Chapter Notes

POPULATION: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition

People are the most important part of a country. According to the 2011 census, India is the second most populous country in the world after China, with a total population of 1,210 million. This is more than the combined populations of North America, South America, and Australia. Such a large population places significant pressure on the country's limited resources and contributes to many socio-economic challenges.

This chapter explores the key aspects of India's population: how it is distributed, its density, how it has grown over time, and its composition.

Sources of Population Data

The primary source of population data in India is the Census. This is a massive data collection operation that takes place every ten years.

• The first population Census in India was conducted in 1872.
• The first complete Census, however, was conducted in 1881.

Distribution of Population

The distribution of India's population is highly uneven. Some areas are densely populated, while others are very sparse.

• Most Populous States: The state with the highest population is Uttar Pradesh, followed by Maharashtra, Bihar, and West Bengal.
• Concentrated Population: A few states hold a majority of the population. Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Gujarat together account for about 76% of the country's total population.
• Sparsely Populated States: In contrast, states with large geographical areas like Jammu & Kashmir (1.04%), Arunachal Pradesh (0.11%), and Uttarakhand (0.84%) have a very small share of the population.

Factors Influencing Population Distribution

The uneven distribution of people is not random. It is closely linked to a combination of physical, socio-economic, and historical factors.

• Physical Factors:

  • Climate, Terrain, and Water: These are the most significant physical factors. The North Indian Plains, deltas, and Coastal Plains have a higher concentration of population due to favorable climates, flat land suitable for agriculture, and abundant water.
  • In contrast, mountainous regions like the Himalayas, interior districts of southern and central states, and some western states have lower population concentrations.
  • Recent Developments: Some thinly populated areas have seen population growth due to specific developments, such as irrigation in Rajasthan, the availability of minerals and energy resources in Jharkhand, and the development of transport networks in Peninsular States.

• Socio-Economic and Historical Factors:

  • Settled Agriculture: River plains and coastal areas have been centers of population for centuries due to a long history of human settlement and agricultural development.
  • Transport and Urbanisation: The development of transport networks, industrialisation, and urbanisation have led to high population concentrations in major cities.
  • Urban Pull: Cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Pune, Ahmedabad, Chennai, and Jaipur have become population magnets, attracting a large number of rural-urban migrants seeking economic opportunities.

Density of Population

Density of population is a measure that expresses the number of people living per unit area (e.g., per square kilometer). It helps us understand the pressure of population on the land.

• As of 2011, the population density of India was 382 persons per sq km.
• This shows a significant increase over the last 50 years, rising from 117 persons/sq km in 1951.

Spatial Variation in Population Density

Like distribution, population density varies widely across India.

• Highest Density: The National Capital Territory of Delhi has the highest density with 11,297 persons per sq km.
• Lowest Density: Arunachal Pradesh has the lowest density with only 17 persons per sq km.
• High-Density States: Among the states, Bihar (1102), West Bengal (1029), and Uttar Pradesh (828) in the north, and Kerala (859) and Tamil Nadu (555) in the south have very high densities.
• Moderate Density States: States like Assam, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Odisha have moderate population densities.
• Low-Density States: The hill states of the Himalayan region and most of the North-Eastern states (except Assam) have relatively low densities.
• Union Territories: Most Union Territories (except Andaman and Nicobar Islands) have very high population densities.

Physiological and Agricultural Densities

The general population density is a basic measure. For a country like India with a large agricultural population, two other measures provide a better understanding of the human-land relationship:

• Physiological density: This is calculated as Total Population / Net Cultivated Area. It shows the pressure of the total population on the land that is actually used for farming.
• Agricultural density: This is calculated as Total Agricultural Population / Net Cultivable Area. This measure focuses specifically on the pressure of the farming population (cultivators, agricultural labourers, and their families) on farmland.

Growth of Population

Growth of population refers to the change in the number of people in a specific area between two different points in time. It is usually expressed as a percentage.

• Components of Growth: Population growth has two main components:
  1. Natural Growth: This is determined by the difference between birth rates and death rates.
  2. Induced Growth: This is caused by the movement of people, or migration (inward and outward).
• Annual Growth Rate: In 2011, the annual growth rate of India's population was 1.64 percent.

Four Phases of Population Growth in India

Over the last century, India's population growth can be divided into four distinct phases:

1. Phase I: 1901-1921 (Stagnant or Stationary Phase)

   • The growth rate was very low and even recorded a negative growth rate during 1911-1921.
   • Reason: Both birth rates and death rates were very high. Poor health and medical services, widespread illiteracy, and an inefficient food distribution system led to high mortality, keeping the overall rate of population increase low.

2. Phase II: 1921-1951 (Steady Growth)

   • Population began to grow steadily.
   • Reason: Improvements in health and sanitation across the country led to a decline in the death rate. Better transport and communication also improved the food distribution system. However, the birth rate remained high, leading to a higher growth rate than in the previous phase.

3. Phase III: 1951-1981 (Population Explosion)

   • This period saw a rapid and dramatic increase in population, with an average annual growth rate as high as 2.2 percent.
   • Reason: After independence, developmental activities and centralized planning improved living conditions, causing a rapid fall in the death rate. The birth rate, however, remained high. Additionally, international migration (from Tibet, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan) contributed to this high growth.

