This article is about the people from the republic of India. For other uses, see Indian.
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Between 1975 and 2010, the population doubled to 1.2 billion, reaching the billion mark in 2000. According to the UN's World Population dashboard, India's population now stands at slightly over 1.428 billion, edging past China's population of 1.425 billion people, as reported by the news agency Bloomberg.[16] In 2015, India's population was predicted to reach 1.7 billion by 2050.[17][18] In 2017 its population growth rate was 0.98%, ranking 112th in the world; in contrast, from 1972 to 1983, India's population grew by an annual rate of 2.3%.[19]
In 2023, the median age of an Indian was 29.5 years,[20] compared to 39.8 for China and 49.5 for Japan; and, by 2030; India's dependency ratio will be just over 0.4.[21] However, the number of children in India peaked more than a decade ago and is now falling. The number of children under the age of five peaked in 2007, and since then the number has been falling. The number of Indians under 15 years old peaked slightly later (in 2011) and is now also declining.[22]
The sex ratio was 944 females for 1000 males in 2016, and 940 per 1000 in 2011.[26] This ratio has been showing an upwards trend for the last two decades after a continuous decline in the 20th century.[27]
The following table lists estimates for the population of India (including what are now Pakistan and Bangladesh) from prehistory up until 1820. It includes estimates and growth rates according to five economic historians, along with interpolated estimates and overall aggregate averages derived from their estimates.[28][29]
Under the Mughal Empire, India experienced a high economic and demographic upsurge,[38] due to Mughal agrarian reforms that intensified agricultural production.[39] 15% of the population lived in urban centres, higher than the percentage of the population in 19th-century British India[40] and contemporary Europe[40] up until the 19th century.[41] These estimates by Abraham Eraly[40] and Paolo Malanima[41] have been criticised by Tim Dyson, who considers them exaggerations and estimates urbanisation of the Mughal Empire to be less than 9% of the population.[42]
Under the reign of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605) in 1600, the Mughal Empire's urban population was up to 17 million people, larger than the urban population in Europe.[43] By 1700, Mughal India had an urban population of 23 million people, larger than British India's urban population of 22.3 million in 1871.[44]Nizamuddin Ahmad (1551–1621) reported that, under Akbar's reign, Mughal India had 120 large cities and 3,200 townships.[40] A number of cities in India had a population between a quarter-million and half-million people,[40] with larger cities including Agra (in Agra Subah) with up to 800,000 people[45] and Dhaka (in Bengal Subah) with over 1 million people.[46] Mughal India also had a large number of villages, with 455,698 villages by the time of Aurangzeb (reigned 1658–1707).[43]
Studies of India's population since 1881 have focused on such topics as total population, birth and death rates, geographic distribution, literacy, the rural and urban divide, cities of a million, and the three cities with populations over eight million: Delhi, Greater Mumbai (Bombay), and Kolkata (Calcutta).[52]
Mortality rates fell in the period 1920–45, primarily due to biological immunisation. Suggestions that it was the benefits of colonialism are refuted by academic thinking: "There can be no serious, informed belief... that... late colonial era mortality diminished and population grew rapidly because of improvements in income, living standards, nutrition, environmental standards, sanitation or health policies, nor was there a cultural transformation...".[53]
Population size and structure
Map showing the population density in India, per 2011 Census.[54]
India occupies 2.41% of the world's land area but supports over 18% of the world's population. At the 2001 census 72.2% of the population[55] lived in about 638,000 villages[56] and the remaining 27.8%[55] lived in more than 5,100 towns and over 380 urban agglomerations.[57]
India's population exceeded that of the entire continent of Africa by 200 million people in 2010.[58] However, because Africa's population growth is extremely high compared to the rest of the world,[59][60] it is expected to surpass both China and India by the early 2030s.[61]
Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.III.2021) (Includes data for the Indian-held part of Jammu and Kashmir, the final status of which has not yet been determined. Data are projections based on the 2011 Population Census.)
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Census of India: sample registration system
Total fertility rate map: average births per woman by districts, 2011
Demographic and Health Surveys
From the Demographic Health Survey:[97]
TFR rate in India (1886 to 2016)
TFR of India to 2016
Crude birth rate and total fertility rate (wanted fertility rate) in India according to the NFHS data.
