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English · हिन्दी · తెలుగు · தமிழ் · മലയാളം · मराठी · ಕನ್ನಡ

Census, size, distribution, density and growth

मराठीत स्पष्टीकरण

Human geography of India · Part 1 / 4 · 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.

How the Census counts India's people and its history from 1872 to the 2027 round; the population of 2011 and India as the most populous country; why people are spread unevenly; arithmetic, physiological and agricultural density; how growth is measured and its four phases since 1901; the demographic transition and fertility (NFHS-5); and population policy from 1952 to the National Population Policy, 2000.

Each idea is explained first in Marathi (मराठी), ending with the English and Hindi exam terms, followed by the same point in exam English. UPSC Prelims is in English or Hindi, so understand it in Marathi and revise it in English.

आतापर्यंत जमीन, पाणी, उद्योग पाहिले; आता माणसे. आपल्या देशात किती लोक, ते कुठे राहतात, किती वेगाने वाढतात हा भाग. कोकणातल्या किंवा देशावरच्या बागायती पट्ट्यात गावे जवळ जवळ, तर सह्याद्रीच्या दुर्गम डोंगरात वाड्या दूर दूर का, ते इथे पाहू. पुढच्या भागांत लोकसंख्येची रचना, स्थलांतर, शहरे आणि आदिवासी. (→ English: human geography; population · हिन्दी: मानव भूगोल; जनसंख्या)

In exam EnglishThis chapter turns from land, water and industry to people. Human geography asks how many people a country has, where they live, how their numbers change, what the population is made of, how people move and settle, and how particular communities such as the Scheduled Tribes relate to the land. This first part deals with numbers and space: how India counts its people through the Census, how large the population is, why it is spread so unevenly, how crowded different regions are, and how fast it has grown since 1901. It ends with the demographic transition, the fall in fertility and the policies the state has used. Part 2 then looks at the make-up of the population, Part 3 at migration and cities, and Part 4 at the tribes.

जनगणना म्हणजे एकाच वेळी देशातील प्रत्येक माणसाची मोजणी, वय, शिक्षण, काम अशा तपशिलांसह. घरोघरी येणारे प्रगणक हेच करतात. ही संघ सूचीतील 69 वी नोंद; 1948 च्या कायद्यानुसार गृह मंत्रालयाखालील महानिबंधक ती करतात, आपली उत्तरे गोपनीय राहतात. 1872 मध्ये पहिली मोजणी, पण सगळीकडे एकाच वेळी नाही; 1881 मध्ये पहिल्यांदा देशभर एकाच वेळी. 2011 ची पंधरावी, स्वातंत्र्यानंतरची सातवी. पुढच्या जनगणनेची तारीख 1 मार्च 2027. (→ English: census · हिन्दी: जनगणना)

In exam EnglishThe census is the complete official count of every person in the country at one point in time, with details such as age, sex, literacy, work and migration. It is entry 69 of the Union List, and it is conducted under the Census Act, 1948 by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, under the Ministry of Home Affairs; the Act keeps each person's answers confidential. A first count, not taken at one time everywhere, was completed in 1872; the first synchronous census, held at one moment across the country, came in 1881, and a census followed every ten years up to 2011, the fifteenth in all and the seventh after independence. The round due in 2021 was postponed. In June 2025 the government notified a reference date of 1 March 2027, with 1 October 2026 for Ladakh and the snow-bound parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

2011 च्या जनगणनेत आपण सुमारे 121 कोटी. जगाच्या जमिनीपैकी आपल्याकडे फक्त 2.4 टक्के, पण जगातील लोकांपैकी 17.5 टक्के आपण; लहान घरात मोठे कुटुंब तसे. एकट्या उत्तर प्रदेशात सुमारे 20 कोटी, देशाचा सहावा भाग; त्यानंतर आपला महाराष्ट्र, मग बिहार. सर्वात कमी सिक्कीम, सुमारे 6 लाख. संयुक्त राष्ट्रांच्या अंदाजानुसार 2023 मध्ये आपण चीनला मागे टाकून जगातील सर्वाधिक लोकसंख्येचा देश झालो. (→ English: population · हिन्दी: जनसंख्या)

In exam EnglishCensus 2011 counted about 1,210.8 million people, roughly 121 crore. With about 2.4 per cent of the world's land, India then held about 17.5 per cent of its people. Single states are as large as whole countries: Uttar Pradesh alone had about 199.8 million people, around one-sixth of India's total, followed by Maharashtra and Bihar, while Sikkim, with about 6.1 lakh, was the least populous state. The United Nations Population Division estimates that India passed China in 2023 to become the most populous country in the world. Because no census has been held since 2011, today's totals come from such projections and from sample surveys, while the 2011 count remains the latest complete official record of who lives where.