4. Phase IV: Post-1981 to Present (High Growth with Slowing Trend)

   • The population growth rate remained high but started to slow down gradually.
   • Reason: A downward trend in the crude birth rate is responsible for this slowing growth. This was influenced by an increase in the mean age at marriage and improved quality of life, particularly female education.

Regional Variation in Population Growth

Population growth is not uniform across all states.

• Low Growth States: States like Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Puducherry, and Goa show a low rate of growth (not exceeding 20% over the decade 1991-2001). Kerala registered the lowest growth rate in the country (9.4%).
• High Growth States: A belt of states from the west to the east, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal, has a relatively high growth rate (around 20-25%).
• Recent Trends (2001-2011): The growth rates of almost all states and Union Territories have decreased compared to the previous decade (1991-2001). The six most populous states all saw a fall in their decadal growth rates.

Adolescents and Population Growth

A key aspect of India's population is its large number of adolescents.

• In 2011, adolescents (age group 10-19 years) constituted about 20.9% of the population.
• This youthful population has high potential but is also vulnerable to various challenges like lower age at marriage, illiteracy (especially among females), school dropouts, high maternal mortality among adolescent mothers, and drug abuse.
• Government Policies: To address these issues, the Government of India has introduced policies like the National Youth Policy (NYP-2014), which aims to empower the youth (defined as 15-29 years old). The National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (2015) was also launched to align skills training with job market demands.

Population Composition

Population composition is the study of the different characteristics of a population, such as age, sex, place of residence (rural/urban), language, religion, and occupation.

Rural-Urban Composition

• In 2011, about 68.8% of India's total population lived in villages, making it a predominantly rural country.
• Distribution of Rural Population: The percentage of the rural population is very high in states like Himachal Pradesh and Bihar. In contrast, states like Goa and Mizoram have a much smaller proportion of their population in villages.
• Urban Population: The proportion of urban population is low (31.16%), but it is growing at a much faster rate. This growth is driven by economic development, better health conditions in urban areas, and a high rate of rural-urban migration.
• Areas of High Urbanisation: Urbanisation is high along major transport routes (roads and railways) in the North Indian Plains and in industrial areas like Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Delhi.
• Areas of Low Urbanisation: The degree of urbanisation remains low in agriculturally stagnant regions, remote hilly and tribal areas, and flood-prone regions.

Linguistic Composition

India is a land of great linguistic diversity.

• According to Grierson's Linguistic Survey of India (1903-1928), there were 179 languages and 544 dialects in the country.
• Modern India has 22 scheduled languages and many non-scheduled ones.
• Hindi speakers form the highest percentage, while Sanskrit, Bodo, and Manipuri speakers are among the smallest groups.

Linguistic Classification

The major Indian languages belong to four language families:

• Indo-European (Aryan): Spoken by about 73% of the population, this family includes languages like Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, and is dominant in North, West, and Central India.
• Dravidian (Dravida): Spoken by about 20% of the population, this family includes Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam, primarily spoken in Southern India.
• Austric (Nishada): Spoken by 1.38% of the population, this family includes languages spoken in Meghalaya, West Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa.
• Sino-Tibetan (Kirata): Spoken by 0.85% of the population, this family includes languages spoken in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and the North-Eastern states.

Religious Composition

Religion is a dominant force in the cultural and political life of India.

• Hindus: Comprising 79.8% of the population (2011), Hindus are the majority in most states, except in areas along the Indo-Bangladesh and Indo-Pak borders, Jammu & Kashmir, and the North-Eastern hill states.
• Muslims: The largest religious minority at 14.2%, Muslims are concentrated in Jammu & Kashmir, parts of West Bengal and Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, and Lakshadweep. They form a majority in the Kashmir Valley and Lakshadweep.
• Christians: At 2.3%, the Christian population is mainly found in rural areas, with concentrations along the Western coast (Goa, Kerala) and in the hill states of the North-East (Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland).
• Sikhs: Constituting 1.7%, Sikhs are mostly concentrated in Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi.
• Buddhists (0.7%) and Jains (0.4%): These are smaller religious groups. Buddhists are mainly concentrated in Maharashtra, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Ladakh. Jains are found primarily in the urban areas of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.

Composition of Working Population

The population is divided into three groups based on economic status:

1. Main Workers: A person who works for at least 183 days (or six months) in a year.
2. Marginal Workers: A person who works for less than 183 days in a year.
3. Non-workers: A person who does not work.

In 2011, only 39.8% of the population were workers (main and marginal), meaning a vast majority of about 60% were non-workers. This indicates a large dependent population and suggests the presence of significant unemployment or underemployment.

The work participation rate (the proportion of the working population) varies across states. It is higher in states like Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim, often in areas with lower levels of economic development where more manual labor is needed for subsistence activities.

Occupational Structure

The working population of India is divided into four major categories: Cultivators, Agricultural Labourers, Household Industrial Workers, and Other Workers.

• Primary Sector Dominance: About 54.6% of the total working population are cultivators and agricultural labourers. This shows the dominance of agriculture in India's economy.
• Secondary and Tertiary Sectors: Only 3.8% are engaged in household industries, while 41.6% are other workers (in non-household industries, trade, services, etc.).
• Gender Disparity: Male workers outnumber female workers in all three sectors (Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary). However, the number of female workers is relatively high in the primary sector.