Crude birth rate and total fertility rate (wanted fertility rate)
Year
Total
Urban
Rural
CBR
TFR1
CBR
TFR1
CBR
TFR1
1992–1993
28.7
3.39 (2.64)
24.1
2.70 (2.09)
30.4
3.67 (2.86)
1998–1999
24.8
2.85 (2.13)
20.9
2.27 (1.73)
26.2
3.07 (2.28)
2005–2006
23.1
2.68 (1.90)
18.8
2.06 (1.60)
25.0
2.98 (2.10)
2015–2016
19.0
2.18 (1.8)
15.8
1.75 (1.5)
20.7
2.41 (1.9)
2019–2021
17.1
1.99 (1.6)
14.0
1.63 (1.4)
18.6
2.14 (1.7)
CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman). 1Number in parentheses represents the wanted fertility rate.
Total fertility rate (wanted fertility rate) by religion.
Total fertility rate (wanted fertility rate) by religion
Year
Hindu
Muslim
Christian
Sikh
Buddhist/ Neo-Buddhist
Jain
Other
2019–2021
1.94 (1.6)
2.36 (1.8)
1.88 (1.7)
1.61 (1.4)
1.39 (1.2)
1.60 (1.5)
2.15 (1.7)
CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman). 1Number in parentheses represents the wanted fertility rate.
Fertility rate and wanted Fertility rate by State and UT (2015-2016) as per the NFHS-4 data.
Crude birth rate and total fertility rate (wanted fertility rate) 2015–2016
CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman). 1Number in parentheses represents the wanted fertility rate.
Crude birth rate and total fertility rate (wanted fertility rate) 2019–2021[98]
CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman). 1Number in parentheses represents the wanted fertility rate.
Regional vital statistics
Birth rate, death rate, natural growth rate, and infant mortality rate, by state and UT in 2010.
Birth rate, death rate, natural growth rate, and infant mortality rate, by state and UT(2010)[99]
State or UT
Birth rate
Death rate
Natural growth rate
Infant mortality rate
Total
Rural
Urban
Total
Rural
Urban
Total
Rural
Urban
Total
Rural
Urban
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
15.6
15.5
15.8
4.3
4.8
3.3
11.3
10.7
12.6
25
29
18
Andhra Pradesh
17.9
18.3
16.7
7.6
8.6
5.4
10.2
9.7
11.3
46
51
33
Arunachal Pradesh
20.5
22.1
14.6
5.9
6.9
2.3
14.6
15.2
12.3
31
34
12
Assam
23.2
24.4
15.8
8.2
8.6
5.8
14.9
15.8
10.1
58
60
36
Bihar
28.1
28.8
22.0
6.8
7.0
5.6
21.3
21.8
16.4
48
49
38
Chandigarh
15.6
21.6
15.0
3.9
3.7
3.9
11.6
17.9
11.0
22
20
23
Chhattisgarh
25.3
26.8
18.6
8.0
8.4
6.2
17.3
18.4
12.4
51
52
44
Dadra and Nagar Haveli
26.6
26.0
28.6
4.7
5.1
3.3
21.9
20.9
25.3
38
43
22
Daman and Diu
18.8
19.1
18.3
4.9
4.9
4.8
13.9
14.2
13.6
23
19
29
Delhi
17.8
19.7
17.5
4.2
4.6
4.1
13.6
15.0
13.4
30
37
29
Goa
13.2
12.6
13.7
6.6
8.1
5.7
6.6
4.5
8.0
10
10
10
Gujarat
21.8
23.3
19.4
6.7
7.5
5.5
15.1
15.8
14.0
44
51
30
Haryana
22.3
23.3
19.8
6.6
7.0
5.6
15.7
16.3
14.3
48
51
38
Himachal Pradesh
16.9
17.5
11.5
6.9
7.2
4.2
10.0
10.3
7.3
40
41
29
Jammu and Kashmir
18.3
19.5
13.5
5.7
5.9
4.7
12.6
13.6
8.8
43
45
32
Jharkhand
25.3
26.7
19.3
7.0
7.4
5.4
18.3
19.3
13.9
42
44
30
Karnataka
19.2
20.2
17.5
7.1
8.1
5.4
12.1
12.1
12.1
38
43
28
Kerala
14.8
14.8
14.8
7.0
7.1
6.7
7.8
7.7
8.1
13
14
10
Lakshadweep
14.3
15.5
13.2
6.4
6.1
6.7
8.0
9.5
6.5
25
23
27
Madhya Pradesh
27.3
29.2
20.5
8.3
9.0
6.0
18.9
20.2
14.5
62
67
42
Maharashtra
17.1
17.6
16.4
6.5
7.5
5.3
10.6
10.2
11.1
28
34
20
Manipur
14.9
14.8
15.3
4.2
4.3
4.0
10.7
10.5
11.3
14
15
9
Meghalaya
24.5
26.6
14.8
7.9
8.4
5.6
16.6
18.2
9.2
55
58
37
Mizoram
17.1
21.1
13.0
4.5
5.4
3.7
12.5
15.7
9.3
37
47
21
Nagaland
16.8
17.0
16.0
3.6
3.7
3.3
13.2
13.3
12.7
23
24
20
Odisha
20.5
21.4
15.2
8.6
9.0
6.6
11.9
12.4
8.6
61
63
43
Puducherry
16.7
16.7
16.7
7.4
8.2
7.0
9.3
8.5
9.6
22
25
21
Punjab
16.6
17.2
15.6
7.0
7.7
5.8
9.6
9.5
9.8
34
37
28
Rajasthan
26.7
27.9
22.9
6.7
6.9
6.0
20.0
20.9
16.9
55
61
31
Sikkim
17.8
18.1
16.1
5.6
5.9
3.8
12.3
12.3
