India's Population Distribution, Density, and Growth

Comparison of India's Population and Global Standing

Global Share of Population and Area:
- India accounts for only $2.4\,\%$ of the world's surface area, which is cited as $135.79\text{ million sq. km}$ .
- Despite the small land area, it sustains $17.5\,\%$ of the total global population, which currently exceeds $8\text{ billion}$ .
- In $2023$ , India surpassed China as the most populous country in the world.
- India's total population in $2024$ was recorded at $143.8\text{ crores}$ .
- India was the second country globally, after China, to cross the $1\text{ billion}$ mark at the beginning of the $21^{st}$ century.
Comparisons with Other Major Countries:
- U.S.A.: The third most populous country, yet it supports only $4.5\,\%$ of the world’s population.
- Canada and Australia: These large landmasses do not even support $1\,\%$ of the total world population.

The Census of Population in India

Definition: A census is a collection of data regarding a population at a specific point in time, covering demographic, social, and economic attributes.
Historical Timeline:
- $1872$ : Marked the beginning of census-taking in India; however, it was not synchronous and did not cover the entire country.
- $1881$ : The first complete and synchronous census covering the entire country.
- Frequency: Censuses are conducted regularly every $10\text{ years}$ .
- $2011\text{ Census}$ : This represents the $15^{th}$ census of India since $1872$ and the $7^{th}$ since Independence.

Distribution of Population in India

Total Population (2011): The total recorded population was $1210.2\text{ millions}$ .
Spatial Unevenness:
- The distribution is highly uneven across states and districts due to varying sizes and resource bases.
- Highly Populated States:
  - Uttar Pradesh: Largest population at $199.5\text{ millions}$ .
  - Maharashtra: $112.3\text{ millions}$ .
  - Bihar: $108.8\text{ millions}$ .
  - West Bengal: $91.3\text{ millions}$ .
  - Andhra Pradesh: $84.6\text{ millions}$ .
- These five states account for approximately half of India's total population. More than one-fourth of the people live in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra alone.
Area vs. Population Discrepancy:
- Rajasthan: Largest state by area ( $10.4\,\%$ of India) but supports only $5.05\,\%$ of the population.
- Madhya Pradesh: Second largest area ( $9.38\,\%$ ) but supports $6.0\,\%$ of the population.
- Uttar Pradesh: Supports $16.49\,\%$ of the population on only $7.33\,\%$ of the land area.
- Bihar: Houses $9.0\,\%$ of the population on $9.86\,\%$ of the area (Note: Figure cited as $8.58\,\%$ in chart figure 7.2).
Sparsely Populated Areas:
- Jammu and Kashmir: Covers $6.76\,\%$ area but supports only $1\,\%$ population.
- Arunachal Pradesh: $0.11\,\%$ population on $2.55\,\%$ area.
- Sikkim: Smallest population of all states at $6\text{ lakh}$ ( $0.05\,\%$ ).
Union Territories:
- Delhi: Largest population among UTs at $16.75\text{ million}$ , which is more than Jammu and Kashmir or all other UTs combined.

Density of Population

Definition: The ratio of total population to total land area, expressed as the number of persons per unit area ( $persons/sq. km$ ).
2011 Calculation:
- $\text{Density} = \frac{\text{Total population}}{\text{Total area}} = \frac{1210.1\text{ millions}}{3.17\text{ million sq. km}} = 382\text{ persons/sq. km}$ .
Global Perspective:
- India's density ( $382$ ) is significantly higher than China's ( $141$ ).
- India is the second densest among the world's ten most populous countries; Bangladesh is first ( $1141\text{ persons/sq. km}$ ).
Historical Density Trends (Persons per sq. km):
- $1921$ : $81$
- $1931$ : $90$
- $1941$ : $103$
- $1951$ : $117$
- $1961$ : $142$
- $1971$ : $177$
- $1981$ : $221$
- $1991$ : $267$
- $2001$ : $325$
- $2011$ : $382$
- There has been an almost five-fold increase in density between $1921$ and $2011$ .

Regional Density Variations

State Extremes:
- Highest: Bihar at $1102\text{ persons/sq. km}$ .
- Lowest: Arunachal Pradesh at $17\text{ persons/sq. km}$ .
Union Territory Extremes:
- Highest: Delhi at $11,297\text{ persons/sq. km}$ .
- Lowest: Andaman and Nicobar Islands at $46\text{ persons/sq. km}$ .
Low-Density Regions:
- Hilly North and North-East states due to adverse conditions: Sikkim ( $86$ ), Jammu and Kashmir ( $124$ ), Himachal Pradesh ( $123$ ), Nagaland ( $119$ ), Manipur ( $122$ ), and Meghalaya ( $132$ ).
- Arid states: Rajasthan ( $201$ ).
Medium-Density Regions:
- Peninsular plateau and mid-India: Madhya Pradesh ( $236$ ), Chhattisgarh ( $189$ ), Odisha ( $269$ ), Andhra Pradesh ( $308$ ), Karnataka ( $319$ ), and Maharashtra ( $365$ ).
High-Density Regions:
- Coastal: Kerala ( $859$ ) and Tamil Nadu ( $555$ ).
- North Indian Plain: West Bengal ( $1029$ ), Uttar Pradesh ( $828$ ), Haryana ( $573$ ), and Punjab ( $550$ ).

Types of Population Density and Measures

Arithmetical Density: $\frac{\text{Total Population}}{\text{Total Area}}$
Physiological Density: $\frac{\text{Total Population}}{\text{Net Cultivated Area}}$ (Reflects the actual pressure on arable land).
Agricultural Density: $\frac{\text{Total Agricultural Population}}{\text{Net Cultivable Area}}$
- Note: Agricultural population includes cultivators, agricultural laborers, and their family members.
Index of Concentration: This is the proportion of population living in a state relative to the total national population.
- Example (UP, 2011): $\frac{199.5\text{ million}}{1021\text{ million}} \times 100 = 19.5\,\%$ .

