India size and population

India’s Population Size and Distribution by Numbers

(i) India’s population as on March, 2001 stood at 1,028 million, which account for 16.7 % of the
world’s population.

(ii) These 1.028 billion people are unevenly distributed over our country’s vast area of 3.28
million square km, which accounts for 2.4% of the world’s area.

(iii) The 2001 Census data reveals that Uttar Pradesh with population of size of 166 million
people is the most populous state of India. Uttar Pradesh accounts for about 16% of the
country’s population.

(iv) On the other hand, the Himalayan state of Sikkim has a population of just about 0.5 million
and Lakshadweep has only 60 thousand people.

(v) Almost half of India’s population lives in just five states.These are Uttar Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh. Rajasthan, the biggest state in terms of area, has only
5.5% of the total population of India.

The Major Questions We are Concerned With

(i) Population size and distribution : How many people are there and where are they located?

(ii) Population growth and process of population change: How has the population grown and
changed through time?

(iii) Characteristics or qualities of the population: What are their age, sex-composition, literacy
levels, occupational structure and health conditions?

India’s Population Distribution by Density

(i) Population density provides a better picture of the uneven distribution. Population density is
calculated as the number of persons per unit area.

(ii) India is one of the most densely populated countries of the world.

(iii) The population density of India in the year 2001 was 324 persons per sq km. It varies from
904 in Paschim BangaL to 13 in Arunachal Pradesh.

(iv) Assam and most of the peninsular states have moderate population densities. Hilly,
dissected and rocky nature of the terrain, moderate to low rainfall, shallow and less fertile soils
have influenced population densities in these areas.

(v) The northern plains and Kerala in the south have high to very high population densities
because of the flat plains with fertile soil and abundant rainfall.
Population Growth

(i) Population is a dynamic phenomenon.

(ii) The numbers, distribution and composition of the population are constantly changing.

(iii) This is the influence of the interaction of the three processes, namely births, deaths and
migrations.

(iv) Growth of population refers to the change in the number of inhabitants of a country or
territory during a specific period of time.

(v) Such a change can be expressed in two ways: in terms of absolute numbers and in terms of
percentage per year.

(vi) The absolute number added each year or decade is the magnitude of increase.

(vii) It is calculated by subtracting the earlier population from the later population. This is
referred to as the annual or decadal growth rate.

(viii) The annual rate of population growth was steadily increasing between 1951 and 1981,
which explains the rapid increase in population during this period, during this period.

(ix) Since 1981, however, the growth rate started declining gradually. Still 182 million people

were added to the total population in the 1990s alone.

(x) India’s current annual increase in population of 15.5 million is large enough to neutralise
efforts to conserve the resources already available as well as the environment.

(xi) The declining trend of growth rate is a positive indication of the efforts of birth control
measures. Despite this, the total additions to the population base continue to grow.

Process of Population Change/Growth

There are three main processes of change of population : birth rates, death rates and migration.

(i) Birth Rate : It is the number of live births per thousand persons in a year. It is a major
component of growth because in India, birth rates have always been higher than death rates.

(ii) Death Rate: Death rate is the number of deaths per thousand persons in a year. The major
cause of the rate of growth of the Indian population has been the rapid decline in death rates
due to improvement in medical facilities.

The natural increase of population is the difference between birth rates and death rates.

(iii) Migration
(a) The third component of population growth is migration.

(b) Migration is the movement of people across regions and territories.

(c) Migration can be internal (within the country) or external (between different countries).

(d) Internal migration does not change the size of the population in a country, but influences

distribution of population within the nation.

(e) Migration plays a very significant role in changing the composition and distribution of
population.

(f) In India, most migrations have been from rural to urban areas because of the ‘push’ factor in
rural areas.

(g) Push’ factors are adverse conditions of poverty and unemployment in the rural areas and the
pull’ of the city in terms of increased employment opportunities and better living conditions.

(h) Migration not only changes the population size but also the population composition of urban

and rural populations in terms of age and sex composition.

