1. Population: Distribution, Density, and Growth
I. Understanding Population Distribution
Population distribution refers to the way people are spaced over the earth’s surface. The world's population is highly uneven; broadly, 90 per cent of the world population lives in about 10 per cent of its land area.
Global Distribution Patterns:
The 10 most populous countries contribute about 60 per cent of the world’s population.
Six of these ten countries are located in Asia.
George B. Cressey remarked about Asia that it has "many places where people are few and few places where people are very many," a statement that applies to the entire world.
India’s Distribution Patterns:
India is the second most populous country in the world (2011 Census) with 1,210 million people.
Distribution is highly uneven. States like Uttar Pradesh (highest population), Maharashtra, Bihar, and West Bengal have the largest shares.
Ten states (UP, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, MP, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Gujarat) account for about 76 per cent of India’s total population.
Conversely, states like Jammu & Kashmir (1.04%), Arunachal Pradesh (0.11%), and Uttarakhand (0.84%) have very small shares despite large geographical areas.
II. Density of Population
Population density is the ratio between the number of people and the size of the land, measured in persons per sq km. It helps in understanding the pressure of the population on land resources.
India’s Density (2011 Census):
The average density of India is 382 persons per sq km.
Spatial Variation: Ranges from as low as 17 persons/sq km in Arunachal Pradesh to 11,297 persons/sq km in Delhi.
High Density States: Bihar (1102), West Bengal (1029), and Uttar Pradesh (828).
Moderate Density States: Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Odisha.
Low Density: Himalayan hill states and North Eastern states (excluding Assam).
Refined Measures of Density (India):
Physiological Density: Total population divided by net cultivated area.
Agricultural Density: Total agricultural population divided by net cultivable area. (Agricultural population includes cultivators, labourers, and their families).
III. Factors Influencing Distribution and Density
Population distribution is influenced by a combination of physical, economic, and social factors.
Geographical Factors:
Availability of Water: People prefer areas with fresh water for drinking, crops, and industries. River valleys are thus the most densely populated.
Landforms: Flat plains and gentle slopes (like the Ganga plains) favour crops and transport, whereas mountains (like the Himalayas) hinder them and are sparsely populated.
Climate: Extreme hot or cold deserts are avoided. Comfortable Mediterranean climates or moderate rainfall areas attract more people.
Soils: Fertile loamy soils support intensive agriculture.
Economic Factors:
Minerals: Mineral-rich areas (e.g., Katanga Zambia copper belt) attract industries and generate employment.
Urbanisation: Cities offer better jobs, education, and medical facilities, drawing rural migrants.
Industrialisation: Industrial belts (e.g., Kobe-Osaka region in Japan) provide diverse job opportunities beyond factory work.
Social and Cultural Factors:
Religious or cultural significance can attract people, while political unrest or social instability causes them to move away.
2. Population Growth and Change
Population growth is the change in the number of inhabitants in a territory during a specific period.
I. Components of Population Change
There are three main components: Births, Deaths, and Migration.
Crude Birth Rate (CBR): Number of live births per thousand people in a year.
Crude Death Rate (CDR): Number of deaths per thousand people in a year.
Natural Growth: The difference between births and deaths.
Actual Growth: (Births – Deaths) + (In Migration – Out Migration).
Migration: Movement from a Place of Origin (decrease in population) to a Place of Destination (increase). Migration is driven by Push factors (unemployment, poor conditions) and Pull factors (better jobs, stability).
II. Phases of Population Growth in India (1901–2011)
India’s growth has passed through four distinct phases:
Phase I (1901-1921): Stagnant Phase. Growth was very low, and 1911-1921 even recorded negative growth. High birth and death rates were due to poor health services, illiteracy, and food distribution issues.
Phase II (1921-1951): Steady Growth. Improvements in sanitation and transport brought down mortality rates, while the CBR remained high.
Phase III (1951-1981): Population Explosion. A rapid fall in mortality combined with high fertility. The average annual growth rate reached 2.2 per cent. This was fueled by post-independence developmental activities and increased international migration from neighbouring countries.
Phase IV (Post-1981 to Present): Slowing Down. Growth remains high but the rate is gradually declining. This is due to a downward trend in CBR, influenced by higher marriage ages and improved female education.
