The bar chart illustrates the proportion of the global population accounted for by India, China, the U.S.A., and Japan in 1950 and 2002, with projections for 2050.
Overall, China held the dominant share in both 1950 and 2002, although India is forecast to overtake it by 2050. Meanwhile, the U.S.A. and Japan are expected to continue their gradual demographic decline.
In 1950, China comprised approximately 23% of the world’s inhabitants, markedly higher than India’s 15%. By 2002, China’s share had diminished slightly to 20%, whereas India’s had risen modestly to 17%. Forecasts for 2050 suggest a reversal, with India anticipated to represent roughly 19%, while China is projected to fall to 15%.
Turning to the U.S.A. and Japan, their contributions remained comparatively minor. The U.S.A.’s proportion decreased marginally from about 7% in 1950 to 5% in 2002, with little expected change by 2050. In contrast, Japan’s figure is projected to halve from 4% in 1950 to merely 2% by 2002 and further plummet to just 1% by 2050.