12.3
30
31
19
Tamil Nadu
15.9
16.0
15.8
7.6
8.2
6.9
8.3
7.8
8.9
24
25
22
Tripura
14.9
15.6
11.5
5.0
4.8
5.7
9.9
10.8
5.8
27
29
19
Uttar Pradesh
28.3
29.2
24.2
8.1
8.5
6.3
20.2
20.7
17.9
61
64
44
Uttarakhand
19.3
20.2
16.2
6.3
6.7
5.1
13.0
13.5
11.1
38
41
25
West Bengal
16.8
18.6
11.9
6.0
6.0
6.3
10.7
12.6
5.6
31
32
25
Neonatal and infant demographics
Infant mortality rate trends in India (per 1000 births, under age 1, national average)Male to female sex ratio for India, based on its official census data, from 1941 through 2011.[100] The data suggest the existence of high sex ratios before and after the arrival of ultrasound-based prenatal care and sex screening technologies in India.
The table below represents the infant mortality rate trends in India, based on sex, over the last 15 years. In the urban areas of India, average male infant mortality rates are slightly higher than average female infant mortality rates.[101]
Infant mortality rate trend (deaths per 1000) As per NFHS & UNICEF Data.
India's 2011 census shows a serious decline in the number of girls under the age of seven – activists posit that eight million female fetuses may have been aborted between 2001 and 2011.[107]
Hindu population pyramid in India based on the 2011 Census data. This chart visualizes the distribution of the Hindu population across various age groups in India.
Muslim population pyramid in India based on the 2011 Census data. This chart visualizes the distribution of the Muslim population across various age groups in India.
Christian population pyramid in India based on the 2011 Census data. This chart visualizes the distribution of the Christian population across various age groups in India.
Sikh population pyramid in India based on the 2011 Census data. This chart visualizes the distribution of the Sikh population across various age groups in India.
Buddhist population pyramid in India based on the 2011 Census data. This chart visualizes the distribution of the Buddhist population across various age groups in India.
Jain population pyramid in India based on the 2011 Census data. This chart visualizes the distribution of the Jain population across various age groups in India.
The table below summarises India's demographics (excluding the Mao-Maram, Paomata and Purul subdivisions of Senapati district of Manipur state due to cancellation of census results) according to religion at the 2011 census in per cent. The data are "unadjusted" (without excluding Assam and Jammu and Kashmir); the 1981 census was not conducted in Assam and the 1991 census was not conducted in Jammu and Kashmir. Missing citing/reference for "Changes in religious demagraphics over time" table below.
Caste and community statistics as recorded from "Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Commission" (SEBC) or Mandal Commission of 1979, which was completed in 1983.
India has chosen not to officially count caste population since then.
The following data are from the Mandal report:[citation needed]
General Phenotype: Indo-Aryans typically have light to medium to dark skin tones, with a range of hair colors from black to brown and often brunette[citation needed]. Facial features can include prominent noses and well-defined bone structures.
Sources:
C. Majumdar, R. Mukherjee, "The History and Culture of the Indian People," Bhāratīya Itihāsa Samiti, 1951.[123]
S. B. Singh, "The Indo-Aryans of Ancient South Asia," Cambridge University Press, 1995. ISBN 052141739X.[124]
General Phenotype: Dravidians generally have medium to dark skin tones, curly to wavy hair, and distinct facial features such as broader noses and fuller lips.