III. Demographic Transition Theory
This theory describes the transition from high births/deaths to low births/deaths as a society moves from rural-agrarian to urban-industrial.
Stage I: High fertility and high mortality; slow growth; engages in agriculture.
Stage II: High fertility initially, but it declines over time; reduced mortality due to better health/sanitation; high net population addition.
Stage III: Both fertility and mortality decline considerably; population stabilizes or grows slowly; society is urbanized and literate.
3. Population Composition
Population composition includes characteristics like residence, language, religion, and occupation.
I. Rural-Urban Composition
In India, 68.8 per cent of the population lives in villages (2011).
Rural Distribution: States like Himachal Pradesh and Bihar have very high rural proportions, whereas Goa and Mizoram have just over half their population in villages.
Urban Distribution: The urban population is 31.16 per cent but is growing rapidly due to economic development and rural-to-urban migration.
Growth Patterns: Urbanisation is most conspicuous along main road/rail links and industrial areas (e.g., Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi).
II. Linguistic Composition
India is a land of massive linguistic diversity, with 22 scheduled languages and hundreds of dialects.
Major Families:
Indo-European (Aryan): 73% of the population; largest group; includes Hindi.
Dravidian (Dravida): 20%; concentrated in South India.
Austric (Nishada): 1.38%; speech areas in Meghalaya, Nicobar, and tribal belts of Central India.
Sino-Tibetan (Kirata): 0.85%; Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal, and the North East.
Hindi speakers have the highest percentage among scheduled languages.
III. Religious Composition
Religion permeates almost all aspects of Indian life.
Hindus: The majority group (79.8% in 2011), distributed widely across states.
Muslims: The largest religious minority (14.2%); concentrated in Jammu & Kashmir, West Bengal, Kerala, UP, Delhi, and Lakshadweep.
Christians: 2.3%; concentrated along the Western coast (Goa, Kerala) and North Eastern hill states.
Sikhs: 1.7%; mostly concentrated in Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi.
Buddhists (0.7%) and Jains (0.4%): Smallest groups with selected concentrations. Buddhists are mostly in Maharashtra; Jains in urban areas of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.
4. Occupational Composition
This refers to the engagement of individuals in various economic sectors.
I. Categories of Workers (India)
The Census of India divides the population into three groups based on economic status:
Main Workers: Work for at least 183 days (6 months) in a year.
Marginal Workers: Work for less than 183 days a year.
Non-workers: Those who do not engage in any economic activity.
In India, only 39.8 per cent are workers (main + marginal), meaning about 60 per cent are non-workers, indicating a high dependency ratio.
II. Sectoral Composition (2011)
Working population is divided into four major categories:
Cultivators: (Primary sector)
Agricultural Labourers: (Primary sector)
Household Industrial Workers: (Secondary sector)
Other Workers: (Secondary and Tertiary sectors - includes trade, commerce, construction, and services).
Key Trends:
The primary sector (agriculture) still has the largest share at 54.6 per cent, but this has shown a decline from 58.2 per cent in 2001.
The secondary and tertiary sectors have registered an increase, indicating a sectoral shift in the economy.
Work participation rates are higher in areas of lower economic development as manual labor is required for subsistence activities.
Highly urbanised areas like Delhi and Chandigarh have a very high proportion of "Other Workers" in the service sector.
III. Gender Variations
Male workers outnumber female workers in all three sectors.
Female work participation is relatively high in the primary sector.
However, female participation in the secondary and tertiary sectors is showing recent improvement.
5. Regional Variations and Socio-Economic Challenges
Growth Rates: Southern states like Kerala (9.4% - lowest) show low growth, while a continuous belt from West to East (Gujarat to West Bengal) shows high growth rates (20-25%).
Adolescents: Make up 20.9 per cent (2011) of the population. They represent high potential but face challenges like illiteracy, school dropouts, and low nutrient intake.
Policy Response: The National Youth Policy (NYP-2014) and skilling initiatives aim to empower this demographic. The ‘Beti Bachao – Beti Padhao’ campaign addresses gender discrimination and the declining child sex ratio.
Resources: Increasing population puts immense pressure on limited land and water resources. Per capita water availability is dwindling, further limited by pollution from industrial and domestic effluents.