India

Presently India is the seventh-largest country in respect of area.

It comprises an area with a total area of 3,287,469 square kilometers.

It lies in the north of the equator between 8°04' to 37°06' north latitude and 68°07' to 97°25' east longitude.
India is part of the continent of Asia.

Most of India forms a peninsula, which flows into the sea.

The south-east is bordered by the Bay of Bengal, and the south-west is bordered by the Arabian Sea.

The Himalayas - the highest mountain range in the world - grow in the north of the country.

India's terrain varies widely, from the Thar Desert in the west to the forests in the northeast.

A fertile region called the Gangetic Plain covers most of northern India.

23% of the country is forested, making India's forests the 9th largest in the world.

It borders 7 countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Burma, Nepal, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

The highest point is Kanchenjunga at 8,598 meters. It is the third highest mountain in the world.

Census of India:

A census is an official enumeration of the population done periodically.

In India, the first census was held in the year 1872.

The first complete census, however, was taken in the year 1881.

Since then, censuses have been held regularly every tenth year.

The decennial Census of India has been conducted 15 times, as of 2011.

Post-1949, it has been conducted by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India under
the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.

All the censuses since 1951 were conducted under the 1948 Census of India Act.

India’s population as of March 2011 stood at 1,210.6 million, which account for 17.5 per cent of the world’s
population.

These 1.21 billion people are unevenly distributed over our country’s vast area of 3.28 million square km,
which accounts for 2.4 percent of the world’s area.

The 2011 Census data reveal that Uttar Pradesh with a population size of 199 million is the most populous
state of India.

Decadal Growth is critical part of census. It gives overview of total growth rate in a particular area. This is
called as Decadal as decade consists of 10 years.

Census says, during the last decade of 2001 to 2011, population in India grew by 181 million. However, the
percentage decadal growth during 2001-2011 has registered the sharpest decline since independence -- a
decrease of 3.90 percentage points from 21.54 to 17.64 per cent.

*Percentage growth in 2001-2011 is 17.64; males 17.19 and females 18.12. Thus 2001-2011 is the first decade
(with the exception of 1911-1921) which has actually added lesser population compared to the previous
decade. Thus, the decadal growth rate of population during 2001-2011 in India was 17.64%.
Sex Ratio:

The sex ratio refers to the number of females per 1000 males in a given area at a specified time period.
As per the provisional results of Census 2011, with the sex ratio of 943 females per 1000 males. Prior to
Census 2011 highest Sex Ratio was recorded in India is Census 1961.

The reason being given for decline in sex ratio by demographers are as follows:

● Increased risk of death in childbirth that only women face.

● severe neglect of girl babies in infancy, leading to higher death rates;

● sex specific abortions that prevent girl babies from being born;

● and female infanticide (or the killing of girl babies due to religious or cultural beliefs)

The top five states/Union territories which have the highest sex ratio are Kerela (1,084) Puducherry (1,038),
Tamil Nadu (995), Andhra Pradesh (992) and Chhattisgarh (991).

The five Union territories which have the lowest sex ratio are: Daman & Diu (618), Dadra & Nagar Haveli (775),
Chandigarh (818), NCT of Delhi (866) and Andaman & Nicobar Islands (878).

Working population:

Working population is 15 to 59 years of age group in population. The demographic dividend is the economic
growth potential that can result from shifts in a population’s age structure, mainly when the share of the
working-age population is larger than the non-working-age share of the population. In this demographic
dividend, the age group of 15-59 years are considered.

India has 62.5% of its population in the age group of 15-59 years. It is estimated to peak around 2036 when it
will reach approximately 65%. The Demographic dividend in India, which started in 2005-06 and will last till
2055-56.

Population distribution: the spread of people across the area.

Population dynamic: Population is a dynamic phenomenon. The numbers, distribution, and composition of the
population are constantly changing. This is the influence of the interaction of the three processes, namely —
births, deaths, and migrations

Natural growth: The natural increase of population is the difference between birth rates and death rates.
The rate of natural increase or the growth rate of population refers to the difference between the birth rate
and the death rate. When this difference is zero (or, in practice, very small) then we say that the population
has "stabilised".

● The "population explosion" happens because death rates are brought down relatively quickly through
advanced methods of disease control, public health, and better nutrition.
● India has a very young population – that is, the majority of Indians tend to be young, and the average
age is also less than that for most other countries and because of the young population, the growth
rate is increasing very fast.

Features of the age structure of the Indian population:

The age structure of the population refers to the proportion of persons in different age groups relative to the
total population.
India is one of the youngest countries in the world – majority of Indians tend to be young.

India has a very young population – that is, the majority of Indians tend to be young, and the average age is
also less than that for most other countries.

The share of the 15-60 age group has slightly increased while the share of 60 + age group is very small.

The present trend indicates that 0-14 age group will reduce, thus the changing age structure could offer a
demographic dividend for India.

There are wide regional variations as states like Kerala are beginning to acquire age structure like that of
developed countries while some states like Uttar Pradesh shows high proportions in the younger age groups
and relatively low proportions among the aged.

