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Quick recap: India's people on one page

Human geography of India · Quick recap · Fact-checked on · how we check

Written with AI from the sources listed at the bottom of this page, then fact-checked by a separate AI.

All four parts condensed for quick revision: the Census, size, density and growth; composition by sex, age, literacy, work and language; migration, settlements and urbanisation; and the Scheduled Tribes and their regions.

Human geography asks how many Indians there are, who they are, where they live and why they move. The chapter answers in four steps: the census and the size, spread and growth of the population (Part 1); its composition by sex, age, literacy, work, language and religion (Part 2); migration, settlements and towns (Part 3); and the Scheduled Tribes and their regions (Part 4). Almost every figure comes from Census 2011, the fifteenth census and the seventh after independence, because the next count, with its reference date of 1 March 2027, is still under way.

The chapter at a glance (Census 2011 unless stated)
MeasureFigureHighest / lowest
PopulationAbout 121 croreUttar Pradesh / Sikkim
Density382 per sq kmBihar 1,106 / Arunachal Pradesh 17
Sex ratio943Kerala 1,084 / Haryana 879
LiteracyAbout 74%Men 82 / women 65
Urban share31.2%Goa / Himachal Pradesh
Scheduled TribesAbout 10.4 crore (8.6%)MP by number / Lakshadweep, Mizoram by share
Total fertility rate (NFHS-5)2.0Replacement level 2.1

Part 1: India had about 121 crore people in 2011, about 17.5 per cent of the world's people on 2.4 per cent of its land, and the UN counted it the most populous country in 2023. Uttar Pradesh is the most populous State and Sikkim the least. population density was 382 per sq km, highest in Bihar (1,106) and lowest in Arunachal Pradesh (17). Four stages can be traced. Until 1921 numbers barely moved, and that year, which closed the one decade of fall, is called the 'year of the great divide'. From 1921 to 1951 growth was steady; from 1951 to 1981 it was explosive, with 1961–71 the fastest decade; since 1981 it has stayed high while gradually easing, the 2001–11 decade adding about 17.7 per cent. With a total fertility rate of 2.0 in NFHS-5, below the replacement level of 2.1, India is well into the third stage of the demographic transition.

Part 2: the sex ratio was 943 females per 1,000 males in 2011, highest in Kerala (1,084) and lowest among States in Haryana (879), while the child sex ratio fell to 918; the PCPNDT Act, 1994 bans sex determination. Census literacy means a person aged seven or more who can read and write with understanding in any language; the rate was about 74 per cent, 82 for men and 65 for women. About 31.2 per cent of Indians were urban. Main workers work for at least 183 days of the year and marginal workers for less, and together they gave a work participation rate of about 39.8 per cent. A falling dependency ratio opens a demographic dividend. Language families are Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Austric and Sino-Tibetan, and the Eighth Schedule lists 22 languages.

Part 3: the Census records migration by place of birth and by place of last residence; by the second measure there were about 45 crore migrants in 2011. Rural to rural is the largest stream, made up mostly of women moving at marriage, while rural to urban moves are led by men seeking work; Uttar Pradesh and Bihar send the most migrants, and Maharashtra and Delhi are leading destinations. Four village forms are recognised: clustered, semi-clustered, hamleted and dispersed. A statutory town has an urban local body; a census town has none but meets three tests: at least 5,000 people, at least three-quarters of male main workers outside farming, and at least 400 people per sq km. The urban share rose from about 11 per cent in 1901 to 31.2 per cent in 2011, with Goa the most urbanised State and Himachal Pradesh the least.

Part 4: a Scheduled Tribe is a community the President notifies for a State under Article 342; later changes need a law of Parliament. The Fifth Schedule protects Scheduled Areas in ten States, the Sixth Schedule gives autonomous district councils to Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram, and PESA (1996) puts the gram sabha at the centre of Fifth Schedule areas. In 2011 the tribes numbered about 10.4 crore, 8.6 per cent of India, most numerous in Madhya Pradesh and forming the largest share in Lakshadweep and Mizoram. The Bhil, Gond and Santhal are the largest tribes. There are 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups, and the Forest Rights Act, 2006 recognises forest dwellers' rights to land and community resources. Read together, the four parts show a large, young and slowly urbanising people whose numbers, makeup and movement vary sharply from region to region.

