Population, Human Development & HDI in India

Population and human development are regularly tested in Kerala PSC economy and geography sections. Questions cover census data, demographic transition, HDI components, and India’s rankings. The tables below cover all essential facts.

1. India’s Population — Key Statistics (Census 2011)

Parameter	Value
Total population	121.09 crore (1,210.9 million)
Male population	62.32 crore
Female population	58.76 crore
Sex ratio (females per 1000 males)	943
Child sex ratio (0-6 years)	914
Decadal growth rate (2001-2011)	17.7%
Population density	382 persons per sq km
Literacy rate	74.04% (Male: 82.14%, Female: 65.46%)
Most populous state	Uttar Pradesh (19.98 crore)
Least populous state	Sikkim (6.11 lakh)
Most densely populated state	Bihar (1,106 per sq km)
Least densely populated state	Arunachal Pradesh (17 per sq km)

2. Census of India — Key Facts

Feature	Detail
First census	1872 (non-synchronous)
First synchronous census	1881
Census conducted by	Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India
Under	Ministry of Home Affairs
Frequency	Every 10 years
Census Act	Census Act, 1948
Census 2011	15th census; Census Commissioner: C. Chandramouli

3. Demographic Transition Theory

Stage	Birth Rate	Death Rate	Growth	India’s Phase
Stage 1 (Pre-transition)	High	High	Low/stable	Pre-1921 India
Stage 2 (Early transition)	High	Declining	Rapid growth	1921-1971
Stage 3 (Late transition)	Declining	Low	Slowing growth	1971-present
Stage 4 (Post-transition)	Low	Low	Zero/negative growth	Kerala approaching this

4. National Population Policy, 2000

Feature	Detail
Announced by	Government of India (PM: Atal Bihari Vajpayee)
Immediate objective	Address unmet needs for contraception, healthcare, childcare
Medium-term objective	Achieve Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.1 by 2010
Long-term objective	Stabilise population by 2045
India’s current TFR	2.0 (NFHS-5, 2019-21) — below replacement level
Kerala’s TFR	1.8 (well below replacement level)

5. Human Development Index (HDI)

Feature	Detail
Introduced by	UNDP (United Nations Development Programme)
Year	1990 (first Human Development Report)
Conceived by	Mahbub ul Haq (Pakistan) and Amartya Sen (India)
Dimensions	3 — Health, Education, Standard of Living
Range	0 to 1 (closer to 1 = higher development)

Three Dimensions of HDI

Dimension	Indicator
Health (Long and healthy life)	Life expectancy at birth
Education (Knowledge)	Mean years of schooling + Expected years of schooling
Standard of Living	Gross National Income (GNI) per capita (PPP $)

6. India’s HDI Ranking

Year (Report)	HDI Value	Rank	Category
2023-24 Report (2022 data)	0.644	134 out of 193	Medium Human Development

HDI Categories

Category	HDI Range
Very High	0.800 and above
High	0.700 - 0.799
Medium	0.550 - 0.699
Low	Below 0.550

Top HDI Countries (2023-24 Report)

Rank	Country	HDI
1	Switzerland	0.967
2	Norway	0.966
3	Iceland	0.959
4	Hong Kong (China)	0.956
5	Denmark	0.952

7. Other Important Indices by UNDP

Index	What It Measures
HDI	Overall human development (health, education, income)
GII (Gender Inequality Index)	Gender-based disadvantage in health, empowerment, and labour
MPI (Multidimensional Poverty Index)	Poverty beyond income — health, education, living standards (jointly with Oxford)
IHDI (Inequality-adjusted HDI)	HDI adjusted for inequality within each dimension

8. Kerala — Human Development Leader

Parameter	Kerala	India
Life expectancy at birth	About 75 years	About 70 years
Literacy rate	93.91%	74.04%
Infant mortality rate (per 1000 live births)	6 (among lowest)	28 (SRS 2020)
Total Fertility Rate	1.8	2.0
Sex ratio	1,084	943
HDI (state-level estimate)	Among highest in India	Medium category nationally

9. Demographic Dividend

Feature	Detail
Definition	Economic benefit from declining birth rates — large working-age population relative to dependents
India’s window	2020s to 2050s (median age about 28 years currently)
Dependency ratio	Ratio of non-working (0-14 and 65+) to working-age (15-64) population
Challenge	Requires investment in education, health, and employment to convert demographic dividend into growth

10. Family Planning Programmes in India

Programme	Year	Detail
National Family Planning Programme	1952	First country in the world to launch official family planning programme
National Population Policy	2000	Target TFR of 2.1
Renamed to National Family Welfare Programme	1977	Dropped “planning” after Emergency sterilisation backlash
Mission Parivar Vikas	2016	Focus on 146 high-fertility districts
Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana	2017	Maternity benefit of Rs 5,000 for first live birth

11. Previous Year Question Patterns

• “HDI was introduced in which year?” — 1990
• “How many dimensions in HDI?” — 3
• “India’s HDI category?” — Medium Human Development
• “First census of India?” — 1872
• “First synchronous census?” — 1881
• “Most populous state?” — Uttar Pradesh
• “TFR of India (NFHS-5)?” — 2.0
• “HDI conceived by?” — Mahbub ul Haq
• “Sex ratio of India (Census 2011)?” — 943
• “Kerala’s sex ratio?” — 1,084