(i) In India, the rural-urban migration has led to an increase in the urban population from 17.29%
in 1951 to 27.78% in 2001.

Age Composition
(i) The age composition of a population refers to the number of people in different age groups in
a country.

(ii) The population of a nation is generally grouped into 3 broad categories.

(a) Children (generally below 15 years) They are economically unproductive and need to be
provided with food, clothing, education and medical care.

(b) Working Age (15-59 years) They are economically productive and biological by reproductive.

They comprise the working population.

(c) Aged (above 59 years) They can be economically productive though they may have retired.
They may be working voluntarily but they are not available for employment through recruitment.

The percentage of children and the aged affect the dependency ratio because these groups are
not productive.

Sex Ratio
 (i) Sex ratio is defined as the number of females per 1000 males in the population. This
information is an important social indicator to measure the extent of equality between males
and females in the society at a given time.

(ii) The sex ratio in the country has always remained unfavourable to females.

(iii) Kerala had a sex ratio of 1058 females per 1000 males whereas Delhi has only 821 females
per 1000 males in 2001.

Literacy Rate

(i) Literacy is a very important quality of a population. Only an informed and educated citizen
can make intelligent choices and undertake research and development projects.

(ii) Low levels of literacy are a serious obstacle for economic improvement.

(iii) According to the census of 2001, a person aged 7 years and above who can read and write
with understanding in any language is treated as literate.

(iv) There has been a steady improvement in the literacy levels in India.

(v) The literacy rate in the country as per the census of 2001 is 64.84% (75.26% for males and
53.67% for females).

Occupational Structure

(i) The percentage of population that is economically active is an important index of

development.

(ii) The distribution of the population according to different types of occupations is referred to
as the occupational structure.

(iii) An enormous variety of occupations are found in any country.

(iv) Occupations are generally classified as primary, secondary and tertiary.

(v) Primary activities include agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry, fishing, mining and
quarrying, etc.

(vi) Secondary activities include manufacturing industry, building and construction work, etc.

(vii) Tertiary activities include transport, communication, commerce, administration and other
services.

(viii) The proportion of people working in different activities varies in developed and developing
countries.

(ix) Developed nations have a high proportion of people in secondary and tertiary activities.
(x) Developing countries tend to have a higher portion of their work force engaged in primary
activities.

(xi) In India about 64% of the population is engaged only in agriculture.

(xii) The proportion of population dependent on secondary and tertiary sectors is about 13 and
20% respectively.

(xiii) There has been an occupational shift in favour of secondary and tertiary sectors because
of growing industrialisation and urbanisation in recent times.

Health
(i) Health is an important component of population composition which affects the process of
development.

(ii) Sustained government programmes have led to significant improvements in health condition
of the Indian population.

(iii) Improvement in health has been due to improvement in public health, prevention of
infectious diseases and application of modern medical practices in diagnosis and treatment of
ailments.

(iv) The per capita calorie consumption is much below the recommended levels and
malnutrition affects a large percentage of our population.

(v) Safe drinking water and basic sanitation amenities are available to only 1/3rd of the rural
population.

Adolescent Population

(i) The most significant feature of the Indian population is the size of its adolescent population.

(ii) It constitutes 1/5th of the total population of India.

(iii) Adolescents are generally grouped in the age group of 10-19 years. They are the most
important resources for the future.

(iv) Nutrition requirements of adolescents are higher than those of a normal child or adult.

(v) Poor nutrition can lead to deficiency and stunted growth. But in India, the diet available to
adolescents is inadequate in all nutrients.

(vi) A large number of adolescents girls suffer from anaemia. The adolescent girls have to be
sensitised to the problems they confront

(vii) Their awareness can be improved through the spread of literacy and education among
them.

National Population Policy 2000 (NPP 2000)

(i) The Government of India initiated the comprehensive Family Planning Programme in 1952.

(ii) The Family Welfare Programme has sought to promote responsible and planned parenthood
on a voluntary basis.

(iii) The NPP 2000 provides a policy framework for imparting free and compulsory school
education up to 14 years of age.

