Population in India

India covers a total geographical territory of 3,287,240 sq km (1,269,210 sq miles) and according to the census conducted in 2011, the population of India is 1,210,193,422, which makes it the 2nd most populated country in the world.

Over the past 10 years or so, the population of India increased at a rate of 1.76% per year. This dropped from 2.13% per year in the last decade of 1991 to 2001. As per the 2011 census, the human sex ratio in the country is 940:1,000 (female: male), and this ratio is the lowest after the country achieved its independence in 1947.

Some important facts about the population of India

In the census conducted in 2001, the average age of the country was 24.9. Advancements in the healthcare industry over the past five decades together with higher farming output due to the Green Revolution have led the population of the country to rise at a fast pace.

Population Map of India

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Since 1991 to 2001, the percentage of the population of the country inhabiting the metropolitan regions has also gone up, rising by 31.2%. In spite of this fact, more than 70% of the population of the country still resides in the village regions or countrysides. As laid down by the census conducted in 2001, the country is home to 27 million-plus cities or cities that have a population of 1 million (1000000). Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata are the largest cities in the country.

India is home to around one sixth of the entire population of the world. Housing 17.5% of the population of the world, the country is expected to become the most populated country in the world by the year 2025.

With its population surpassing 1.6 billion by the year 2050, the population of India is projected to exceed China. The growth rate of Indian population is 1.41%, holding the 93rd position in the world.

India is home to a diverse population and there significant differences among the various communities in terms of education, income, and culture. Only the African continent surpasses India in terms of genetic, linguistic, and cultural variety.

Over 50% of the population of India is aged under 25 and over 65% of the population of India is aged under 35. It is anticipated that the median age of an Indian citizen will be 29 years in 2020, in comparison to 48 for Japan and 37 for China; and, the dependency ratio of India by 2030 would be only more than 0.4.

Religion and ethnicity

India is home to over 2,000 ethnic communities and each important religion is represented similarly like four important groups of languages (Dravidian, Indo-European, Tibeto-Burman, and Austro-Asiatic languages) together with two separate languages (the Burushaski language used in areas of Jammu and Kashmir and the Nihali language used in areas of Maharashtra).

The Constitution of India distinguishes 212 listed ethnic communities, which collectively form around 7.5% of the population of India. The census conducted in 2001 mentioned that Hinduism is the faith in the country, which has the biggest number of devotees. More than 800 million Hindus live in India and they represent 80.5% of the population of the country. There are also people belonging to other faiths and communities such as Christians (2.3%), Muslims (13.4%), Buddhists (0.8%), Sikhs (1.9%), Jains (0.4%), Zoroastrians, Jews, and followers of the Baha'i faith. The country houses the third-largest Muslim population in the world. It is also home to the biggest number of Muslim inhabitants for a non-Muslim majority nation.

Significant aspects of the population of India

• India covers 2.4% of the land territory of the world and represents more than 17.5% of the population of the world.
• The country houses more productive farming land area as compared to any nation barring the United States. The country also houses more water bodies as compared to any other nation barring the United States and Canada.
• The lifestyle of Indian people typically is dependent on farming and associated operations in tiny villages. The major part of the Indian population inhabits these rural areas.
• According to the census of 2001, 72.2% of the Indian population stays in around 638,000 villages. Rest of the population (27.8%) inhabits over 380 metropolitan cities and 5,100 town areas.

Population of India in a chronological order

Population of India in a chronological order

Census	Population	% +--
1951	361088000	-
1961	439235000	21.60%
1971	548160000	24.80%
1981	683329000	24.70%
1991	846421000	23.90%
2001	1028737000	21.50%
2011	1210193422	17.60%

Population and areas of the states in India

The table given below offers a clear idea about the population of the 28 states in India:

Population and areas of the states in India

Serial no	Name of states	Capital	Area (sq. km)	Population
1	Andhra Pradesh	Hyderabad	2,75,069	84665533
2	Arunachal Pradesh	Itanagar	83743	1091014
3	Assam	Dispur	78438	31169272
4	Bihar	Patna	94163	103804637
5	Chhattisgarh	Raipur	1,36,034	25540196
6	Goa	Panaji	3702	1457723
7	Gujarat	Gandhinagar	1,96,024	60383628
8	Haryana	Chandigarh	44212	25353081
9	Himachal Pradesh	Shimla	55673	6077900
10	Jammu and Kashmir	Srinagar	222236	12548926
11	Jharkhand	Ranchi	74677	32966238
12	Karnataka	Bangalore	191976	61130704
13	Kerala	Thiruvananthapuram	38863	33387677
14	Madhya Pradesh	Bhopal	3,08,000	72597565
15	Maharashtra	Mumbai	3,07,713	112372972
16	Manipur	Imphal	22327	2721756
17	Meghalaya	Shillong	22720	2964007
18	Mizoram	Aizawl	21081	1091014
19	Nagaland	Kohima	16579	1980602
20	Orissa	Bhubaneswar	155820	41947358
21	Punjab	Chandigarh	50362	27704236
22	Rajasthan	Jaipur	3,42,239	68621012
23	Sikkim	Gangtok	7096	607688
24	Tamil Nadu	Chennai	1,30,058	72138958
25	Tripura	Agartala	10491.69	3671032
26	Uttaranchal	Dehradun	53484	10116752
27	Uttar Pradesh	Lucknow	2,40,928	199581477
28	West Bengal	Kolkata	88752	91347736

Population and areas of the Union Territories in India

Given below are the names of the union territories in India with their population and areas:

Population and areas of the Union Territories in India

Serial no	Name of the Union Territory	Area (sq. km)	Population
1	Chandigarh	114	1054686
2	Delhi	1483	16753235
3	Andaman and Nicobar Islands	8249	379944
4	Puducherry	479	1244464
5	Daman and Diu	112	242911
6	Dadra and Nagar Haveli	491	342853
7	Lakshadweep	32	64429

Other interesting facts about the population of India

Age structure

• 0-14 years - 31.1% (male 190,075,426 and female 172,799,553)
• 15-64 years - 63.6% (male 381,446,079 and female 359,802,209)
• 65 and above - 5.3% (male 29,364,920 and female 32,591,030)

All figures are based on 2009 estimates.

Sex ratio

• At birth - 1.12 male(s)/female
• Under 15 - 1.10 male(s)/female
• 15-64 years - 1.06 male(s)/female
• 65 and above - 0.90 male(s)/female

All figures are based on 2009 estimates.

• Death rate - 6.4 deaths/1,000 (As per 2009 estimates)
• Birth rate - 22.22 births/1,000 (As per 2009 estimates)
• Life expectancy - 69.89 years (As per 2009 estimates)
• Male - 67.46 years
• Female - 72.61 years

Infant mortality rate - 30.15 deaths/1,000 live births (As per 2009 estimates)
Fertility rate - 2.68 childbirths/woman (As per 2010 estimates)



Last Updated on : 25 August 2011