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Brief asides


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POSTED: Wednesday, December 16, 2009

PEOPLE POWER

India to supplant China as world's most populous nation

China's population is projected to peak at slightly less than 1.4 billion people in 2026, both earlier and at a lower level than previously predicted. India's population, meanwhile, is projected to surpass China's in 2025, replacing it as the world's most populous country, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

China's fertility rate is declining; the average number of births per woman is less than 1.6. India's fertility rate is estimated at 2.7, and falling more slowly than elsewhere in the world.

China and India together account for 37 percent of the world's population, so their demographic trends have major implications for population change worldwide.

 

LET THERE BE LIGHT

That dazzling display costs more in Hawaii

Before flipping the switch on all those Christmas lights, ponder this: Hawaii residents pay more for electricity than people in any other U.S. state. According to the U.S Census Bureau, residential electric energy prices in 2007 ranged from a high of 20.72 cents per kilowatt-hour in Hawaii to a low of 4.92 cents in Idaho.

Alaska and four states in the Northeast also were on the high end, posting prices above 16 cents per kilowatt-hour. Those decked-out halls sure don't come cheap, especially in Hawaii.