Factors Influencing Population Distribution and Density

Terrain:
- Plains facilitate agriculture, transport, and industry. The North Indian Plain houses over half of India's population on less than one-fourth of its land.
- Himalayan regions (stiff slopes) occupy $13\,\%$ of land but support only $1\text{--}2\,\%$ of the population.
Climate:
- Rainfall is usually the primary determinant. Density generally decreases from the East (Ganga-Brahmaputra Delta) to the West (Thar Desert).
- Temperature extremes (Thar Desert heat or Himalayan cold) discourage concentration.
- Irrigation (e.g., Punjab, Haryana) can modify climate limitations to allow high density.
Soil:
- Fertile alluvial soil (Northern plains, coastal plains) and Black soil (Deccan) support high densities.
- Infertile soils (Desert, Laterite, Mountain) lead to low densities.
Water Bodies: Fresh potable water from rivers is essential for domestic, industrial, and transport purposes, leading to concentration in river valleys.
Mineral Resources: Rich mineral deposits attract population (e.g., Chhota Nagpur Plateau in Jharkhand and Odisha).
Industries: Industrial growth acts as a "magnet" for employment. One hectare of industrial land can support thousands, unlike agricultural land which might support only a few hundred.
Transport: Development is directly proportional to transport facilities. Plains have dense networks; mountains lack them.
Urbanization: Urban centers are defined as areas with a minimum of $400\text{ persons/sq. km}$ . Major cities like Kolkata, Mumbai, and Delhi exceed $6,000\text{ persons/sq. km}$ .

Population Growth: Basic Concepts

Birth Rate: Number of live births per year per thousand of mid-year population.
Death Rate: Number of deaths per year per thousand of population.
Growth Rate: The net change in population between two points in time, expressed as a percentage.
Natural Growth: The difference between the birth rate and the death rate.
Migratory Growth: Growth caused by the movement of people from one place to another.
Positive vs. Negative Growth: Positive occurs when births and immigration exceed deaths and emigration. India has always seen positive growth except for $1921$ .

Historical Phases of Population Growth in India

Period of Stagnant Population ( $1901\text{--}1921$ ):
- Irregular and slow growth.
- The Demographic Divide ( $1921$ ): Recorded a slight decline of $0.03\,\%$ in population.
- Causes: High mortality from influenza, plague, small-pox, cholera, and fatalities in World War I ( $1914\text{--}18$ ). Influenza alone killed $12\text{ million}$ in $1918$ .
Period of Steady Growth ( $1921\text{--}1951$ ):
- Population rose from $251\text{ million}$ to $361\text{ million}$ ( $47.3\,\%$ increase).
- Decline in death rates due to medical advances and sanitation improvements. This is termed "mortality-induced growth."
Period of Rapid High Growth ( $1951\text{--}1981$ ):
- Population almost doubled, reaching $683.3\text{ million}$ .
- Growth rate was roughly $89.36\,\%$ for the period ( $2\,\%$ per annum).
- Death rates fell much faster than birth rates. This is termed "fertility-induced growth."
Period of High Growth with Signs of Slowing Down (After $1981$ ):
- Highest growth rate ever recorded was $2.48\,\%$ in $1971$ .
- Growth plummeted as follows: $2.46\,\%$ ( $1981$ ) $\rightarrow 2.38\,\%$ ( $1991$ ) $\rightarrow 2.15\,\%$ ( $2001$ ) $\rightarrow 1.76\,\%$ ( $2011$ ).
- The birth rate fell from $37.2$ ( $1971\text{--}81$ ) to $21.8$ ( $2001\text{--}11$ ).

Regional Variations in Growth (2001–2011)

Sub-national Trends:
- High Growth: Dadra and Nagar Haveli ( $55.5\,\%$ ) and Daman and Diu ( $53.54\,\%$ ). Populous states with high growth include Bihar ( $25.07\,\%$ ) and Jammu & Kashmir ( $23.71\,\%$ ).
- Low Growth: Nagaland recorded a negative growth rate of $-0.47\,\%$ , a massive drop from $64.53\,\%$ in the previous decade. Kerala recorded $4.86\,\%$ growth.
- Many southern states and some in the north (Punjab, Himachal Pradesh) and east (Odisha, West Bengal) registered growth between $11\,\%$ and $16\,\%$ .

Implications of Population Growth

Social and Economic Challenges:
- Growth nullifies economic achievements; $1/4^{th}$ of the population remains below the poverty line.
- Housing: $306\text{ million}$ houses for $1210\text{ million}$ people. Only $52\,\%$ live in "pucca" houses and $21\,\%$ have concrete roofs.
- Literacy: $35.68\,\%$ of the population remained illiterate in $2011$ .
- Sanitation/Health: Five million families still depend on rivers/ponds for water; many lack electricity and healthcare access.
Environmental Degradation:
- Increasing mouths to feed leads to over-exploitation of exhaustible natural resources (minerals, water, air, soil).
- High decadal increases in India are larger than the total population of many other big nations.
Ecological Imbalance:
- Ecology Definition: Derived from Greek oikos (house) and logos (study). Coined by Ernst Haeckel in $1869$ .
- Human Impact: Clearing of Terai forests (post-1947 partition migration) and Ganga Plains for agriculture. Over-exploitation of soil via canal irrigation in Punjab and Haryana has led to salinity and alkalinity, turning fertile lands barren.
- Industrial/Mining Impact: Large-scale mining in Jharkhand, MP, and Odisha leads to loss of biodiversity.