Population Distribution, Density, Growth And Composition (India)

Distribution Of Population

India's population distribution is highly uneven, reflecting the diverse geographical, socio-economic, and historical factors that shape settlement patterns across the country.

• Overall Size: India is the second most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 1.21 billion (as per the 2011 Census).
• Uneven Distribution: The population is concentrated in the fertile plains and coastal areas, while mountainous, desert, and forested regions are sparsely populated.
• High Density Areas: The northern plains, particularly the Indo-Gangetic Plain (covering states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal), and the coastal plains exhibit the highest population concentrations due to fertile land, adequate water resources, well-developed infrastructure, and greater economic opportunities.
• Low Density Areas: Mountainous regions (like Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand in the Himalayas), desert areas (parts of Rajasthan), and sparsely vegetated or forested tracts have low population densities due to challenging environmental conditions and limited economic activities.
• Urban vs. Rural: A majority of India's population resides in rural areas, though there is a continuous trend of urbanization. Cities, especially metropolitan centers like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Chennai, have very high population densities.

Key Observations from Census 2011:

• Uttar Pradesh has the largest population.
• Maharashtra has the second-largest population.
• Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Andhra Pradesh are among the other most populous states.
• Sikkim is the least populous state.

Density Of Population

Population density measures the number of people living per unit area, providing an insight into the intensity of population distribution. India's population density is significantly higher than the world average.

• Overall Density: As per the 2011 Census, India's average population density was 382 persons per square kilometer.
• High Density Regions:
  • Indo-Gangetic Plain: States like Bihar (1106 persons/km²), West Bengal (1028 persons/km²), and Uttar Pradesh (829 persons/km²) exhibit extremely high population densities due to their fertile alluvial soils, availability of water, and historical development.
  • Coastal Plains: Areas like Kerala and parts of Tamil Nadu also show high densities.
  • Urban Areas: Cities and metropolitan regions, like Delhi (11,320 persons/km²), have exceptionally high densities due to intense economic activity and migration.
• Low Density Regions:
  • Mountainous Areas: Arunachal Pradesh (17 persons/km²), Himachal Pradesh (109 persons/km²), and Uttarakhand (189 persons/km²) have lower densities due to rugged terrain and difficult climatic conditions.
  • Desert Areas: Rajasthan has a low density (200 persons/km²), especially in its arid western parts.
  • Forested Regions: Areas with dense forests also tend to have lower population densities.
• Factors Affecting Density: Similar to global patterns, factors like topography, climate, soil fertility, availability of water, industrialization, urbanization, and levels of economic development influence population density in India.

Growth Of Population

India has experienced significant population growth over the last century, driven by a decline in mortality rates and initially high fertility rates.

• Historical Context: For most of the 20th century, India faced high birth rates coupled with high death rates, leading to slow population growth until the mid-20th century.
• Post-1950s Growth: After India's independence, improvements in public health, sanitation, and food security led to a sharp decline in death rates, while birth rates remained high. This resulted in a period of rapid population growth.
• Declining Growth Rate: In recent decades, India's population growth rate has been declining due to a fall in the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) resulting from increased literacy, better access to family planning, and socio-economic development. However, due to the large base population, the absolute annual increase remains high.
• Decadal Growth: The decadal growth rate (population increase in a decade) has shown a declining trend. The decadal growth rate from 2001-2011 was 17.7 per cent, a decrease from 21.54 per cent in 1991-2001.

Population Doubling Time

Definition: The time required for a population to double at its current annual growth rate.

India's Doubling Time:

• Historically, India's population doubling time was much shorter.
• Due to the declining growth rate, the time it takes for India's population to double is increasing. Current estimates suggest it is around 45-50 years, assuming the current trend continues.
• This is still a relatively short doubling time compared to many developed countries.

Regional Variation In Population Growth

Population growth rates vary significantly across different states and regions within India.

• High Growth Rate States: Northern Indian states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh tend to have higher population growth rates, often associated with higher fertility rates and less access to family planning services and education.
• Low Growth Rate States: Southern Indian states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and some western states like Maharashtra and Gujarat, have achieved significantly lower population growth rates, closer to replacement levels, due to higher female literacy, better healthcare, and greater adoption of family planning.
• Urban vs. Rural Growth: Population growth is generally higher in rural areas in terms of natural increase (births minus deaths), but urban areas experience significant population increases due to rural-urban migration.

Population Composition

Population composition refers to the characteristics of a population that describe its structure and quality. In India, key aspects include rural-urban distribution, linguistic diversity, religious composition, and the structure of the working population.

Rural – Urban Composition

• Dominance of Rural Population: As of the 2011 Census, about 69% of India's population lived in rural areas, while about 31% resided in urban areas.
• Urbanization Trend: There is a continuous increase in the proportion of the urban population due to rural-to-urban migration, driven by better economic opportunities, education, and access to services in cities.
• Regional Variation: States like Goa and Tamil Nadu have a higher proportion of urban population, while states like Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh have a larger rural population.

Linguistic Composition

• Diversity: India is linguistically very diverse, with hundreds of languages spoken. The Constitution recognizes 22 scheduled languages.
• Major Language Families: Indo-Aryan languages (spoken by about 75% of the population) and Dravidian languages (spoken by about 20% of the population) are the two major language families.
• Hindi: The most widely spoken language, primarily in North and Central India.
• English: Serves as an associate language for official purposes and is widely used in business, higher education, and administration.

Religious Composition

• Major Religions: India is a secular country with diverse religious practices.
• Hinduism: The majority religion, practiced by about 80% of the population.
• Islam: The second-largest religion, practiced by about 14% of the population.
• Other Religions: Significant populations also practice Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, Christianity, and various tribal religions.
• Distribution: Religious groups are distributed throughout the country, but some communities are concentrated in specific regions (e.g., Sikhs in Punjab, Muslims in Jammu & Kashmir and parts of North India, Christians in the South).

Composition Of Working Population

The working population (also known as the workforce or economically active population) comprises individuals engaged in economic activities.

• Sectoral Distribution:
  • Primary Sector (Agriculture, Allied Activities): A large proportion of India's workforce is still engaged in agriculture and related activities, though this share is declining.
  • Secondary Sector (Manufacturing, Construction): Employs a smaller but growing percentage.
  • Tertiary Sector (Services): This sector is expanding rapidly and employs a significant and increasing share of the workforce, covering a wide range of services.
• Rural vs. Urban: The occupational structure differs between rural and urban areas. Rural areas are dominated by primary sector activities, while urban areas have a higher concentration of secondary and tertiary sector employment.
• Gender Disparity: Workforce participation rates differ between males and females, with lower reported female participation in the workforce, partly due to social factors and underreporting of informal sector work.

Primary Workers: Cultivators and agricultural labourers.

Marginal Workers: Those who work for a minor part of the year.

Non-Workers: Includes students, children, retired persons, dependents, etc.