Ch 6 Population
Introduction
• People make and use resources. They are also considered as resources
having different quality.
• Population (total number of persons inhabiting a particular place like city,
state, country etc.) is the central element in social studies.
• Human beings are producers as well as consumers of the resources so
information about the population of a country such as their size, distribution
are important.
• A census is an official enumeration of population done periodically. In India
the first census was held in the year 1872. But firs successful census was
conducted in 1881. Since then it is being conducted after every 10 years.
• The data provided by the census cover below three major questions about
the population:
→ Population size and distribution
→ Population growth and processes of population change
→ Characteristics or qualities of the population
Size and distribution
• As per March 2011, India’s population stood at 1210.6 million, which account
for 17.5 percent of the world’s population.
• According to the data, Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state of India with
a population size of 199 million, which account for 16 percent of total India's
population.
• Sikkim's population - 0.6 million (6 lakhs) while Lakshadweep has 64,429
thousand people.
• The five states Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, and Andhra
Pradesh holds almost half of Indian population (49%).
India’s Population Distribution by Density
• Population density is calculated as the number of persons per unit area.
• The population density of India in the year 2011 was 382 persons per sq km.
• Densities vary from 1102 persons per sq km in Bihar to only 17 persons per
sq km in Arunachal Pradesh.
Population Growth
• Population Growth refers to the change in the number of inhabitants of a
country or territory during a specific period of time, say during the last ten
years.
• The change can be expressed in two ways
→ in terms of absolute numbers
→ in terms of percentage change per year
• The absolute number is calculated by simply subtracting the earlier
population (e.g. that of 1991) from the later population (e.g. that of 2011). It is
referred to as the absolute increase.
• The rate of population is studied in percent per annum.
• India’s population has been steadily increasing from 361 million in 1951 to
1210.6 million in 2011.
•Till 1980, high birth rates and declining death rates resulted in higher rate of
population growth but since 1981, birth rates have also started declining
gradually, resulting in a gradual decline in the rate of population growth.
Processes of Population Change/Growth
• There are three main processes/components of change of population: birth
rates, death rates and migration.
1. Birth rate is the number of live births per thousand persons in a year. In
India, birth rates have always been higher than death rates.
2. Death rate is the number of deaths per thousand persons in a year. In
India, there is rapid decline in death rates which is the main cause of
growth of the Indian population.
3. Migration is the movement of people across regions and territories. This
can be internal (within the country) or international (between the
countries).
• In India, most migrations have been from rural to urban areas because of
adverse conditions of poverty and unemployment in the rural areas and
increased employment opportunities and better living conditions in city.
• Effects of Migrations:
→ It changes the population size.
→ It also changes the population composition of urban and rural populations
in terms of age and sex composition.
• In India, the rural-urban migration has resulted in a steady increase in the
percentage of population in cities and towns.
Adolescent Population
• The age-group of 10 to 19 years are considered as Adolescent Population. It
constitutes one-fifth of the total population of India.
• They are most important future resources for any country. Nutrition
requirements of adolescents are higher than those of a normal child or adult.
• In India, the diet available to adolescents is inadequate in all nutrients. A
large number of adolescent girls suffer from anaemia (deficiency of red blood
cells or haemoglobin).
• The awareness can be improved through the spread of literacy and
education among adolescent girls.
National Population Policy
• The Government of India initiated the comprehensive Family Planning
Programme in 1952 for improving individual health and welfare.
• It sought to promote responsible and planned parenthood on a voluntary
basis.
• National Population Policy (NPP) 2000 is the peak of years of planned
efforts.
What NPP aims at?
→ It provides a policy framework for imparting free and compulsory school
education up to 14 years of age,
→ Reducing infant mortality rate to below 30 per 1000 live births
→ Achieving universal immunisation of children against all
vaccine-preventable diseases,
→ Promoting delayed marriage for girls
→ Making family welfare a people-centered programme.
