DEMOGRAPHY OF

INDIA
Dr Naresh Gill
T.N.M.C. Mumbai
DEMOGRAPHY OF INDIA – A GLANCE

A. IMPORTANCE
B. MEANING AND DEFINITION
C. NATURE OF THE STUDY
*SIZE
* COMPOSITION
* DISTRIBUTION
D. DEMOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF INDIA
*SIZE AND GROWTH RATE OF POPULATION
*DENSITY OF POPULATION
*AGE COMPOSITION
*LITERACY RATE
E. SOME FACTS AND FIGURES OF OUR POPULATION
 IMPORTANCE
Study of demography is increasingly assuming more importance not
only in India but all over the world.

Primarily, ever-growing population in developing countries is

straining social, economic and even political system of nations.

The importance of population studies is increasing

 There is realization that population explosion is hindering

economic development.

Significance of population studies was realized even in earlier

period.
Demography today can neither be ignored by the planners nor policy
maker, nor administrators nor by academicians and politicians.
 MEANING AND DEFINITION
Demography is the study of changes which take
place in population including its size, distribution
and organization. It has been derived from the
Latin word “demos” meaning people. Hence, it is
the science of people.

As regards definition of this term, it has been

defined in various ways by different authors.
Some of these are given below.
 Frank Lorimar:“In broad sense demography includes
both demographic analysis and population studies. A
broad study of demography studies both qualitative and
quantitative aspects of population.”
 W.G. Brackley: “Demography does not deal with the
behavior of individuals but only with the aggregate of
people. The numerical portrayal of human population is
known as demography.
The most appropriate definition is given by Thompson &
Lewis ; that is
 “The population studies is concerned with the
population, its size, composition and distribution and in
changes in these aspects through time, and the causes
of there changes as they are related to human welfare.”
 NATURE OF THE STUDY
 Three main aspects are concerned under demography. Size
and growth of the population, Composition of population and
Distribution of population.

1. Size : This deals with the number of people living in an area

and what changes are taking place and how these changes
are affected.

 In a demographic study, the concern is not only in finding out

 How many people live in a particular area at a given point of
time
 Whether the number is larger than what it was, but also,
 What would be the likely number in future.
 Demography: Type..

1. Static Demography: It means the study of

anatomy or structure of communities and
their environment in a given population.

2. Dynamic Demography: It deals with

physiology or function of communities as
regards changing patterns of mortality,
fertility and migration. These factors or
events change the static structure of the
population.
 NATURE OF THE STUDY
2. Composition:
Composition of population mainly related to certain
characteristics.
Age, Sex & Literacy are most widely used characteristics of
population study.
According to Thompson & Lewis composition of a
population affects demographic processes.

3. Distribution: Population distribution study is concerned

with matters like
 how are the people distributed
 what is the nature of changes in population distribution.
 DEMOGRAPHIC CYCLE
Five stages:
1. High stationary : India till 1921(Big divide
year)
2. Early expanding
3. Late expanding: India
4. Low stationary
5. Declining: Germany and Hungary
 Demographic features of India
It shows mainly the number of people living in a country
at a particular time, the rate at which they are growing and
the composition and distribution of population.
 Size and Growth rate of population:
India today possesses about 2.4 percent of the total
land area of the world but has to support about 17 percent
of the world population. A study of growth rate of India’s
population falls into four phases:
 1891-1921: STAGNANT POPULATION
 1921-1951: STEADY GROWTH
 1951-1981: RAPID HIGH GROWTH
 1981-2001: HIGH GROWTH WITH SIGNS OF SLOWING
DOWN
 During the first phase of 20 years ( 1901-1921),
the population of India grew by 15 million. The
growth rate per annum was negligible, i.e. 0.19
percent per annum for the period. This stage was
characterized by high birth rate and high death
rate. Birth and death rates were more or less
equal during this period. In this period India was in
the first stage of demographic transaction, which
marked by stagnant population.

 During the second phase of 30 years (1921-

1951), the population of India grew by 110 million.
The growth rate of population was 1.22 percent
per annum. The growth rate was considered as
moderate.
 During the third phase (1951-1981), the
population of India grew from 361 million from
1951 to 683 million in 1981. The growth rate of
population during this period was 2.14 percent.
Compared to previous phase the growth rate is
almost double. It is resulted in population
explosion. Thus, India is now in the second stage
of demographic transaction when death rate is
low but the birth rate is high.

 According to latest estimate the population of

India in Dec 2010 is 1.19 billion. And it will
increase to 1.4 billion by 2026. There is a
projection that it may surpass China by 2025.
 TABLE -1
GROWTH OF POPULATION IN INDIA – 1901-2001
Total population (in Increase or Decrease ( in Percentage increase or Growth Rate
Year Millions) Millions) decrease

1901 236 -- --

1911 252 +16 5.7

1921 251 -1 -0.3 0.19

1931 279 +28 11.0

1941 319 +40 14.2

1951 361 +42 13.3 1.22

1961 439 +78 21.5

1971 548 +109 24.8

1981 683 +135 24.7 2.14

1991 844 +161 23.5

2001 1027 +183 21.3 1.93

2010* 1192 +165 13.8 1.54**

 DENSITY OF POPULATION
 The density of population is considered as one of the important
demographic features.
 It refers to the average number of persons living per square
kilometer of area within the territory of the country. It can be
calculated by dividing the total population of a country by its total
area.
 If we compare the figure it was 77 persons living per square km. in 1901,
which became 267 in 1991 and it rose to 324 per sq.km. in 2001.

