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Key Points at a Glance
The key population facts for this topic are the Census 2011 baseline, the post-2023 global population ranking, and the exam-tested indicators of growth, density, sex ratio, literacy, fertility, urbanisation, and demographic dividend.
Census 2011 Population and World Rank
- India's population: 1,21,08,54,977 (121 crore / 1.21 billion)
- World's 2nd most populous at that time, after China
- By 2023, India surpassed China to become the world's most populous country (~144 crore, UN estimates)
Decadal Growth Rate 2001-2011
- Growth rate: 17.64% (2001-2011), declining from 21.54% (1991-2001)
- Absolute population added: 181 million in 2001-2011
- This was the largest ever decadal increment and was directly tested in PYQ 2023
Population Density 2011
- Overall density: 382 persons per sq km, up from 324 (2001)
- Lowest: Arunachal Pradesh (17/sq km)
- Highest state: Bihar (1,106/sq km)
- Highest UT: Delhi (11,320/sq km)
Sex Ratio 2011
- National sex ratio: 943 females per 1,000 males, improved from 933 (2001)
- Best state: Kerala (1,084 F per 1,000 M); worst state: Haryana (879 F/1,000 M)
- Child sex ratio (0-6 years): 919 girls per 1,000 boys, an alarming decline from 927 in 2001
Literacy Rate 2011
- National rate: 74.04%; male: 82.14%, female: 65.46%
- Improved from 64.84% (2001); gender gap: 16.68 percentage points
- Kerala highest (94.0%); Bihar lowest among major states (63.82%)
Four Phases of Population Growth
- Phase I - Stagnant (1901-1921): high birth rate + high death rate; 1921 = "Year of the Great Divide"
- Phase II - Steady increase (1921-1951)
- Phase III - Rapid/Explosive growth (1951-1981)
- Phase IV - High but declining growth (1981-2011)
Most and Least Populous States (2011)
- Most populous state: Uttar Pradesh (199.8 million, 16.5% of India's population)
- Least populous state: Sikkim (610,577)
- Least populous UT: Lakshadweep (64,429); most populous UT: Delhi (16.8 million)
Population Distribution Pattern
- Northern Plains and Peninsular Coasts are most densely populated (>300 persons/sq km)
- Himalayas, Western Rajasthan, and northeast hilly states are sparsely populated (<50 persons/sq km)
- Distribution is highly uneven, driven by physiography, agriculture, and urban employment
Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
- TFR in 2011: 2.4 children per woman; declined to 2.0 (NFHS-5, 2019-21)
- Now below the replacement level of 2.1
- Indicates India is approaching demographic stabilisation
Urbanisation (2011)
- Urban population: 37.7 crore (31.16% of total), up from 28.6 crore (2001)
- India has 7,935 cities/towns; Mumbai UA (~18.4 million) is the largest city
- Urban population share is expected to reach 50% by 2050
Dependency Ratio and Demographic Dividend
- About 64% of the population was in the working-age group (15-64 years), about 31% was below 15, and about 5% was above 65 around the Census 2011 period
- Creates a demographic dividend opportunity
- Must be harnessed through education and employment
Census 2021 Status
- Census 2021 was delayed due to COVID-19 and is not yet completed as of the 2026 exam context
- All official India population data still uses Census 2011 figures for completed census indicators
- NFHS-5 (2019-21) provides some updated demographic and health indicators