आपल्या देशात लोक सगळीकडे सारखे नाहीत. गंगेचे मैदान, किनारी मैदाने, नद्यांचे त्रिभुज प्रदेश येथे दाटीवाटीने; हिमालयाची शिखरे, लडाख, थरचे वाळवंट, ईशान्येचे जंगली डोंगर येथे फार कमी. असा विचार करा: सपाट सुपीक जमीन आणि पाणी असेल तिथे गावे दाट असतात; उंच उतार, थंडी, कोरडी जमीन असेल तिथे शेती, घरबांधणी, प्रवास कठीण, म्हणून लोक कमी. (→ English: distribution of population · हिन्दी: जनसंख्या का वितरण)

In exam EnglishPeople are spread very unevenly across India. A few broad zones hold most of them: the Ganga plains from Punjab to West Bengal, and the coastal plains and river deltas of the east and west. Large areas, by contrast, are thinly peopled: the high Himalaya and Ladakh, the Thar desert of western Rajasthan, the forested hills of the north-east and parts of the central plateau. Physical conditions explain much of this pattern. Level land with fertile alluvial soil, dependable rain or irrigation and a moderate climate can feed dense farming populations. Steep slopes, severe cold, dryness, thick forest and thin soils keep numbers low, because they make farming, building and travel difficult and costly.

माती आणि हवामान एवढेच नाही; काम मिळते तिथे लोक जातात. मुंबई, कोलकाता, चेन्नई, दिल्ली बंदरे, सरकार, नोकऱ्यांमुळे वाढली; छोटा नागपूरची खाण-शहरे खनिजांमुळे. दोन तालुक्यांत सारखीच माती असली तरी कालवा, महामार्ग, कारखान्यांचे शहर असलेल्या तालुक्यातच लोक जास्त. 1947 च्या फाळणीने लाखो निर्वासित पंजाब, दिल्ली, बंगालमध्ये आले. म्हणूनच लोकसंख्येचा नकाशा सिंचन आणि रस्त्यांच्या नकाशासारखाच दिसतो. (→ English: distribution of population · हिन्दी: जनसंख्या का वितरण)

In exam EnglishPhysical conditions are not the whole story. Industry, mining, trade and services pull people to particular places even where nature is harsh: Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Delhi grew around ports, government and jobs, and the mining towns of Chota Nagpur grew on minerals. Transport links, a long history of settlement and access to water supply, schools and hospitals add to the pull. Political events can also move people in large numbers, as when the Partition of 1947 brought millions of refugees into Punjab, Delhi and West Bengal. Suppose two districts have much the same soil: the one with a canal, a highway and a factory town will usually hold many more people. That is why a map of population in India looks so much like a map of its irrigation, roads and cities.

लोकसंख्येची घनता म्हणजे एका चौरस किलोमीटरमध्ये किती लोक. 2011 मध्ये देशात 382; बिहार 1,106 सह सर्वात दाट, बंगालही हजाराच्या वर; अरुणाचल फक्त 17; दिल्ली अकरा हजारांहून जास्त. पण हा आकडा जमीन कशी आहे ते सांगत नाही. एखाद्या कुटुंबाकडे दहा एकर असली पण त्यातली एकच एकर पिकाखाली येत असेल तर सगळे त्या एका एकरावरच अवलंबून असतात ना; म्हणून लागवडीखालच्या जमिनीने भागणाऱ्या आणखी दोन घनता वापरतात. (→ English: population density; physiological density · हिन्दी: जनसंख्या घनत्व; कायिक घनत्व)

