SSC CGL Geography · Indian Geography — Economy, Resources and Transport
Population and Census 2011
The Census 2011 figures SSC asks (population, density, sex ratio, literacy, urban share), the States and Union Territories at the top and bottom of each list, and the phases of India's population growth.
Why this matters
Forty-three questions in the bank, the most on any page of this chapter: 17 from the 2023 shifts, 14 from the 2024 shifts and 12 from the 2025 shifts. Almost every one asks a Census 2011 number or which State tops a list, so a short table of figures and toppers is worth more here than any explanation.
Concept 1 of 3: Census 2011: the headline numbers
Definition
The facts:
- Census 2011 was the 15th census since 1872 (the 7th after Independence). Its slogan was Our Census, Our Future.
- It ran in two phases: house-listing in 2010, and the population count in February 2011.
- India's population was about 121 crore. Uttar Pradesh had the most people, about 20 crore or 16.5%; Maharashtra was second.
- Density: 382 persons per sq km (325 in 2001).
- Urban share: 31% (about 37.7 crore people).
- Growth from 2001: 17.7% in the decade, an annual exponential rate of 1.64%.
- Ages: 0 to 14 years were 30.76%; adolescents (10 to 19) were 20.9%.
- The most populous district was Thane (Maharashtra).
Practise this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
Example 1 · Indian Geography — Economy, Resources and Transport · Population and Census 2011
382, not 328 or 282
Concept 2 of 3: Sex ratio, literacy and the States at the top
Definition
Sex ratio (females per 1000 males):
- India 943 (940 in the first, provisional figures). Highest State Kerala 1084; highest Union Territory Puducherry 1037.
- Lowest State Haryana 879; Delhi 868; lowest of all Daman and Diu 618.
- The UTs with the highest ratios: Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar.
Literacy:
- Men 82.14%, women 65.46%: a gap of 16.68 points. Since 2001 men gained 6.88 points and women 11.79.
- Kerala (94%) was highest, then Himachal Pradesh (83%), with Haryana (76%) lower.
Other toppers:
- Highest urban share among States: Goa. Densest UTs: Delhi, Chandigarh, Puducherry. Most slum dwellers among UTs: Delhi.
- Largest tribal population: Madhya Pradesh, then Maharashtra, then Odisha.
- Himachal Pradesh: the highest Hindu share and the highest female work participation.
- Fastest growth from 2001 among those SSC lists: Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar.
- Tripuri, spoken in Tripura, is a Tibeto-Burman language.
Practise this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
Example 2 · Indian Geography — Economy, Resources and Transport · Population and Census 2011
Lowest State and lowest overall differ
Concept 3 of 3: Growth phases, workers and population policy
Definition
Four phases of growth:
- 1901 to 1921: stagnant (stationary).
- 1921 to 1951: steady growth.
- 1951 to 1981: population explosion, as death rates fell fast.
- 1981 onwards: high growth that is slowly easing.
A population stabilises when births and deaths are nearly equal. India's pyramid is broad at the base and narrow at the top: many young people.
Workers: a main worker works 183 days or more in a year, a marginal worker fewer than 183. Agricultural workers were 54.6% of all workers in 2011. Men migrate mostly for work, women mostly for marriage.
National Population Policy 2000 aimed at free schooling to 14, an infant mortality rate below 30 per 1000, and later marriage for girls. It did not aim to raise fertility.
Settlements: dispersed in hills such as Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, clustered in the plains.
Practise this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
Example 3 · Indian Geography — Economy, Resources and Transport · Population and Census 2011
The pyramid is not broad at the top
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (3)
Watch out for (3)
- 382, not 328 or 282→ Census 2011: the headline numbers
- Lowest State and lowest overall differ→ Sex ratio, literacy and the States at the top
- The pyramid is not broad at the top→ Growth phases, workers and population policy
Test yourself on Indian Geography — Economy, Resources and Transport
20 past SSC CGL questions from this chapter, timed at 12 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.