Washington  - The United States will have a more racially and ethnically diverse population by 2042 as minority groups will outnumber the white population by that year, the US Census Bureau said Thursday in a revision of demographic projections.

The bureau had earlier projected that those identified as Hispanic, black, Asian or Native American would outnumber whites by 2050. But fast growing ethnic minorities with high birth rates and new immigrants led the bureau to update its projections.

By 2050, the US population is expected to total 439 million, including 235.7 million minorities - defined as everyone except non- Hispanic, single-race whites, the US census said.

By 2023, more than half of all children will non-white.

The number of whites is projected to slightly increase from 199.8 million in 2008 to 203.3 million in 2050, but the group's share of the total population will decrease. By 2050, whites will comprise 46 per cent of the total population, down from 66 per cent in 2008.

By contrast, the Hispanic population in the US will nearly triple in number, from today's 46.7 million to 132.8 million by 2050. Its share of the US population will double, to 30 per cent, by that year.

The black population is projected to increase to 65.7 million by 2050, or 15 per cent of the total population, from today's 41.1 million, or 14 per cent.

The Asian population is expected to increase to 40.6 million from today's 15.5 million. Asian-Americans will form 9.2 per cent of the total US population by 2050 from today's 5.1 per cent.

The remaining groups: American and Alaska natives will increase from 4.9 million to 8.6 million and other native groups - from Hawaii and the Pacific islands - will more than double, from 1.1 million to 2.6 million by 2050.

The US will also have also an older population by 2030, when all the Baby Boomers, as those born between 1945 and 1966 are known, will have reached age 65. By 2050, the 65-and-older group will increase to 88.5 million, more than double today's 38.7 million.

The 85-and-older population is expected to reach 19 million by 2050, or triple today's 5.4 million. (dpa)