In exam Englishpopulation density measures crowding as the number of persons per square kilometre. In 2011 India's density was 382, up from 325 in 2001. Among states, Bihar was the densest at 1,106, with West Bengal also above 1,000, while Arunachal Pradesh, at 17, was the sparsest; among union territories, the National Capital Territory of Delhi was far denser than any state, at over 11,000. This simple figure, called arithmetic density, ignores the quality of the land, so geographers also use physiological density, the total population divided by the net cultivated area, and agricultural density, the population that depends on farming divided by that same cultivated area. A dry, rocky state may look empty by arithmetic density yet be crowded in relation to the little land that can actually be farmed.
Three measures of population density
MeasureHow it is worked outWhat it shows
Arithmetic densityTotal population ÷ total area (per sq km)Overall crowding; India 382 in 2011
Physiological densityTotal population ÷ net cultivated areaPressure of all people on farmed land
Agricultural densityFarming population ÷ net cultivated areaPressure of farm households on farmed land

लोकसंख्या वाढ दोन मार्गांनी होते. एक नैसर्गिक वाढ: जन्म वजा मृत्यू. दोन स्थलांतर: गावात आलेले मिळवायचे, गेलेले वजा करायचे. पुण्यासारखे शहर वाढण्यात स्थलांतराचा मोठा वाटा; पण संपूर्ण देशासाठी जवळजवळ सगळी नैसर्गिक वाढच. जनगणना दहा वर्षांतील वाढीची टक्केवारी देते. 1911-21 मध्ये लोकसंख्या घटली. 2001-11 मध्ये वाढ 17.7 टक्के, आधीच्या दशकात 21.5 टक्के. (→ English: decadal growth rate; natural increase · हिन्दी: दशकीय वृद्धि दर; प्राकृतिक वृद्धि)

In exam EnglishPopulation growth is the change in the number of people in an area between two dates, given as an absolute number or as a percentage. It has two parts. Natural increase is births minus deaths; migration adds those who move in and subtracts those who move out. For India as a whole, natural increase accounts for almost all of the change, but for one state or city migration can matter as much. The Census reports decadal growth, the percentage change over ten years, and an average annual rate is also worked out. Growth can be negative when deaths and departures outnumber births and arrivals, as happened in India in 1911–21. Between 2001 and 2011 the population grew by about 17.7 per cent, down from about 21.5 per cent in 1991–2001, the steepest fall between two decades since independence.

1901 पासून आपली लोकसंख्या चार टप्प्यांत वाढली. पहिला टप्पा 1901-21: दुष्काळ, साथीचे रोग, 1918 चा फ्लू यांमुळे जितके जन्मले तितके मेले, 1911-21 मध्ये लोकसंख्या घटलीसुद्धा; म्हणून 1921 हे 'महाविभाजनाचे वर्ष'. दुसरा टप्पा 1921-51: मृत्यू कमी होऊन हळू वाढ. तिसरा टप्पा 1951-81: औषधांनी मृत्यू खूप घटले पण जन्म तसेच, हाच 'लोकसंख्येचा विस्फोट'; 1961-71 मध्ये सर्वाधिक 24.8 टक्के. चौथा टप्पा 1981 पासून: वाढ आहे पण कमी कमी होत आहे. (→ English: year of the great divide; population explosion · हिन्दी: महान विभाजक वर्ष; जनसंख्या विस्फोट)

In exam EnglishSince 1901 India's growth has passed through four phases. From 1901 to 1921 numbers barely moved: famines, epidemics and the influenza pandemic of 1918 kept death rates about as high as birth rates, and the population actually fell in 1911–21. For this reason 1921 is called the year of the great divide. From 1921 to 1951 growth was steady, as better sanitation, control of some diseases and improved food distribution lowered the death rate. From 1951 to 1981 the population grew fast, a phase often called the population explosion: death rates dropped quickly with medicine and development while birth rates stayed high, and 1961–71 recorded the highest decadal growth, about 24.8 per cent. Since 1981 growth has stayed high but has slowed steadily as birth rates have fallen.
Four phases of India's population growth since 1901
PhaseYearsBirth and death ratesResult
Stagnant1901–1921Both high; famines and epidemicsVery slow growth; a fall in 1911–21; 1921 the great divide
Steady growth1921–1951Death rate falling, birth rate highModerate, steady growth
Rapid growth1951–1981Death rate falling fast, birth rate still highPopulation explosion; peak decade 1961–71 (about 24.8%)
High but slowing1981–2011Birth rate falling steadilyGrowth slows; 2001–11 about 17.7%

