Indian Geography: Population and Census 2011 — Key Data

Census 2011 is the most recent completed census in India (Census 2021 was delayed). Population-related questions are among the most frequently asked in Kerala PSC exams. This note covers all key data points.

1. Census 2011 — Overview

Parameter	Data
Census number	15th Census (since 1872); 7th after Independence
Census Commissioner	C. Chandramouli
Reference date	1 March 2011 (for general population); snow-bound areas: 1 October 2010
Total population	1,21,08,54,977 (121.08 crore)
India’s share of world population	17.7%
Decadal growth (2001–2011)	17.72% (slowest since independence)
Previous decadal growth (1991–2001)	21.54%
Population density	382 persons per sq. km
Sex ratio	943 females per 1000 males
Literacy rate	74.04% (Male: 82.14%, Female: 65.46%)
Urban population	31.16%
Rural population	68.84%

2. State-Wise Population Rankings

Top 5 Most Populous States

Rank	State	Population (2011)	Share of India
1	Uttar Pradesh	19.98 crore	16.51%
2	Maharashtra	11.24 crore	9.28%
3	Bihar	10.41 crore	8.60%
4	West Bengal	9.13 crore	7.54%
5	Madhya Pradesh	7.27 crore	6.00%

Least Populous States

Rank	State/UT	Population (2011)
1 (least)	Lakshadweep	64,473
2	Daman and Diu	2,43,247
3	Dadra and Nagar Haveli	3,43,709
4	Sikkim	6,10,577
5	Mizoram	10,97,206

3. Population Density

Category	State/UT	Density (per sq. km)
Highest (state)	Bihar	1,106
Second highest	West Bengal	1,028
Highest (UT)	Delhi	11,320
Lowest (state)	Arunachal Pradesh	17
Lowest (UT)	Andaman and Nicobar	46
India average	—	382
Kerala	—	860 (3rd highest among states)

4. Sex Ratio

Category	State/UT	Sex Ratio (females per 1000 males)
India average	—	943
Highest (state)	Kerala	1,084
Second highest	Tamil Nadu	996
Lowest (state)	Haryana	879
Highest (UT)	Puducherry	1,037
Lowest (UT)	Daman and Diu	618

Child Sex Ratio (0–6 years)

Category	Data
India average	914
Highest	Mizoram (970)
Lowest	Haryana (834)
Kerala	964
Concern	Declined from 927 (2001) to 914 (2011)

5. Literacy Rate

Category	State/UT	Literacy Rate
India average	—	74.04%
Highest (state)	Kerala	93.91%
Second highest	Mizoram	91.58%
Third highest	Tripura	87.75%
Lowest (state)	Bihar	63.82%
Highest (UT)	Lakshadweep	92.28%
Lowest (UT)	Dadra and Nagar Haveli	77.65%

Male vs Female Literacy

Category	Male	Female	Gap
India	82.14%	65.46%	16.68%
Kerala	96.02%	91.98%	4.04% (lowest gap)
Bihar (highest gap)	73.39%	53.33%	20.06%

6. Decadal Growth Rate

Category	State	Growth Rate (2001–2011)
Highest	Meghalaya	27.95%
Second highest	Arunachal Pradesh	26.03%
Lowest (positive)	Nagaland	-0.58% (only state with negative growth)
Kerala	—	4.86% (one of the lowest)
India average	—	17.72%

7. Urbanization

Parameter	Data
Urban population (2011)	37.7 crore (31.16%)
Rural population	83.3 crore (68.84%)
Most urbanized state	Goa (62.17%)
Most urbanized large state	Tamil Nadu (48.4%)
Least urbanized state	Himachal Pradesh (10.04%)
Kerala urbanization	47.72%
Number of towns	7,935
Mega cities (population above 10 million)	3 — Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata

Million-Plus Cities (2011)

City	Population
Mumbai	1.84 crore
Delhi	1.64 crore
Bangalore	84.4 lakh
Hyderabad	77.5 lakh
Ahmedabad	63.5 lakh
Chennai	86.5 lakh
Kolkata	1.41 crore
Total million-plus cities	53

8. Demographic Dividend

Aspect	Details
Definition	Economic growth potential from a large working-age population (15–64 years) relative to dependents
India’s window	2018–2055 (estimated)
Working-age population (2011)	About 63% of total
Median age of India (2011)	24 years (vs China 37, Japan 47)
Challenge	Requires investment in education, healthcare, skill development
Dependency ratio	Declining (favourable for growth)

9. Kerala in Census 2011

Parameter	Kerala Data	India Rank
Population	3,34,06,061 (3.34 crore)	13th
Decadal growth	4.86%	Among lowest
Density	860/sq. km	3rd highest (state)
Sex ratio	1,084	1st (highest)
Literacy	93.91%	1st (highest)
Male literacy	96.02%	Among highest
Female literacy	91.98%	1st (highest)
Urbanization	47.72%	—
Child sex ratio	964	Among highest
Total fertility rate	1.6 (below replacement level of 2.1)	—

10. Census History of India

Census Year	Key Fact
1872	First non-synchronous census (under Lord Mayo)
1881	First synchronous (regular) census (under Lord Ripon); Census Commissioner: W.W. Plowden
1951	First census of independent India
1951–2011	Census conducted every 10 years without exception
2021	Postponed due to COVID-19; not yet conducted
Constitutional basis	Union List (Entry 69); Census Act 1948
Conducted by	Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (under Ministry of Home Affairs)

11. Important Census Concepts

Term	Definition
Literacy	Person aged 7+ who can read and write with understanding in any language
Sex ratio	Females per 1000 males
Child sex ratio	Females per 1000 males in 0–6 age group
Population density	Number of persons per square kilometre
Decadal growth rate	Percentage increase in population over 10 years
Dependency ratio	Ratio of dependents (0–14 and 65+) to working-age population (15–64)
Total Fertility Rate (TFR)	Average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime
Replacement level	TFR of 2.1 (population stabilizes)

12. PSC Quick-Fire Facts

Question	Answer
India’s population (Census 2011)	121.08 crore
Census Commissioner 2011	C. Chandramouli
Most populous state	Uttar Pradesh
Least populous state	Sikkim
Highest density (state)	Bihar (1,106)
Lowest density (state)	Arunachal Pradesh (17)
Best sex ratio (state)	Kerala (1,084)
Worst sex ratio (state)	Haryana (879)
Highest literacy (state)	Kerala (93.91%)
Lowest literacy (state)	Bihar (63.82%)
India’s literacy rate 2011	74.04%
First census of India	1872
First regular census	1881
Census conducted under which ministry	Ministry of Home Affairs
India’s share of world population	17.7%
Only state with negative growth 2001–2011	Nagaland
Mega cities of India (2011)	Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata