World Population Will Hit 9 Bln by 2040, India Will Overgrow China in 2026

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The world's population will reach 9 billion people by 2040, with India becoming the most populous country in 2026, surpassing China, OPEC said in its World Oil Outlook report released on Wednesday.

"Based on the UN World Population Prospects, world population will increase from 7.2 billion in 2014 to 9 billion in 2040. Population growth in the OECD region is expected to be rather low, while Eurasia is anticipated to see its population decline in the period to 2040 driven by developments in Russia. Most population growth will come from developing countries. Middle East & Africa and OPEC Member Countries are expected to exhibit the highest population growth rates in the next 25 years. China’s population will peak in 2028, and India will surpass China as the country with the largest population sometime around 2026," the report reads.

More than 60 percent of the world's population will be living in cities by 2040, leading to a significant impact on energy demands, according to the World Oil Outlook report.

"Another important demographic trend that is anticipated to have a significant impact on energy demand is the continuous urbanization of the world. While in 1950 only one out of every three people lived in urban areas, in 2008, for the first time, more people were living in urban areas than in rural settlements. It is expected that by 2040 the urbanization rate will reach 63%," the report states.