Last reviewed 30 Sept 2026 · Facts as of 30 Sept 2026 · 9 min read
A note on figures. India's last completed census is Census 2011. A new census (with a caste enumeration) has been announced for a later year; when its results are published, these figures will be superseded. Numbers for later years (such as SRS or NFHS values) are approximate and should be checked.
The census
- The census is the official count of the population. The first synchronous census in India was in 1881 (under Lord Ripon); it has been held every ten years since (the 2021 census was postponed). Census 2011 was the 15th census since 1872 (the first, non-synchronous) and the 7th since independence.
- The Census Commissioner and Registrar General of India work under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The reference date of Census 2011 was 1 March 2011.
- Census 2011 (provisional totals): population 1,210.8 million (121.09 crore); males 62.31 crore, females 58.75 crore.
- India's share of the world's population is about 17.5 % but it has only about 2.4 % of the world's land area. India's population is now the largest in the world (it passed China in 2023 according to UN estimates).
Population size and distribution (Census 2011)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Most populous state | Uttar Pradesh (about 19.98 crore; about 16.5 % of India); then Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh |
| Least populous state | Sikkim (about 6.1 lakh); least populous Union Territory — Lakshadweep |
| Most populous UT | Delhi (about 1.68 crore) |
| Population density (India) | 382 persons per sq. km |
| Densest state | Bihar (1,102 per sq. km); then West Bengal; Kerala; UP |
| Least dense state | Arunachal Pradesh (17); then Mizoram, Sikkim; Andaman & Nicobar (46) among UTs |
| Densest UT | Delhi (11,297) |
| Decadal growth 2001–11 | 17.7 % (down from 21.5 % in 1991–2001); the lowest growth in the decade: Nagaland (negative, −0.6 %); the highest: Meghalaya (27.8 %) among states (Dadra & Nagar Haveli was the highest among UTs) |
| Lowest growth among states (positive) | Kerala (4.9 %) |
| Area | India's area is 32.87 lakh sq. km (3.287 million km²). Largest state by area: Rajasthan; smallest: Goa. |
Sex ratio
Sex ratio = number of females per 1000 males.
- India (2011): 943. (It was 933 in 2001 and the lowest, 927, in 1991.)
- Highest state: Kerala (1084); then Puducherry (UT, 1037), Tamil Nadu (996). Lowest state: Haryana (879); among UTs, Daman & Diu (618).
- Child sex ratio (0–6 years): 919 (2011) — the lowest since independence; the lowest in Haryana (834). The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme (2015) targets it.
Literacy
A person aged seven and above who can read and write with understanding is literate.
- India (2011): 74.04 % (males 82.14 %, females 65.46 %; the gender gap is narrowing). (In 2001 it was 64.8 %.)
- Highest state: Kerala (94 %); then Lakshadweep (UT), Mizoram, Goa, Tripura. Lowest state: Bihar (61.8 %); then Arunachal Pradesh and Rajasthan (about 65–66 %).
- More recent surveys (PLFS, NSS) report higher literacy (India around 77–80 % in the 2020s) — check the latest figure.
- Programmes: Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Right to Education Act 2009 (Article 21A), National Education Policy 2020, ULLAS (New India Literacy Programme), Samagra Shiksha.
Urbanisation
- Urban population (2011): 31.16 % (377 million; in 2001 it was 27.8 %). About 68.8 % live in rural areas.
- Most urbanised state (large): Goa (62.2 %) among states; Delhi (97.5 %) among the UTs; the least urbanised: Himachal Pradesh (10 %) and Bihar (11.3 %).
- Million-plus cities: 53 (Census 2011). Largest urban agglomerations: Greater Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune.
- Census definition of an urban area: a place with a municipality, corporation, cantonment board or notified town area committee (statutory town), or one with a minimum population of 5,000, at least 75 % of male workers in non-agricultural work and a density of at least 400 per sq. km (census town).
Demographic concepts
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Birth rate (crude) | live births per 1000 population in a year |
| Death rate (crude) | deaths per 1000 population in a year |
| Natural growth rate | birth rate − death rate |
| Total fertility rate (TFR) | average number of children born to a woman in her lifetime; replacement level = 2.1. India's TFR has fallen to about 2.0 (NFHS-5, 2019–21) — below replacement |
| Infant mortality rate (IMR) | deaths of infants under one year per 1000 live births (India has fallen to about 28 per 1000 in recent SRS reports; Kerala has the lowest, Madhya Pradesh among the highest) |
| Maternal mortality ratio (MMR) | maternal deaths per 100,000 live births (about 97 in the recent SRS; Kerala lowest) |
| Life expectancy | average years a newborn is expected to live: about 70 years for India recently (Kerala highest) |
| Dependency ratio | (persons aged 0–14 and 65+) / (working age 15–64) |
| Demographic dividend | a large working-age share; India has a young population (median age about 28) |
| Sex ratio, literacy | see above |
Demographic transition: stage 1 (high birth, high death, stable population) → stage 2 (death rate falls, growth explodes; India was in this stage until recently) → stage 3 (birth rate falls) → stage 4 (low birth and death, stable). India is in stage 3 (a slowing growth).
- The Registrar General publishes the Sample Registration System (SRS) for vital statistics. NFHS (National Family Health Survey, by MoHFW and IIPS Mumbai) provides health indicators.
Population policy
- India was the first country to launch a national family planning programme (1952).
- National Population Policy 2000: aimed at a TFR of 2.1 by 2010 (later deferred).
- Emergency-era coercion (1975–77) damaged family planning's credibility.
- Methods: NFHS shows contraceptive use; Mission Parivar Vikas targets high-fertility districts; "Hum Do, Hamare Do" (Two children).