Indian population up by 181 million, but sharp dip in growth
31 Mar 2011
New Delhi: Latest Census figures peg India's population at 1.21 billion, an increase of 181 million people since the last Census in 2001. The figures were released by the Home secretary, Gopal K Pillai, and the Census Commissioner of India, C Chandramauli, on Thursday.
The increase in population is nearly equivalent to the population of Brazil and makes India's population bigger than the combined population of USA, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan and Bangladesh, according to the Census report.
This population now accounts for 17.5 per cent of the world's population, with China, the most populous nation, accounting for 19.4 per cent.
The north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh is the most populous, with 199 million people, and the combined population of UP and Maharashtra is bigger than USA. Among the states Lakshadweep the least populated, at 64,429.
Population grew at a rate of 17.64 per cent, which is the sharpest reduction in growth rate ever, except the period 1911-1921. The growth rate was 21.15 per cent in 2001, at the time of the last census.
While Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Puducherry have reported the highest population growth rate, of about 55 per cent, Nagaland has reported the lowest.