लोकसंख्या संक्रमण म्हणजे एखादा समाज 'जास्त जन्म, जास्त मृत्यू' यापासून 'कमी जन्म, कमी मृत्यू' कडे बदलणे. आपल्या आजीच्या काळी घरात सहा-सात मुले, पण अनेक लहानपणीच दगावत; आज दोन मुले, दोघेही जगतात; हाच तो बदल. आपण आता तिसऱ्या टप्प्यात आहोत. एकूण प्रजनन दर म्हणजे एका स्त्रीला सरासरी किती मुले; 2.1 असेल तर लोकसंख्या त्याच पातळीवर राहते. NFHS-5 मध्ये देश 2.0; बिहार सुमारे 3, सिक्कीम सुमारे 1.1. तरुण जास्त असल्याने आणखी काही वर्षे लोकसंख्या वाढत राहील. (→ English: demographic transition; total fertility rate · हिन्दी: जनांकिकीय संक्रमण; कुल प्रजनन दर)

In exam EnglishThese phases fit the demographic transition model, which describes how a society moves from high birth and death rates to low ones. In the first stage both rates are high and growth is slow; in the second, death rates fall while birth rates stay high, so growth speeds up; in the third, birth rates fall as well and growth slows; in the fourth both are low and numbers are close to stable. India went through the second stage after 1951 and is now well into the third. Between censuses, the Registrar General's Sample Registration System tracks birth and death rates every year. The main measure of fertility is the total fertility rate, the average number of children a woman would have in her lifetime at current rates; about 2.1 is the replacement level. NFHS-5 (2019–21) put India's rate at 2.0, with Bihar the highest at about 3.0 and Sikkim the lowest at about 1.1. Even below replacement, numbers keep rising for some decades because so many Indians are young.

1952 मध्ये राष्ट्रीय कुटुंब नियोजन कार्यक्रम सुरू करणारा पहिला देश आपलाच. 1976 च्या 42 व्या घटनादुरुस्तीने 'लोकसंख्या नियंत्रण आणि कुटुंब नियोजन' समवर्ती सूचीत 20अ नोंद म्हणून जोडले; म्हणजे केंद्र आणि राज्ये दोघेही कायदा करू शकतात. असा विचार करा: लोकसंख्या आटोक्यात ठेवलेल्या राज्याच्या लोकसभा जागा कमी झाल्या तर अन्याय ना; म्हणून जागा 1971 च्या आकड्यांवरच गोठवल्या, 84 व्या दुरुस्तीने ते 2026 नंतरच्या जनगणनेपर्यंत वाढवले. 2000 च्या धोरणाची उद्दिष्टे: 2010 पर्यंत दर 2.1, 2045 पर्यंत स्थिर लोकसंख्या. (→ English: Concurrent List; National Population Policy · हिन्दी: समवर्ती सूची; राष्ट्रीय जनसंख्या नीति)

In exam EnglishIndia was the first country to start a national family planning programme, in 1952. The 42nd Amendment of 1976 added 'population control and family planning' to the Concurrent List as entry 20A, so both the Union and the states can make laws on it. The same amendment froze the share of Lok Sabha seats among states, and the number of seats in each state assembly, on the basis of the 1971 census until the first census after 2000, so that states which slowed their growth would not lose seats; the 84th Amendment of 2001 extended the freeze until the first census taken after 2026. The National Population Policy, 2000 set an immediate goal of meeting the unmet need for contraception and health care, a medium-term goal of bringing the total fertility rate to replacement level by 2010, and a long-term goal of a stable population by 2045, and a National Commission on Population was formed to oversee it.

