RAS question
India's average population density as per Census 2011 is:
Correct answer: (A) 382 persons/sq km.
As per Census 2011, India’s average population density was 382 persons per sq km.
Explanation
Census 2011 reported India’s average population density as 382 persons per sq km, which is why option A is the required figure. The exam-relevant comparison is that India’s density rose from 324 persons per sq km in Census 2001 to 382 persons per sq km in Census 2011. NCERT, India: People and Economy, Appendix (i), sourced to Census of India 2011, lists the all-India population, national share, density and decadal growth rate in one table; in that table, the all-India density entry is 382. This makes 382 the official all-India average, not a state-specific or rounded distractor figure.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) 267 persons per sq km belongs to an earlier census figure, so it does not answer the Census 2011 all-India density asked here.
- (C) 412 persons per sq km is above the Census 2011 all-India average shown in the NCERT table, so it overstates the national density.
- (D) 324 persons per sq km is the Census 2001 density, not the updated Census 2011 figure.
Concept
This tests Census-based population geography, especially the difference between population size, density and decadal change. RAS repeats such figures because they anchor questions on demographic distribution, regional pressure on land and state comparisons.