Population control in China and India

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Historically, a large population has been an asset to a nation's ability to protect its sovereignty and impose its will on political neighbors. France was long the dominant force in Europe because of its large population. Russia was able to rebuff Hitler's assault in World War II due not only to an immense landscape but also because of her ability to send seemingly endless waves of men to their deaths in order to stop the German advance. In American History we learn that the early colonists succeeded in pushing back the Native Americans not due to a superior culture but rather to the fact that while the Native American population was being decimated by European disease the numbers of colonists expanded through stories of wealth and prosperity that drew ever more fortune hunters and disenchanted and marginalized people from Europe.

However, while a large population is vital in periods of conflict, expansion and warfare; in times of peace an excessive population can become a huge drain on the national economy. This is especially true of the size of the nation in square miles is disproportionate to the size of the nation in population. An excess population can lead to discontent, disease, political unrest, unemployment and starvation, war against neighbors in order to acquire more land or civil war.

The population of China is currently over 1.3 billion people causing it to contribute over 20% of the world's population. While in absolute numbers, China's population is overwhelming their rate of growth stands only at 0.47%. This growth rate gives China the ranking of 159th in the world which would seem to indicate that they have their population growth challenge under control. http://www.statista.com/statistics/270129/population-growth-in-china/

India is the second largest nation in population and is projected to overtake China as number one by the year 2025. Their current population stands at roughly 1.2 billion and their growth rate stands at 1.41% giving them the world ranking of 102nd in terms of growth rate. India also has a younger population than China does so at least for the immediate future it will be better able to provide health and human services to its older population than China will. ...