Public Section Preview
Key Points at a Glance
- Rajasthan's population as per Census 2011 was 6.86 crore, making it India's 7th most populous state and the largest state by area. For RPSC answers, connect this contrast to the state's desert ecology: a very large land area, but population concentrated mainly in the eastern and southern belts.
- Decadal growth rate in 2001-2011 was 21.3%, higher than the national average of 17.7%. The useful Mains interpretation is that Rajasthan's growth was still high in 2011, although it had begun to decline from the 1981-1991 and 1991-2001 decades.
- Population density was 200 persons per sq km, much below the national average of 382 persons per sq km. The district extremes are exam staples: Jaipur was the highest-density district at 595 persons per sq km, while Jaisalmer was the lowest at 17 persons per sq km.
- Sex ratio was 928 females per 1,000 males, against the national figure of 943. Dungarpur recorded the highest district sex ratio at 994, while Dhaulpur recorded the lowest at 846.
- Literacy rate was 66.1%, with male literacy at 79.2% and female literacy at 52.1%. The district extremes were Kota at 76.6% and Jalore at 54.9%; the female literacy gap is the most important analytical point.
- Urban population was 24.9% of the state's population, below the national average of 31.2%. The largest urban agglomeration was Jaipur, at about 30.6 lakh people, followed by Jodhpur, Kota, Bikaner and Ajmer.
- Scheduled Tribe population was 92.38 lakh, or 13.48% of Rajasthan's population. Rajasthan is not a tribal-majority state by percentage, but its absolute ST population is large enough to make tribal welfare a recurring RPSC theme.
- Meena is the largest tribe, at about 51% of the ST population, and Bhil is second, at about 39.7%. Together, Meena and Bhil communities account for more than 90% of Rajasthan's tribal population.
- Saharia is Rajasthan's only Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG). It is concentrated in Baran district, especially Shahabad and Kishanganj, with smaller presence in Kota and Jhalawar.
- Rajasthan has 12 notified Scheduled Tribes. The major tribal concentration is in southern and south-eastern Rajasthan, especially Banswara, Dungarpur, Udaipur, Pratapgarh, Sirohi and Baran.
- Rajasthan has Scheduled Areas in the southern and south-eastern tribal belt; do not write that the Fifth Schedule is absent from Rajasthan. The Raj Bhavan page on Scheduled Areas records the post-2018 framework, while older study material often preserves pre-2018 TSP figures such as 5 districts, 32 tehsils and 3,892 revenue villages.
- Rajasthan created new districts in August 2023, but the later review changed the count. The current exam-safe line is that the state has 41 districts and 7 divisions, after the December 2024 decision not to retain several of the newly created districts and divisions.
- Child sex ratio in the 0-6 age group was 888 girls per 1,000 boys, below the national average of 919. This is a major gender concern and should be linked with PC-PNDT enforcement and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao.
- Garasia tribe is found mainly in Sirohi and Pali. It is known for the pher marriage custom, in which the couple may simply walk around a tree instead of performing a formal ceremony; some accounts also describe the mooriya live-in custom.
- Demographic dividend matters because about 63% of Rajasthan's population is in the 15-59 working-age bracket in the standard Census-based teaching frame. The dividend is not automatic: low female literacy, school dropout, skill gaps and weak formal employment can turn a favourable age structure into a demographic burden.