Distinction made between formal and social demography:

The distinction is made because formal demography is primarily concerned with the measurement and
analysis of the components of population change. Its focus is on quantitative analysis for which it has a highly
developed mathematical methodology suitable for forecasting population growth and changes in the
composition of population.
On the other hand social demography, enquires into the wider causes and consequences of population
structures and change. Social demographers believe that social processes and structures regulate demographic
processes; like sociologists, they seek to trace the social reasons that account for population trends.

Replacement level of growth rate:

The rate of natural increase or the growth rate of population refers to the difference between the birth rate
and the death rate. When this difference is zero (or, in practice, very small) then we say that the population
has "stabilised", or has reached the "replacement level", which is the rate of growth required for new
generations to replace the older ones that are dying out.

Negative growth rate of population:

When the difference between the birth rate and the death rate is negative, it is called as negative growth rate
– that is, their fertility levels are below the replacement rate. This is true for many countries and regions in the
world today, such as Japan, Russia, Italy and Eastern Europe.

Life expectancy: The term “life expectancy” refers to the number of years a person can expect to live.

By definition, life expectancy is based on an estimate of the average age that members of a particular
population group will be when they die.
In India, the average life expectancy of females is 70.7 years and for males, it is 68.2 years.

If a child survives its first one year from his birth in India then the life expectancy increases to 71.1 years from
69.4 years.

The percentage of the population that is economically active is an important index of development.

The distribution of the population according to different types of occupation is referred to as the occupational
structure.

An enormous variety of occupations are found in any country.

Occupations are, generally, classified as primary, secondary, and tertiary.

1. Primary activities include agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry, fishing, mining, and quarrying, etc.

2. Secondary activities include the manufacturing industry, building and construction work, etc.

3. Tertiary activities include transport, communications, commerce, administration, and other services.

The population pyramid:

It is a graphical illustration that shows the distribution of various age groups in a population (typically that of a
country or region of the world), which forms the shape of a pyramid when the population is growing. It is also
used in ecology to determine the overall age distribution of a population; an indication of the reproductive
capabilities and likelihood of the continuation of a species. It mentions percentage-wise distribution within
major age groups.

A population pyramid is also called an age-gender-pyramid. In developing countries, the population pyramid
has a wide base and narrow top. A population pyramid is the graphical representation of the distribution of
various age groups in a population such that the representation may take the form of a pyramid. On the left
side of the pyramid males are shown and on the right females are shown. Different types of population
pyramids are - the Expanding pyramid, Stationary pyramid, and Contracting pyramid. Most of the developed
countries have a population pyramid of rectangular shape

A population pyramid is a graphical representation of the age and sex composition of a specific population.

▪ It consists of two histograms, one for each gender (by convention, men on the left and women
on the right) where the numbers are shown horizontally and the ages vertically.

▪ The numbers by gender and by age depend on interactions between fertility, mortality and
migrations.
 ▪ The shape of the pyramid and its variations over the years depend, above all, on the variations
in fertility.

▪ The pyramid can also assume a columnar shape (with vertical sides rather than sloped sides), or
have an irregular profile.

▪ India’s pyramid is bottom heavy i.e. the Indian population has a larger proportion of children,
teenagers and young adults.
Population Distribution
The country’s population for the age cohorts of 0-4, 5-9, 10-14 and 15-19 is roughly equal, whereas
the numbers for older groups become progressively smaller.

▪ This means that the country’s younger age groups have stopped growing in
numbers now and are likely to shrink slightly soon.

▪ This, however, does not mean that India’s population will also start shrinking
soon.

▪ Except for the oldest groups, India seems to have more males than females for
every cohort.
Working Age Population: In 25-65 age group, India currently has around 650 million people and China 830
million.
o By 2040, India is likely to reach 900 million, whereas China will have around 730
million.
o In other words, India will go from having 180 million less working-age people
than China today to about 170 million more—a net gain of a third of a billion in 20
years.

▪ Just having people in the working age is not enough. How many are in the labour force and their
productivity are important. The government needs to focus on the same.

▪ India needs to invest more, and efficiently, in human capital and infrastructure.

o For the former, investments in health and sanitation have to be sustained and
more Public Private Partnership (PPP) models are required to ensure basic
education.
o For the latter, a bigger push for affordable rental housing in cities has to be
considered, along with more investments in rail connectivity.
Dependency ratio:

It is an age-population ratio of those typically not in the labour force (less than 15, and more than 65) and
those typically in the labour force (15-65). The shape of the population pyramid indicates the birth rate and
death rate. So, we can find whether the population is growing/stable or reducing. The population pyramid
explicitly provides the percentages of males and females in all age groups. We cannot infer the size of the
population. We can only find out its characteristics.

The scenario in Developing countries:

The proportion of people working in different activities varies in developed and developing countries.
Developed nations have a high proportion of people in secondary, and tertiary activities.

Developing countries tend to have a higher proportion of their workforce engaged in primary activities.

In India, about 64 percent of the population is engaged only in agriculture.

The proportion of the population dependent on secondary and tertiary sectors is about 13 and 20 percent
respectively.

