Distribution and density of population
Distribution means how people are spread over the land. Density means how many people live on one square kilometre.
- 2011: about 121 crore people, about 17.5% of the world on 2.4% of the land.
- Average density: 382 per sq km.
- Most crowded: Bihar (about 1,106). Least: Arunachal Pradesh (17).
- Uttar Pradesh has the most people of any state.
Why? Flat land, fertile soil, water and jobs pull people in (Ganga plains, coasts, big cities). Steep slopes, cold, deserts and thick forests push them away (Himalaya, Thar, north-east hills).
Physiological density = people ÷ farmed land. Agricultural density = farm people ÷ farmed land.
Phases of growth
Growth is the change in the number of people between two times. The growth rate is that change as a percentage. The census counts every 10 years, so we use the decadal growth rate.
- 1901–1921: stagnant. Many births but also many deaths from famine and disease (the 1918 flu). In 1911–21 growth was even negative.
- 1921–1951: steady growth. Better health care and transport cut the death rate.
- 1951–1981: population explosion. Deaths fell fast but births stayed high. Growth was about 2.2% a year.
- 1981 to now: high but slowing. Birth rates fall as girls study longer and families choose to be smaller. 2001–11 growth: 17.7%.
Regional variation in growth
Growth is not the same everywhere. In 2001–11:
- Slow: Kerala (about 5%), Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Goa. More literacy, later marriage, better health care.
- Fast: Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and some north-east states such as Meghalaya.
The young population (15–59 years) is large. If they get education and skills, India gets a demographic dividend: many working hands.
Rural-urban, linguistic, religious composition
Composition means the kinds of people in a population: by age, sex, place, language, religion, work.
Rural–urban
2011: about 69% rural and 31% urban. Goa and Kerala are highly urban; Himachal Pradesh and Bihar mostly rural.
Linguistic
The Constitution lists 22 scheduled languages. Languages fall into four families: Indo-Aryan (Hindi, Bengali, Marathi…), Dravidian (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam), Austric (Santhali, Khasi…) and Sino-Tibetan (Bodo, Manipuri…). Hindi is spoken by the largest group.
Religious
2011 (rounded): Hindu 80%, Muslim 14%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Jain 0.4%. Christians are many in the north-east and Kerala; Sikhs mainly in Punjab; Buddhists in Ladakh, Sikkim, Arunachal and Maharashtra.
Working population
The census puts everyone in one of three groups:
- Main workers: work at least 6 months in a year (about 30%).
- Marginal workers: work less than 6 months (about 10%).
- Non-workers: children, students, old people, home-makers doing unpaid work (about 60%).
Work participation rate ≈ 40%. Of all workers, about 55% are in the primary sector (cultivators + farm labourers). The share in industry and services is rising, fastest in states like Goa, Kerala, Delhi.
Gender sensitivity campaign
Sex ratio = number of women per 1,000 men. India 2011: 943. Kerala 1,084 (highest state); Haryana 879 (lowest state). The child sex ratio (0–6 years) was only 919.
Low numbers come from preference for sons, sex tests before birth and poor care of girls. Gender sensitivity means treating girls and boys as equal in health, food, study and jobs.
- Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (2015): save the girl child, educate the girl child.
- Law bans telling the sex of a baby before birth (PC-PNDT Act).
- Sukanya Samriddhi savings for girls, free education, reservation in local bodies.
Try it
Make a class census. Ask 20 classmates: village or town? mother tongue? Does each adult at home work? Put coloured beads or paper squares for each answer (like the 100 blocks in steps 4 and 5) and work out the percentages.
Key formulas and definitions
- Density = population ÷ area (people per sq km)
- Growth rate (%) = (new − old) ÷ old × 100
- Sex ratio = women ÷ men × 1,000
- Work participation rate = workers ÷ total population × 100
Worked examples
1. A district has 30 lakh people on 2,500 sq km. Find its density.
Density = 30,00,000 ÷ 2,500 = 1,200 people per sq km. This is more than three times India's average of 382.
2. Population was 102.9 crore in 2001 and 121.1 crore in 2011. Find the decadal growth rate.
Growth = 121.1 − 102.9 = 18.2 crore. Rate = 18.2 ÷ 102.9 × 100 ≈ 17.7%.
3. A village has 540 men and 486 women. Find the sex ratio.
Sex ratio = 486 ÷ 540 × 1,000 = 900 women per 1,000 men. Lower than India's 943.
4. In a town of 50,000 people, 15,000 are main workers and 5,000 are marginal workers. Find the work participation rate.
Workers = 15,000 + 5,000 = 20,000. Rate = 20,000 ÷ 50,000 × 100 = 40%.
5. Why was 1951–81 called the period of population explosion?
After independence, health care, vaccines and food supply improved, so the death rate fell quickly. The birth rate stayed high. The big gap between births and deaths made the population grow very fast.
6. Why does Kerala have a slow growth rate and a high sex ratio?
Women in Kerala are well educated, marry later and have fewer children. Good health care keeps girls alive and healthy. So growth is slow and there are more women than men.
Common mistakes
- Saying 1951–81 was 'slow growth'. It was the explosion phase; growth slows only after 1981.
- Thinking a falling growth rate means the population is falling. The number still rises, just more slowly.
- Counting home-makers as workers in the census. Unpaid home work is counted as non-work.
- Writing sex ratio as men per 1,000 women. In India it is women per 1,000 men.