(iv) It envisages reducing infant mortality rate below 30 per 1000 live births.

(v) It also includes achieving universal immunisation of children against all vaccine preventable
diseases, promoting delayed marriage for girls and making family welfare a people-centered
programme.

NPP 2000 and Adolescents

(i) NPP 2000 identified adolescents as one of the major sections of the population that need
greater attention.

(ii) Besides concentrating on nutritional requirements, the policy put emphasis on other
important needs of adolescents including protection from unwanted pregnancies and Sexually
Transmitted Diseases (STD).

(iii) It called for programmes that aim towards encouraging delayed marriage and child bearing,
education of adolescents about the risks of unprotected sex, for making contraceptive services
accessible and affordable, providing food supplements, nutritional services and strengthening
legal measures to prevent child marriages.

(iv) A well educated healthy population provides potential power

Short answers

Define census. What is the importance of the study of population?

Answer:Census is the counting of population of a country. In India, it takes place after every ten
years. In census, various kinds of information is collected about the members of the
households. On the basis of this information, the government provides details about birth rate,
death rate, sex ratio, literacy and other important features of population. The importance of
studying population is mainly in estimating the total manpower available for production and
total amount of goods and services required for their consumption.
2.Describe the distribution of population in India. [CBSE 2015, 2016]

Answer:(a) The population of India, as on March 2011, stood at 1,210.6 million. These 1.21
billion people

are unevenly distributed over 3.28 million square km.

(b) The population is divided into:

Very densely population – Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh.
Very sparsely population—Sikkim Lakshadweep, Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh.

Moderately population – States like Assam and Peninsular states.

(c) The dense population is due to fertile, flat land and favourable climate. On the other hand,
hilly areas or regions with low rainfall do not allow people to settle there.

3.What were the causes of uneven population in India? [CBSE 2016]

Answer:The population of India is unevenly distributed in India because of the following reasons:

(a) Relief of the land: Where there are mountains and rugged relief the population is sparse. Flat
and fertile land favours the population density.

(b) Climate: Less people live in cold climate, in very hot climate and where it is dry. More people
live in areas where the climate is favourable.

(c) In regions where the industrial development is more the population is dense as occupations
are more. Moreover, the transport facilities also favour the growth of population.

4.What has been the impact of urbanisation in India? Mention three features.

Answer:The impact of urbanisation in India:

(a) Rapid urbanisation has led to lack of facilities like housing, sanitation, water, power and
education, etc. Slums and other social tensions are created. Crime rate has increased.

(b) It has put heavy pressure on transport. Heavy rush on roads creates transport problems like
traffic jams, accidents, etc. High urbanisation has created congestion and pollution.

(c) Rural areas are being neglected.

5.Why is ‘Age Composition’ considered as one of the most basic characteristics of population?
Explain. [CBSE 2016]

Answer:(a) Age composition is considered as the most basic characteristics of population as

age
influences what a person needs, buys and his capacity to perform.

(b) The number and percentage of a population found within the children, working age and aged
groups are an important factor to determine the society’s social and economic structure.

(c) The age structure in India gives more weightage to adults-58.7%, aged 6.9% and children-
34.4%.

6.Explain any three differences between dependent and productive population.

7.Give reasons for low sex ratio in India.

Answer:India’s sex ratio according to 2011 census is 943 females per thousand males. It is
unfavourable due to:

(a) early marriages and social evils like dowry deaths. Female children are neglected.

(b) illiteracy among females is high. They have no knowledge about pre-natal and post-natal
care.

(c) low economic and political status of females.

8.in India, literacy rate among women is still low.” Justify the statement.

Answer:(a) In India, women generally look after domestic work and are left with no time to get
educated

mostly in the villages. Therefore the literacy rate is low.

(b) Lack of awareness and economic backwardness is another reason for the low literacy rate,

(c) Neglect of the child, especially

9.Who is treated as literate according to the Census of 2001? Why is literacy an important
quality of a population?

Answer:According to the 2011 census, any person aged 7 years and above, who can read and
write with understanding in any language, is treated as literate.