हा संपूर्ण भाग एकच गोष्ट: जनगणना आकडे देते; वितरण आणि घनता लोक कुठे आणि का आहेत ते सांगतात; चार टप्पे एवढा मोठा आकडा कसा आला ते सांगतात; संक्रमण आता वाढ का मंदावते ते सांगते. दक्षिणेकडील राज्यांत आधी कमी झाली, उत्तरेकडील काही राज्ये मागे आहेत. याचा परिणाम नोकऱ्या, शाळा, दवाखाने यांच्या गरजेवर आणि संसदेतील जागांवरही होतो. (→ English: population growth · हिन्दी: जनसंख्या वृद्धि)

In exam EnglishThe pieces of this part fit together. The Census supplies the numbers; distribution and density show where people live and why; growth and its four phases show how the total reached its present size; and the demographic transition explains why growth is now slowing, though unevenly, with several northern states behind the south. These differences reach well beyond geography: they shape the demand for jobs, schools and health care, and, through the freeze on seats, even the balance of representation in Parliament. Part 2 looks inside the totals at how the population is made up: by sex, age, literacy, work, language and religion.

Exam traps

Recap

Practice questions

Q1. The first synchronous census of India was held in

  1. 1872
  2. 1881
  3. 1901
  4. 1951
Show answer

Answer: B. 1881

The first synchronous census, held at one moment across the country, was in 1881. The count completed in 1872 was not synchronous; 1901 and 1951 were later rounds (1951 was the first after independence).

Q2. Consider the following statements:
1. 'Census' is an entry in the Union List of the Seventh Schedule.
2. 'Population control and family planning' is an entry in the State List.
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 (Union List entry 69). Statement 2 is wrong: the 42nd Amendment placed it in the Concurrent List as entry 20A. So '2 only', 'both' and 'neither' are wrong.

Q3. In which decade did India's population record negative growth?

  1. 1901–1911
  2. 1911–1921
  3. 1921–1931
  4. 1941–1951
Show answer

Answer: B. 1911–1921

Population fell in 1911–21 because of famines, epidemics and the 1918 influenza pandemic, which is why 1921 is the year of the great divide. Growth was slow but positive in 1901–11, and positive and steady in 1921–31 and 1941–51.

Q4. According to Census 2011, which one of the following States had the highest population density?

  1. Uttar Pradesh
  2. Kerala
  3. Bihar
  4. West Bengal
Show answer

Answer: C. Bihar

Bihar was the densest state at 1,106 persons per sq km. West Bengal was second, also above 1,000; Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state but not the densest; Kerala is dense but below both Bihar and West Bengal.

Q5. Which pair of figures is compared to obtain the physiological density of population?

  1. total population to total area
  2. total population to net cultivated area
  3. agricultural population to net cultivated area
  4. urban population to total population
Show answer

Answer: B. total population to net cultivated area

Physiological density divides the total population by the net cultivated area. Total population by total area is arithmetic density; farming population by cultivated area is agricultural density; urban population by total population is the level of urbanisation, not a density.

Q6. Match the phase of population growth with its period:
A. Stagnant population — 1. 1951–1981
B. Steady growth — 2. 1901–1921
C. Population explosion — 3. 1921–1951
Select the correct code:

  1. A-2, B-3, C-1
  2. A-3, B-2, C-1
  3. A-2, B-1, C-3
  4. A-1, B-3, C-2
Show answer

Answer: A. A-2, B-3, C-1

Stagnation was 1901–21, steady growth 1921–51 and the explosion 1951–81. The second option swaps the first two phases, the third swaps steady growth and the explosion, and the fourth reverses stagnation and the explosion.

Q7. With reference to fertility in India, consider the following statements:
1. A total fertility rate of about 2.1 is regarded as the replacement level.
2. NFHS-5 (2019–21) recorded India's total fertility rate below the replacement level.
3. A total fertility rate below replacement means that the population starts falling immediately.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer

Answer: A. 1 and 2 only

Statements 1 and 2 are correct (NFHS-5 gave 2.0). Statement 3 is wrong: with so many young people, numbers keep rising for some decades even below replacement. Every option that includes 3 is therefore wrong.

Q8. The National Population Policy, 2000 set which of the following as its long-term objective?

  1. Meeting the unmet need for contraception
  2. Bringing the total fertility rate to replacement level by 2010
  3. Achieving a stable population by 2045
  4. Freezing Lok Sabha seats on the 1971 census
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Answer: C. Achieving a stable population by 2045

The long-term objective was a stable population by 2045. Meeting the unmet need for contraception was the immediate objective, and replacement-level fertility by 2010 the medium-term one; the seat freeze came from constitutional amendments, not from the policy.

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