 As per the latest estimate of 2006 the population density per

square kilometer is 338 in India.

 However, density of population is very unevenly distributed. Table –

2 brings to us the variations observed among the different states of
India.
 TABLE – 2
DENSITY OF POPULATION IN INDIA ( 2001)
STATES / UT DENSITY ( 1991 ) DENSITY ( 2001)
DELHI 6352 9294
CHANDIGARH 5632 7903
WEST BENGAL 767 904
KERAL 749 819
BIHAR 497 880
JHARKHAND 274 338
UP 548 689
TAMILNADU 429 478
PUNJAB 403 482
HARYANA 372 477
ASSAM 286 340
INDIA 267 324
MAHARASTRA 257 314
ANDHRAPRADESH 247 275
KARNATAKA 235 275
GUJURAT 211 258
ORISSA 203 236
MP 149 196
CHATISHGARH 133 154
RAJASTAN 129 165
HIMACHALPRADESH 93 109
J&K 77 99
 Age Composition

The study of age composition is helpful in determining the proportion

of the labour force in the total population. The working age of the
population is considered as 15-60. On this basis percentage distributions
of India’s population is shown in the Table -3.

TABLE – 3
AGE COMPOSITION ( IN PERCENTAGE )
AGE GROUP

0-14 15-59 60+

Year
1961 41.0 53.3 5.7
1971 41.4 53.4 5.2
1981 39.7 54.1 6.2
1991 36.5 57.1 6.4
2001 35.6 58.2 6.3
 This figures indicate that the proportion of
child population in the 0-14 age group was
35.6 percent in 2001.
 The principal reason is high birth rate. A
high proportion of children only reflects a
large proportion of unproductive consumers.
 It can be observed that nearly 43 percent
of the total population depends upon the rest
57 percent of the working population.
 TABLE - 4
POPULATION BY BROAD AGE - GROUPS
( AGE GROUP ) PERCENTAGE POPULATION
YEAR 0-14 15-59 60+ TOTAL
2006 32.1 60.4 7.5 100
2011 29.1 62.6 8.3 100
2016 26.8 63.9 9.3 100
2021 25.1 64.2 10.7 100
2026 23.3 64.3 12.4 100

•As the figure shows there is decline in the child population in 2006. It is
reflect in lower birth rate.
•The dependency ratio is also declining. That is in 2006 nearly 40% of our
population depends on the rest 60%.
•By 2020 25% of the India’s population will be under 15 and 64% will be in
the working age group.
•And by this time the US will require 17 million workers, Japan 9 million,
China 10 million and Russia 6 million.
•India can earn a rich demographic dividend if it sets about giving its young
people the right skills.
 Sex Composition
Sex composition gives us an idea about the number of females in a region
per 1000 males.
TABLE – 5
SEX RATIO IN INDIA

Year Females / 1000 Males

1981 934
1991 927
2001 933
2006 932

It can be seen that there is a slight improvement in the sex ratio in 2001
compared to 1991 census. Among the various states of India, Kerala alone
shows a higher proportion of female 1058 per 1000 males in 2001. In
Orissa it is 972 per 1000 males. It is lowest in Harayana ( 861/1000)
followed by Punjab (874/1000) and U.P. ( 898/1000). It is observed that
poverty and IMR are the two main determining factors of a declining sex
ratio.
 Literacy Rate:
 The quality of population can be judged from life expectancy, the level of

literacy and the level of technical training of the people of a country.

TABLE – 6
LITERACY RATE IN INDIA

Year Persons Male Female

1991 52.2 64.1 39.3
2001 65.4 75.8 54.1
2009* 68 76.9 54.5

•One important and widely accepted parameter of Human Development is

the percentage of literate people in the total population.

•Kerala has the highest literacy rate of 90.92 percent and Bihar has the
lowest percentage of literates ( 47.53). In Orissa it is 63.61.

•The overall literacy level in India is 68%(2007) which is far below the cent
percent level of literacy achieved in Australia, Canada, UK and the US.
COLLECTION OF DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
1. Population census
2. Records of vital statistics
3. Records of health department
4. Records of health institutions
5. Reports of special surveys
6. Periodic publication by WHO, RGI,DGHS &
State health directorates.
7. Miscellaneous including health agencies and
medical establishments like hospital and
nursing homes.
 CENSUS
 The total process of collection, compiling and
publishing demographic , economic and social
data at a specified time or times pertaining to all
persons in a country or delimited territory, is
called a population census.( UN Handbook of
Population Census Methods).
 In India, first census was conducted in 1872 and
the next in 1881.Since then it is being done every
10 years.
 Census 2011 is 13th census being conducted.
 The information is collected by house to house
visits on specified dates in the first quarter of the
first year of each decade.
 The Census of India is conducted under the
Indian Census Act 1948 under which Govt
appoints the Census commissioner.
 In practice, Registrar General of India is
assigned an ex-officio charge of Census
commissioner.