India had the world's largest population as of 2023, according to United Nations estimates.
India is a South Asian country extending from the Himalayas to the Indian Ocean. The United Nations estimated that India's population surpassed China's in 2023, making India the most populous country in the world.
India's population is distributed unevenly across a large area, with dense concentrations in the Indo-Gangetic Plain and major coastal and urban regions. Its people speak hundreds of languages, and the constitution recognizes 22 scheduled languages, including Hindi and Bengali.
Population rankings depend on estimates and census timing. China remained the most populous country for decades, but its population began declining around 2022, while India's continued growth moved it into first place. India held its most recent completed national census in 2011.