Indian population 1.21 billion

UPDATED  31/3/2011 11:46:09 AM

New Delhi:

We are growing and growing fast as Indian population reached 1.21 billion according to the latest Census figures released by the Home Secretary and the Registrar General of India on Thursday.

This is an increase of 181 million people since the last Census. One has to note down that India’s population is now bigger than the combined population of USA, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan and Bangladesh, says the Census report. Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state and the combined population of UP and Maharashtra is bigger than USA.The density of population is highest in Delhi, followed by Chandigarh.The cost of the counting exercise is 22,000 million.

Of the total population, 623.7 million are males and 586.5 million are females. However, the population grew at a rate of 17.64 percent which is the sharpest reduction in growth rate ever.
While Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Puducherry have the highest population growth rate of about 55 percent, Nagaland has the lowest.

The 2011 Census report also shows that India now has a child sex ratio of 914 female against 1,000 male - the lowest since Independence.This is the 15th Census conducted since 1872. It was carried out in two phases, covering 640 districts and 5924 sub-districts.

The population has increased by more than 181 million during the decade 2001-2011, the report said. The growth rate in 2011 is 17.64 per cent in comparison to 21.15 per cent in 2001.

The 2001-2011 period is the first decade – with exception of 1911-1921 -- which has actually added lesser population compared to the previous decade, Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner of India C Chandramauli said in presence of Home Secretary Gopal K Pillai.
Among the states and Union territories, Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state with 199 million people and Lakshadweep the least populated at 64,429.

The combined population of UP, and Maharashtra is bigger than that of the US.

The highest population density is in Delhi’s north-east district (37,346 per sq km) while the lowest is in Dibang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh (just one per sq km). Child sex ratio in 2011 is 914 female against 1,000 male--the lowest since Independence.

According to the data, literates constitute 74 per cent of the total population aged seven, and above and illiterates form 26 per cent.

The literacy rate has gone up from 64.83 per cent in 2001 to 74.04 per cent in 2011 showing an increase of 9.21 per
cent.