About World Population Day
World Population Day is marked on 11 July every year, so in 2027 it falls on Sunday, 11 July 2027. The UN Development Programme's governing council set it up in 1989, after public interest in the Day of Five Billion on 11 July 1987. It is an awareness day about family planning, women's health and young people, run in India mainly by the health ministry and UNFPA.
The day exists because of a single headline. On 11 July 1987 the UN marked the Day of Five Billion, the point at which the world's population was estimated to have crossed five billion people. The attention that got led the governing council of the UN Development Programme to create World Population Day in 1989. The General Assembly kept it going through resolution 45/216 in December 1990, and it was first observed in more than 90 countries on 11 July 1990.
What is World Population Day about?
It is about people, not the number. The UN Population Fund, which leads the day, uses it to talk about family planning, maternal health, girls' education, ageing and migration. The point each year is that population change is the result of millions of private decisions, and that those decisions go better when people have health care, information and a real choice.
The world crossed eight billion in November 2022. UNFPA's State of World Population report for 2023, titled "8 Billion Lives, Infinite Possibilities", argued that governments trying to push birth rates up or down usually fail, and often end up restricting women's rights while trying.
Why does World Population Day matter in India?
Because India is now the most populous country in the world. UNFPA's April 2023 report estimated India at 142.86 crore people by mid-2023, against China's 142.57 crore, a gap of about 29 lakh. UN officials said at the time that no exact crossover date could be fixed, partly because India's own census, due in 2021, had been postponed. The last completed Indian census was in 2011.
The second number matters more, and fewer people know it. India's total fertility rate has fallen to 2.0 children per woman, below the replacement level of 2.1, according to the fifth National Family Health Survey covering 2019 to 2021. That is down from 2.2 in the 2015-16 round. Thirty-one states and union territories were at or below 2.1. Five were above it: Bihar, Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Manipur.
So India's population is still growing, but the growth now comes mostly from a young age structure, not from large families. A country whose average family is already small will keep adding people for decades simply because so many of its citizens are of childbearing age.
| Milestone | What happened |
|---|---|
| 11 July 1987 | The UN marks the Day of Five Billion |
| 1989 | UNDP's governing council creates World Population Day |
| 11 July 1990 | First observance, in more than 90 countries |
| November 2022 | World population passes eight billion |
| Mid-2023 | UNFPA estimates India has overtaken China as the most populous country |
How is World Population Day observed in India?
Chiefly through the health system. State health departments run a population stabilisation fortnight from 11 to 24 July, when primary health centres and district hospitals hold counselling sessions and family planning camps, with staff explaining the full range of methods, from pills and copper-T to injectables and sterilisation. ASHA and ANM workers do the door-to-door part.
Colleges and NGOs hold seminars, poster competitions and street plays. UNFPA India and the health ministry usually release a theme and campaign material for the week.
What should you not say on World Population Day?
Avoid the "India is too crowded" line, and above all avoid attaching it to one religion, caste or state. It is factually thin, given that fertility has fallen below replacement level nationally, and it turns a health conversation into a fight. The same goes for jokes about railway queues and traffic; they are tired and they land badly on people doing serious work.
Do
- Share one verified number with its year, such as the NFHS-5 fertility rate of 2.0.
- Thank ASHA workers, ANMs and counsellors by name if you know them.
- Talk about girls' schooling, late marriage and access to health care, which is what actually moves these numbers.
Avoid
- Don't blame any community for population growth.
- Don't wish anyone a "happy" population day; it is an awareness day, not a festival.
- Don't forward unsourced population projections; UNFPA and the census are the places to check.
What do you write on World Population Day?
Write to a person doing something specific, and say what it is.
On World Population Day, thank you for the counselling you do quietly in people's homes. The numbers in the surveys are really your walking.
Marking World Population Day. Safe deliveries and honest advice are the whole programme, and you do both. Thank you.
World Population Day today. Every extra year a girl stays in your classroom changes more than any campaign does. Thank you for keeping them there.
All the best for the camp this fortnight. Marking World Population Day properly means answering questions, not handing out pamphlets. You do that.
Happy studying on World Population Day. India's fertility rate is already below replacement, so the interesting questions now are about ageing and migration.
It is World Population Day. A fact worth keeping: India's fertility rate is 2.0, below replacement level, per the last National Family Health Survey.
Related days on the calendar include International Youth Day, International Day of the Girl Child and World Environment Day. The rest of the year is in the calendar.
How to wish someone on World Population Day
This is not a day for congratulations. A good message points at something real: a health worker who counsels couples, a friend studying demography, a colleague running an awareness camp. Keep the tone factual and kind. Never turn it into a joke about crowds and queues, and never aim it at a particular community. The UN's own framing is about choice and health, not about numbers being too high or too low.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Hindi + recipient language.
When is World Population Day in 2026 and 2027?
World Population Day is on 11 Jul every year. Only the weekday changes.
- 2026
- 2027
Frequently asked questions
Why is World Population Day observed on 11 July?
World Population Day is observed on 11 July because the world's population was estimated to have reached five billion on that date in 1987, which the UN marked as the Day of Five Billion. The UN Development Programme's governing council created the annual day in 1989.
When did India become the most populous country in the world?
UNFPA's State of World Population report, released in April 2023, estimated that India would reach 142.86 crore people by mid-2023 against China's 142.57 crore, making India the most populous country. UN officials said no exact crossover date could be fixed because India's 2021 census had been postponed.
What is India's fertility rate now?
India's total fertility rate is 2.0 children per woman, according to the National Family Health Survey for 2019 to 2021. That is below the replacement level of 2.1. Bihar, Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Manipur were still above replacement level in that survey.
How is World Population Day celebrated in India?
Indian state health departments run a population stabilisation fortnight from 11 to 24 July, with family planning counselling and camps at primary health centres and district hospitals. Colleges, NGOs and UNFPA India hold seminars, street plays and poster competitions around the theme for the year.
Is World Population Day a holiday in India?
No. World Population Day is an awareness day, not a public holiday. Offices, banks and schools work normally, though many schools and health departments hold programmes on the day.
What is the theme of World Population Day?
UNFPA sets a new theme each year, usually around reproductive health and choice. The 2026 theme was about the hopes and plans of young people, drawn from a UNFPA survey of more than 108,000 people across 73 countries.
Last verified by the Kehdoo team on .