India: most populous country in 2023

Graphic showing difference in population between India and China, highlighting when India surpasses China in 2023

"By the end of april 2023, India's population is expected to reach 1,425,775,850 people, matching and 
then surpassing the population of mainland China," the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs said.
India is topping China due to both rapid growth in its own population and a decline in China's after hitting 1.426 billion last year.

Regarded as the world's most heavily populated country since the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th Century CE, China is expected to decline steadily to around one billion people by the end of this century, according to UN projections.