Why in news?

• The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has released the State of World Population Report, 2023.
• As per the report, India is set to overtake China to become the world’s most populous country by the middle of 2023.

What’s in today’s article?

• UN Population Fund
• News Summary

UN Population Fund

• United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is trust fund under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
  • UNFPA was formerly (1969–87) known as United Nations Fund for Population Activities.
• Established in 1969, the UNFPA is the largest international source of assistance for population programs.
• It is the leading UN organization for the implementation of the 1994 Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development.
• In other words, UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency.
  • Its mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.

Work

• UNFPA funds assistance, research, and advocacy programs in three major areas:
  • reproductive health, including family planning, safe motherhood, and the prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases,
  • the population problems of developed and developing countries and possible strategies for addressing them, and
  • issues related to the status of women, including the gender gap in education.
• UNFPA assistance programs are undertaken only in response to government requests.

State of World Population Report

• It is an annual publication released by UNFPA. It provides an analysis of the world population and its various aspects such as health, education, human rights, and economic development.
• The report offers insights into population trends, challenges, and opportunities for development in different regions and countries of the world.

News Summary: State of World Population Report 2023

Key highlights of the report with respect to India

• India is on track to be the world’s most populous country
  • India is set to overtake China to become the world’s most populous country by the middle of 2023.
  • India’s population is pegged to reach 142.86 crore against China’s 142.57 crore.
    • The United States is a distant third, with an estimated population of 34 crore.
  • According to the UN projections, India’s population is expected to grow for the next three decades after which it will begin declining.
• Working population of India
  • 68 per cent of India’s total population is between the ages of 15 and 64 years, which is considered the working population of a country.
  • About 25 per cent is between 0-14 years; 18 per cent between 10 and 19 years, 26 percent between 10 and 24 years, and 7 per cent above 65 years.
• Other demographic indicators
  • 
  • The average life expectancy at birth for males in India is 71 years while for females it is 74 years.
• India in a unique position
  • India is in a unique position in which the young and working population is larger than the population which needs care (children and the elderly).
  • This is unlike countries such as Japan with a declining population and an increasing elderly population.
  • Such countries are, and will be, in dire need of skilled labour, and this is something that India can provide, capitalising on its demographic dividend.
• Population anxieties are widespread
  • Population anxieties refer to concerns or worries related to the size, growth, and distribution of human populations.
  • Governments are increasingly adopting policies aimed at lowering or maintaining fertility rates.

Other highlights of the report with respect to rest of the world

• Population trends everywhere
  • The report says that contrary to the alarm bells about exploding numbers, population trends everywhere point to slower growth and ageing societies.
• Eight countries will account for half the projected growth in global population by 2050
  • These countries are:
    • the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania.
  • On the other hand, two-thirds of people now live in a country where lifetime fertility corresponds with zero growth.
• Suggestions given
  • The report cautioned against use of family planning as a tool for achieving fertility targets.
    • Family planning targets can lead to gender-based discrimination and harmful practices such as prenatal sex determination leading to sex-selective abortion.
  • Governments must introduce policies with gender equality and gender rights at their heart.
  • These may include: parental leave programmes, child tax credits, policies that promote gender equality in the workplace, and universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights.