India surpassed China as the world's most populous country in April 2023; this milestone was reached relatively recently (since 1950 China had held this position).
As of 2023-2024, India's population is approximately 1.43-1.47 billion compared to China's approximately 1.41 billion.
Sources
PrimaryUnited Nations Department of Economic and Social AffairsIndia's population reached 1,425,775,850 by April 2023, matching and then surpassing the population of mainland China. India became the world's most populous country in April 2023.
SecondaryPew Research CenterIndia became the world's most populous country in 2023, surpassing China which had held the distinction since at least 1950.
SecondaryWorldometerIndia ranked #1 with population of 1,476,625,576; China ranked #2 with 1,412,914,089 (2026 data).