POPULATION

Introduction

People make use of resources.
People are also considered resources.
Population is the central point of study in Social Science.
People are consumers and producers, so it becomes important to have information about the population in a country.
Census is a periodic enumeration of the population. In India, it is conducted every 10 years.
Census in India started in 1872.

Population size and distribution:
- How many people are there and where are they located?
Population growth and processes of population change:
- How has the population grown and changed through time?
Characteristics or qualities of the population:
- What are their age, sex composition, literacy levels, occupation and health conditions?

India’s Population (2001)
- Population – 1028 million
- Percentage – 16.7%
- Rank – 2nd
- Population Density: 324/Km2
India’s Population (2011)
- Population – 1210 million
- Percentage – 17.5%
- Rank – 2nd
- Population Density: 382/Km2
India’s Population (2022)
- Population – 1412 million
- Percentage – 17.7%
- Rank – 2nd
- Population Density: 481/Km2

Number of people living per unit area is called population density.
India’s Population Density – 382 persons / km2
The state of Arunachal Pradesh has the lowest Population density in India.
17 people living per Sq. Km.
The State of Bihar has the highest population density in India.
1102 people living per sq. km.
The reason of diverse population density is adverse landscape of some states such as Meghalaya, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh etc.
In plain areas like the Gangetic Plains and the Indus plains are densely populated.
Migration also affects the population density of an area.

Population Growth refers to the increase in population of a particular place or region.
Population can increase because of many reasons, such as:
- Increasing Birth rate
- Decreasing Death rate
- Migration, etc
The change in Population can be expressed in two ways:
- Absolute change
- Percentage change
Absolute change is obtained by just subtracting the old number by the new number, this is called absolute increase.
Annual Growth Rate – the number of people increased per 100 persons in the base population.
Indian Population increased from 361 million in 1951 to 1210 million in 2011.
The population growth rate of India is declining from 1981 due to decreasing birth rates.
India is now, world’s most populous country.
Birth rates – the number of live births per 1000 people in a year is called the birth rate. In India, the Birth Rate has always been more than Death rate.
Death rate – The number of deaths per 1000 people in a year is called death rate. There is a rapid decline in death rate in India resulting in population increase.
Migration – the movement of people across regions or territories. It can be internal or external.
Internal migration is within a country and does not change the population of a country, the population density may change.
External migration is when people move outside the country.

Population of Uttar Pradesh: 166 Million (Census 2001)
Population of Sikkim: 5.4 Lakhs (Census 2001)
Population of Uttar Pradesh: 199 Million (Census 2011)
Population of Sikkim: 6.1 Lakhs (Census 2011)
Uttar Pradesh has the highest population share among the states of India, with the population density of 829 person/km2.
Population Density in India Varies according to the terrain of a place.
The plains have population density as high as 1102 persons / km2.
hilly areas have density as low as 17 persons / km2.

Age composition means number of people in different age groups within a population.
This determines the social and economic structure of a country.
Population of a country can be grouped into 3 categories.
- Children (below 15 years) : Economically unproductive, need to be provided with food, shelter, clothing, education and medical care. About 34.4% of the population.
- Working age (15-59 years) : economically productive, biologically reproductive.
- Aged (above 59) : can be economically productive though they may have retired. They may be working voluntarily but they are not available for employment through recruitment.

Sex Ratio: Number of females per 1000 males in a population.
Used to measure equality between males and females in a country.
India’s population has been unfavourable to females.
Literacy rate : a person who is aged 7 and can read and write with understanding in any language is a literate person.
Literacy rate in India (Census 2011)
Whole – 73%
Male – 80.9%
Female – 64.6%

Primary Activities
- Activities related to land
- Agriculture, Forestry, Mining etc
- About 46 % population in India is engaged in the primary sector.
Secondary Activities
- Activities related to factories & industries
- Manufacturing Industry, Building etc
- About 24 % population in India is engaged in the secondary sector.
Tertiary Activities
- Related to services
- Transport, communication etc
- About 30% population in India is engaged in the tertiary sector.
Health
- Health affects the process of development.
- Life expectancy 1951 : 36.7 years
- Life expectancy : 2011 : 67.9 years
- Death rate in 1951 : 25 persons / 1000 population
- Death rate in 2011 : 7 persons / 1000 population
These Improvements because:
- Improvement in Public health
- Prevention of infectious diseases.
- Use of modern medical practices.
India faces severe health concerns because:
- Per capita calorie intake is much below the recommended levels and malnutrition affects a large portion of its population.
- Safe drinking water and other amenities are available for only one-third of the rural population.

The people between the age of 10 – 19 years.
The adolescent population in India constitutes one-fifth of the total population.
Adolescents have higher nutrition requirements than normal children or adults.
The diet available to adolescents in India is inadequate in all nutrients.
A large number of adolescent girls suffer from anemia.
Awareness can be spread among girls through the spread of literacy and education.

In 1952, India launched the Family Planning Program for better individual health and welfare.
The Family Welfare Program promotes responsible and voluntary parenthood.
The National Population Policy 2000 is the result of planned efforts.
NPP 2000 aims to provide free and compulsory education up to age 14.
It targets reducing infant mortality rate below 30 per 1000 live births.
NPP 2000 seeks universal immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases for children.
It promotes delayed marriage for girls.
The policy emphasizes people-centered family welfare.