Which one of the following is the most populous country after China and India ?

Based on global demographic data, the United States of America is the third most populous country in the world, following India and China. While India and China both have populations exceeding 1.4 billion, the United States follows with a population of approximately 342 million as of 2024-2025 estimates [t1][t3][t4]. Indonesia ranks fourth globally with a population of approximately 283-285 million [t1][t4]. Brazil and Pakistan typically follow in the fifth to seventh positions depending on the specific year's growth rates [t2][t5]. Recent data from 2023-2024 confirms that India has surpassed China to become the most populous nation [c4][t6]. Argentina, while a large country by land area, has a significantly smaller population of around 45 million, ranking much lower on the global list [t4]. Therefore, the United States is the most populous country immediately after the two Asian giants.

Sources

1. [1] https://www.census.gov/popclock/print.php?component=counter
2. [2] https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/population/country-comparison/
3. [3] CONTEMPORARY INDIA-I ,Geography, Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 6: Population > Population Growth > p. 52