India is likely to overtake China as most populous country by 2027. (Photo: Hindustan Times)

“'The World Population Prospects 2019: Highlights”, published on Monday by the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said India is expected to add nearly 273 million people between now and 2050 and will remain the most populated country through the end of the current century. The report said the world’s population is expected to increase by two billion people in the next 30 years, from 7.7 billion currently to 9.7 billion in 2050.

The world’s population could reach its peak around the end of the century, at nearly 11 billion. According to the report, the number of older people is rising fast but a growing number of countries are facing population declines.