India's population has been catching up with China, with 1132 million in mid-2007 and growing at 1.6% per year, versus China then with 1318 million and growing at only 0.6%. If these rates continue, when will India have more people than China?
They will be the same when the number of years x (measured from mid-2007) satisfies the following equation:
1.132*(1.016)^x = 1.318*1.006)^x
1.1643 = (1.016/1.006)^x = 1.0099^x
Use logs to solve. I get 15.5 years, making it late 2022 or early 2023.
To determine when India will have more people than China based on their population growth rates, we can use some simple calculations.
First, let's find out the difference in population between India and China in 2007:
India's population in 2007 = 1132 million
China's population in 2007 = 1318 million
Population difference = China's population - India's population
Population difference = 1318 million - 1132 million
Population difference = 186 million
Now, let's calculate how many years it would take for India to surpass China's population assuming their growth rates remain constant:
Annual growth rate of India = 1.6% = 0.016 (expressed as a decimal)
Annual growth rate of China = 0.6% = 0.006 (expressed as a decimal)
To calculate the number of years for India to catch up with China, we need to find out how many times India's population needs to grow by its growth rate to close the population difference.
Number of years = Population difference / (India's growth rate - China's growth rate)
Number of years = 186 million / (0.016 - 0.006)
Number of years = 186 million / 0.01
Number of years = 18,600 million years
This calculation shows that it would take 18,600 million years for India to surpass China's population if their growth rates remain constant. However, it's important to note that population growth rates are not constant and can fluctuate over time. This calculation assumes constant growth rates, which may not reflect the actual future scenarios.