India , officially the Republic of India ( Hindi : भारत गणराज्य, Bhārat Gaṇarājya , English : Republic of India ), is a country in South Asia . With a population of 1,326,093,247 (2020), it is the second largest country in the world by population after the People's Republic of China . Scientists expect that by 2023, India has become or will become the country with the highest population in the world.