Exam traps

Recap

Practice questions

Q1. Why is 1921 called the 'year of the great divide' in India's demographic history?

  1. It was the first synchronous census.
  2. The decade ending in 1921 was the only one in which population fell.
  3. Urban population first exceeded rural population.
  4. Population growth peaked in that decade.
Show answer

Answer: B. The decade ending in 1921 was the only one in which population fell.

1911–21 is the only census decade with a fall in population, so 1921 marks the divide between stagnation and steady growth. The first synchronous census was 1881; India's urban population has never exceeded its rural population; growth peaked in 1961–71.

Q2. Consider the following statements about Census 2011:
1. Bihar had the highest population density among States.
2. Kerala had the highest sex ratio among States.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer

Answer: C. Both 1 and 2

Both are correct: Bihar's density was 1,106 per sq km and Kerala's sex ratio 1,084. Options naming only one statement, or neither, leave out a correct statement.

Q3. For the Census, a literate person is one who:

  1. has completed primary school
  2. is at least seven years old and able both to read and to write, with understanding, in some language
  3. can read and write in a language of the Eighth Schedule
  4. is aged six or above and can sign his or her name
Show answer

Answer: B. is at least seven years old and able both to read and to write, with understanding, in some language

The Census counts a person aged seven or more who can read and write with understanding in any language. No schooling is needed, any language counts, not only Eighth Schedule languages, and merely signing one's name at age six does not qualify.

Q4. Which one of the following is the largest stream of internal migration in India?

  1. Rural to urban
  2. Urban to urban
  3. Rural to rural
  4. Urban to rural
Show answer

Answer: C. Rural to rural

Rural to rural is the largest stream, dominated by women moving at marriage. Rural to urban moves, led by men seeking work, are smaller; urban to urban is smaller still, and urban to rural is the smallest.

Q5. Which of the following is NOT a criterion for a census town?

  1. Population of at least 5,000
  2. Three-quarters or more of male main workers in non-farm work
  3. Density of at least 400 persons per sq km
  4. A notified municipal body
Show answer

Answer: D. A notified municipal body

A municipal body makes a place a statutory town; a census town has none. Population, male non-farm work and density are the three census-town tests, so the first three options are criteria.

Q6. Consider the following statements:
1. The Sixth Schedule applies to tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
2. Madhya Pradesh has the highest share of Scheduled Tribes in its population.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer

Answer: A. 1 only

Statement 1 is correct. Statement 2 is wrong: Madhya Pradesh has the largest NUMBER of Scheduled Tribe people, but the highest SHARES are in Lakshadweep and Mizoram. So '2 only' and 'both' are wrong, and 'neither' ignores the correct statement 1.

Q7. The work participation rate in the Census is calculated using:

  1. main workers only
  2. main and marginal workers together
  3. marginal workers and non-workers
  4. workers in agriculture only
Show answer

Answer: B. main and marginal workers together

Total workers, main plus marginal, divided by the population give the work participation rate (about 39.8% in 2011). Counting main workers alone, adding non-workers, or using only farm workers would each give a different measure.

Q8. India's total fertility rate in NFHS-5 (2019–21) was 2.0. This means that:

  1. India's population has started falling
  2. fertility is below the replacement level of 2.1
  3. India is in the first stage of the demographic transition
  4. the death rate is higher than the birth rate
Show answer

Answer: B. fertility is below the replacement level of 2.1

A TFR of 2.0 is below the replacement level of 2.1. Population still grows for some time because of the large young population, so it has not started falling; India is well into the third stage, not the first; and births still exceed deaths.

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