the country grows.
01:23 So, if you look at a couple of examples, for instance, in 2022, about 6.3 million Indian
01:31 children under the age of five died, 45% of whom died because of malnutrition.
01:38 In 2021, about 50% of the country did not have access to clean drinking water.
01:45 And India already has one of the most quickly depleting groundwater resources in the world.
01:52 So, given all these conditions, a growing population is going to be a major challenge
01:57 when it comes to basic amenities for the government and for the country.
02:02 That was France 24.
02:03 Satya Rao in New Delhi.
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