There has been an occupational shift in favour of secondary and tertiary sectors because of growing
industrialization and urbanization in recent times.

Demographic Transition: The demographic transition theory is a generalized description of the changing
pattern of mortality, fertility, and growth rates as societies move from one demographic regime to
another. The demographic transition shows shifts in the demographics of a population during economic and
social development. It is based on death and birth rates as development progresses.

Stage 1: This is generally a pre-industrial society in which both birth and death rates are quite high.

Birth rates and death rates are effectively in balance.

The lack of food availability as well as adequate medical care or effective sanitation and hygiene means the
population does not grow very much due to disease and starvation.

This is a state of high birth and death rates culminating in low population growth overall.

Stage 2: This is the point at which the country begins to experience social and economic development.

With more productive agriculture (and thus more food supply), better medical care, and more effective
sanitation and hygiene, death rates fall quickly and lifespans are longer.

The birth rate, however, does not fall at the same time (it does not increase, but rather remains high).

Birth rates far outpace death rates with the result that the population grows rapidly.

With a consistently high birth rate and decreasing death rate, population growth surges.

Stage 3: As the birth rate falls and the death rate remains low, the population continues to increase.

Stage 4: Traditionally considered to be the final stage, this is one of demographic stabilization, in which both
birth and death rates are low.

This means that the overall population stays fairly low.

Stage 5: This final, contested stage may predict higher or lower fertility levels depending on which theorist you
ask.
The Malthusian Theory of Population

The Malthusian Theory of Population involves arithmetic food supply growth and exponential population
growth. This theory was first published in 1798 in Thomas Robert Malthus’s piece, An Essay on the Principle of
Population.

Malthus examined the relationship between population growth and resources in one of his works. He then
proposed the Malthusian theory of population where he said that the population grows exponentially and the
food supply grows arithmetically and that a balance between the two can be established through positive and
preventive checks.

The Malthusian theory explained that the human population grows more rapidly than the food supply until
famines, war or disease reduces the population. He believed that the human population has risen over the
past three centuries.

Population and Food Supply

According to Thomas Malthus, populations grow in geometric progression. A geometric progression refers to a
number sequence in which each term following the first can be found by multiplying the previous one with a
common ratio, which is a fixed, non-zero number. For instance, in the sequence 2, 6, 18, 54, 162, the common
ratio is 3. Malthus also stated that food production increases through arithmetic progression, which is a
number sequence with a constant difference between consecutive terms. For example, in the sequence 2, 4, 6,
8, 10, the constant difference is 2. Malthus derived this conclusion from the Law of Diminishing Returns. Since
the population grows through geometric progression and the food production increases through arithmetic
progression, we can conclude that the population will grow more quickly than the food supply. This will result
in a food shortage.

The human population is growing at an alarming rate. It is believed that the population might increase to 9.9
billion by 2050.

Population Control

Malthus argued that since the population will be larger than the food supply, many people would then die due
to the shortage of food. He theorized that this correction would function through Positive (or Natural) Checks
and Preventative Checks. These checks resulted in the Malthusian catastrophe, bringing the population down
to a sustainable level.

Positive or Natural Checks

Malthus believed the imbalance between population growth and food supply would be corrected by natural
forces, such as earthquakes and floods. He also believed the imbalance would be corrected by human actions
like wars and famines.

Preventative Checks

In addition, Malthus suggested the use of preventative measures to control population growth. These included
celibacy, late marriage, and family planning.

The Malthusian Trap

The Malthusian Trap, also known as the Malthusian Population Trap, refers to the idea that increased food
production as a result of advanced agricultural techniques creates higher population levels. These higher
population levels then lead to food shortages, as the new population must live on land that was previously
used for crops. It is a condition where the population will stop growing due to the shortage of food supply.
Malthus then theorized that even though technological advancement would typically lead to income gains per
capita, the gains wouldn’t be achieved because, in practice, the advancement creates population growth.

Migration:

Migration is an important determinant of population change. Migration is the movement of people across
different states and regions. When people migrate within the boundaries of the country, it is called internal
migration. International migration refers to the migration of people between countries. Migration is an
important determinant of population change as it not only changes the size of the population but also affects
the population composition of urban and rural areas. In India, the rural-urban migration has resulted in a
steady increase in the percentage of the population in cities and towns.

Migration is another way by which the population size changes apart from birth and death. Migration is an
integral part of redistributing population over time and space. Migration can be permanent, temporary, or
seasonal. Migration may take place from rural to rural areas, rural to urban areas, urban to urban areas, and
urban to rural areas. People migrate from one place to another for a better economic and social life.

The two sets of factors that influence migration are: 1. The push factors 2. The pull factor.

The Pull factors make the place of destination seem more attractive than the place of origin for reasons such
as: Better job opportunities and living conditions. Peace and stability. Security of life and property. Pleasant
climate

The Push factors make the place of origin seem less attractive for reasons such as: Unemployment. Poor living
conditions. Political turmoil. Unpleasant climate. Natural disasters. Epidemics and socio-economic
backwardness