Literacy is an important quality of a population as only an informed and educated citizen can
make intelligent choices and undertake research and development project. Not much economic
development can take place with low literacy levels

10.What are the advantages of having a healthy population? In spite of the efforts of the
government, the health situation in India is a matter of great concern. Why?

Answer:A healthy population only can provide welfare and well-being of a society.

A healthy population only bear healthy mind to have responsible citizens and to contribute
economic development of the country.

Despite the achievements made a large percentage of the population still suffers from
malnutrition. Safe drinking water and basic sanitation facilities are available to a very small
percentage of the rural population.

11.Explain how the quality of people is more important than quantity of people. [CBSE 2011]

Answer:Quality of people refers to the education, knowledge, skills of the people. The people are
healthy and lead an active life. They put in more working hours and contribute more to the
national income of the country. Quantity of people refers to the total population of the country.
Many do not get adequate health facilities, per capita calorie consumption is much below the
recommended level Safe drinking water and sanitation may not be available to them. Many may
not get education and mostly are manual workers. Therefore a small mentally-developed
population with a healthy body is more important than a large population.

Long answers
Why is population very important in a country?

Or Why is population a pivotal element in social studies?

Answer:(a) The people are important to develop the economy and society.

(b) The people make and use the resources and are themselves resources with varying quality.

(c) It is the point of reference from which all other elements observed and from which they
derive significance and meaning. ‘Resources’, ‘calamities’ and ‘disasters’ are all meaningful only
in relation to human beings.

(d) Their numbers, distributions, growth and characteristics or qualities provide the basic
background for understanding and appreciating all aspect’s of the environment.

(e) Human beings are producers and consumers of earth’s resources. Therefore, it is very
important to know how many people are there in a country, where do they live, how and why are
their numbers increasing and what are their characteristics.

2.Describe the classification of occupational structure. How does occupational structure

indicate economic development of a country?

Answer:It is generally classified into primary, secondary and tertiary activities.

Primary activities include agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying etc.

Secondary activities include manufacturing industry, building and construction work etc.

Tertiary activities include transport, communications, commerce, administration and other

services.

Developed nations have a high proportion of people in secondary and tertiary activities because
it is more productive and profitable.

Developing countries tend to have a higher proportion of their workforce engaged in primary
activities because these are not as productive and profitable as the other sectors.

In India, about 64% of the population is engaged only in agriculture. The proportion of population
dependent on

secondary and tertiary sectors is about 13 to 20% respectively.

3.What are the factors affecting health status of people of India? What are the improvements
made in the health status of people of India?

Answer:The factors affecting health status of people of India are as follows.

(a) The per capita calorie consumption is much below the recommended levels in India and
malnutrition affects a large percentage of population.

(b) Safe drinking water and basic sanitation amenities are available to only l/3rd of the rural
population.

The improvements made in the health status of people of India are.

(a) Death rates have declined from 25 per 1000 population in 1951 to 7.2 per 1000 in 2011.
(b) Life expectancy at birth has increased from 36.7 years in 1951 to 67.9 years in 2012.

(c) The substantial improvement is the result of many factors including improvement in public
health, prevention of infectious diseases and application of modern medical practices in
diagnosis and treatment of ailments.

4.What are the significant features of NPP 2000? What are the measures taken by the NPP
2000 to protect adolescent population?

Answer:The NPP 2000 provides a policy framework for imparting free and compulsory
education for school upto 14 years of age, reducing infant mortality rate to below 30 per 1000
live births, achieving universal immunisation of children against all vaccine preventable diseases,
promoting delayed marriage for girls, and making family welfare a people-centered programme.

Besides nutritional requirements, the policy puts greater emphasis on other important needs of

adolescence including protection from unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted

diseases (STD).

It called for programmes that aim towards encouraging delayed marriage and child bearing,

education of adolescence about the risks of unprotected sex, making contraceptive services
accessible and affordable, providing food supplements, nutritional services, strengthening legal
measures to prevent child marriage..