India’s population growth rate has decelerated to 17.64 per cent in the decade 2001-11, the slowest rate of growth this past century, according to the first results of Census 2011 put out by the registrar-general of census.
India’s population in 2011 is estimated to be 1.21 billion, comprising 624 million males and 587 million females. While the gender imbalance in population remains, the preliminary census figures show that India’s female population grew by 18.12 per cent over the past decade against 17.19 per cent for males.
India’s literacy rate has gone up from 64.83 per cent in 2001 to 74.04 per cent in 2011. Literates constitute 74 per cent of the total population aged seven and above. The sex-ratio, that is number of females per 1,000 males, has improved to 940 from 933 a decade ago.
“This shows that we are bottoming out on the gender issue. Gender equality will now improve,” says Laveesh Bhandari of Indicus Analytics said.
However, a disturbing figure reported by the census is that male preference persists among newly born, with the child sex ratio at 914, the lowest since Independence. “This is a matter of grave concern,” Registrar of India and Census Commissioner of India C Chandramauli said, while releasing the figures. Ritu Priya Mehrotra professor in the Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health in the Jawaharlal Nehru University said that the news was alarming. She also noted that while the world counts the number of men in a population of 1000 females to determine sex ratio, India looks at the number of women per 1000 males as it assumes the numbers to be less.
Sabu George, who has been campaigning for the rights of the unborn girl child for the last two decades and whose PIL in the Supreme Court was instrumental in changes in the Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act, said that the result was not surprising.
India’s population accounts for the world’s 17.5 per cent, second only to China that constitutes 19.4 per cent. The country’s headcount is almost equal to the combined population of the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Japan, put together.
The population of India has increased by more than 181 million during 2001-11. This is the first decade which has actually added less population compared to the previous decade, Chandramauli said.
| KEY FINDINGS OF THE CENSUS |
| * Population grows to 1.21 billion |
| * 181 million people added during 2001-11 |
| * Growth declines to 17.64% from 21.15% during 1991-2001 |
| * There are 623.7 million males and 586.5 million females |
| * India accounts for 17.5% of the world’s population, China 19.4% |
| * First decade (with exception of 1911-1921) which saw addition of lesser people than the previous decade. |
| * Child sex ratio — 914 females against 1,000 males — lowest since independence |
| * Overall sex ratio rises by seven points — 940 females per 1,000 males |
| * Literacy rate goes up from 64.83% to 74.04% |
| * 74% people aged seven and above are literate |
| * 82.14% male literacy, 65.46% female literacy |
| * In 2001, male literacy was 75.26%, female literacy was 53.67% |
| * Delhi (11,297 people per square km) has the highest population density, followed by Chandigarh (9,252) |
| * Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state with 199 million people while Lakshadweep is the least populated at 64,429 |
Uttar Pradesh is the most populous sate with 199 million people and Lakshadweep the least populated at 64,429.
