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 Questions?

• 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

• 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

Population Density

• 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

• 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 Distribution

• 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

• 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.

Other Features of Population

• 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%

Occupational Structure

• 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. 

Adolescent 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.

National Population Policy

• 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.

National Population Policy 2000

• NPP 2000 focuses on addressing the needs of adolescents.
• Emphasis on protection from unwanted pregnancies and STDs for adolescents.
• Encouraging delayed marriage and childbearing.
• Educating adolescents about the risks of unprotected sex.
• Making contraceptive services accessible and affordable.
• Providing food supplements and nutritional services.
• Strengthening legal measures against child marriage.