Population Size and Distribution
A population is a group of organisms of the same species that live in the same area. The population is the unit of natural selection and evolution. How large a population is and how fast it is growing are often used as measures of its health.
India’s Population Size and Distribution by Numbers
According to 2011 census, the population of India is 1.21 billion. India’s population is 17.5% of the world population, while the area of India is just 2.4% of the total area of the world.
Uttar Pradesh is the highest populated state in India with a total number of 166 million people. While on the other hand, states like Sikkim and Lakshadweep have the lowest population of 0.5 million in Sikkim and only 60000 people in the island state of Lakshadweep.
Furthermore, about half of the country’s population is concentrated around five major states- Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.
Though Rajasthan is the largest state in size, its population contributes to only 5.5% of the total population of India.
India’s Population Distribution by Density
Population Density is calculated as the number of persons per unit area. The population density of India is very high. It’s human overpopulation that threatens India’s environment through demands for natural resources.
The population density of India in the year 2011 was 382 persons per sq km. That’s why India is considered one of the most densely populated countries in the world.
At a regional level, India is characterized by the unevenness of distribution of population. The density of population is expressed as the number of persons per square kilometer.
The average density of population in India is 382 persons/ square km. (Census 2011). The unevenness is due to the varying size of states and wide variations in the resource base.
Population wise top 5 states which include Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana accounts for half of the country’s population.
On the other hand, Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, NE States account for less population.