Population growth, distribution and density - West Bengal PCS Exam Notes

India is the second most populous country in the world next only to China. On March 1, 2011 the total population of India was at 1.247 billion. This accounted for 17.5% of the world’s total population. In other words, about every sixth person in the world there is an Indian. China, the most populous country of the world, is a step ahead of us as every fifth person in the world there is a Chinese. While India possesses only 2.42% of the world’s total land area, she is required to sustain almost 17.5% of the world’s population.

Two components of population growth are: Natural growth: It is analysed by assessing the crude birth and death rates. Induced growth: It is assessed by the volume of inward and outward movement of people in any given area. There are four phases of population growth in India. The period from 1901-1921 is referred to as a period of stagnant growth of India’s population. The high birth rate was counterbalanced by high death rate. The decades 1921-1951 are referred to as the period of steady population growth. The mortality rate started showing downward trend as a result of improvement in general health and sanitation conditions after 1921.

The density of population is expressed as the number of persons per square kilometre. According to 2011 census, the density of population in India is 382 persons per square kilometre. Over the last 100 years density has increased more than four times.

Density and its variation across states can be accessed by the following table:-

State	Area Sq. Km	Density 2011	Density 2001	Density 2011
–	India (Average)	3,287,240	382	324
1	Delhi	1,483	11,320	9,340
2	Chandigarh	114	9,258	7,900
3	Puducherry	490	2,547	2,034
4	Daman and Diu	111	2,191	1,413
5	Lakshadweep	30	2,149	1,895
6	Bihar	94,163	1,106	881
7	West Bengal	88,752	1,028	903
8	Kerala	38,852	860	819
9	Uttar Pradesh	240,928	829	690
10	Dadra and Nagar Haveli	491	700	449
11	Haryana	44,212	573	478
12	Tamil Nadu	130,060	555	480
13	Punjab	50,362	551	484
14	Jharkhand	79,716	414	338
15	Assam	78,438	398	340
16	Goa	3,702	394	364
17	Maharashtra	307,713	365	315
18	Tripura	10,486	350	305
19	Karnataka	191,791	319	276
20	Gujarat	196,244	308	258
21	Andhra Pradesh	275,045	308	277
22	Orissa	155,707	270	236
23	Madhya Pradesh	308,252	236	196
24	Rajasthan	342,239	200	165
25	Uttarakhand	53,483	189	159
26	Chhattisgarh	135,192	189	154
27	Meghalaya	22,429	132	103
28	Manipur	22,327	128	103
29	Himachal Pradesh	55,673	123	109
30	Nagaland	16,579	119	120
31	Sikkim	7,096	86	76
32	Jammu and Kashmir	222,236	56	46
33	Mizoram	21,081	52	42
34	Andaman and Nicobar Islands	8,249	46	43
35	Arunachal Pradesh	83,743	17	13

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