Indian population could reach 1.428 billion people by mid 2023 surpassing China’s 1.425bn according to the UN.

New Delhi hopes the expansion will deliver economic dividends as it harnesses the skills of young workforce, India overlook UK last year to become the world’s fifth-largest economy, is seeking to profit as supply chains shift from China, including the opening of Apple’s store in India earlier last week.

China’s economy would continue to remain bigger than India’s despite the demographic shift. If China stopped growing this year and India’s economy expanded by 10 per cent yearly, it would still take almost two decades to catch up.