Sources:
K. R. Subramanian, "The Dravidian Contribution to Indian Culture," Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1966.[125]
M. A. Rao, "History of South India," S. Chand & Company, 1976.[126]
General Phenotype: Sino-Tibetan people often have lighter skin tones, straight black hair, and epicanthic folds in their eyelids, which are characteristic of East Asian phenotypes.
Sources:
H. Risley, "The Tribes and Castes of Bengal," Calcutta, 1891.[127]
R. B. Singh, "Ethnic Groups of North-East India," Concept Publishing Company, 1994. ISBN 8170224974.[128]
4) Austroasiatic Peoples:
Geographical Distribution: Scattered across central and eastern India, with significant populations in Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, and Chhattisgarh etc.
General Phenotype: Austroasiatic people generally have light to medium to dark skin tones, wavy to curly hair, and facial features that are somewhat intermediate between Dravidian and Sino-Tibetan populations.
Sources:
D. Balakrishnan, "Austroasiatic and Other Languages of Eastern India," Calcutta University Press, 1961.[129]
N. Chakrabarti, "The Austroasiatic Peoples of India," Anthropological Survey of India, 2003.[130]
Census of India. New Delhi: Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India.
1. **1951 Census of India:**
– *Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India.* (1951). *1951 Census of India: Volume I – India (Part II-C) – Languages.* New Delhi: Government of India. Available at [1].
2. **1961 Census of India:**
– *Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India.* (1961). *1961 Census of India: Volume I – India (Part II-C) – Languages.* New Delhi: Government of India. Available at [citation needed].
3. **1971 Census of India:**
– *Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India.* (1971). *1971 Census of India: Volume I – India (Part II-C) – Languages.* New Delhi: Government of India. Available at [citation needed].
4. **1981 Census of India:**
– *Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India.* (1981). *1981 Census of India: Volume II – India (Part II-C) – Languages.* New Delhi: Government of India. Available at [citation needed].
5. **1991 Census of India:**
– *Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India.* (1991). *1991 Census of India: Volume II – India (Part II-C) – Languages.* New Delhi: Government of India. Available at [citation needed].
6. **2001 Census of India:**
– *Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India.* (2001). *2001 Census of India: Volume II – India (Part II-C) – Languages.* New Delhi: Government of India. Available at [citation needed].
7. **2011 Census of India:**
– *Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India.* (2011). *2011 Census of India: Volume II – India (Part II-C) – Languages.* New Delhi: Government of India. Available at [citation needed].
Singh, K. S. (1992). *People of India: An Introduction*. Anthropological Survey of India. ISBN 8126012215 [citation needed].
2. Ludden, David. (2013). India and South Asia: A Short History. Oneworld Publications. ISBN 1780741086 [citation needed].
3. Bhagat, R. B. (2004). "Census Enumeration in India, 1991 and 2001: Issues and Concerns." Economic and Political Weekly[citation needed].
According to a 2009 study published by Reich et al.., the modern Indian population is composed of two genetically divergent and heterogeneous populations which mixed in ancient times (about 1,200–3,500 BP), known as Ancestral North Indians (ANI) and Ancestral South Indians (ASI). ASI corresponds to the Dravidian-speaking population of southern India, whereas ANI corresponds to the Indo-Aryan-speaking population of northern India.[143][144] 700,000 people from the United States of any race live in India.[145] Between 300,000 and 1 million Anglo-Indians live in India.[146]
India is a country with a vast diversity of ethnic groups, each with its own distinct culture, language, and traditions. The major ethnic groups in India include the Indo-Aryans, Dravidians, Sino-Tibetans, Austroasiatic peoples, and various indigenous tribes. These groups are spread across different regions of India, each contributing to the country's rich cultural mosaic.
Y-Chromosome DNA Y-DNA represents the male lineage, The Indian Y-chromosome pool may be summarised as follows where haplogroupsR-M420, H, R2, L and NOP comprise generally more than 80% of the total chromosomes.[148]
Tripuri children preparing for a dance performance. The Tripuris are a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group.
Numerous genomic studies have been conducted in the last 15 years to seek insights into India's demographic and cultural diversity. These studies paint a complex and conflicting picture.
In a 2003 study, Basu, Majumder et al.. have concluded on the basis of results obtained from mtDNA, Y-chromosome and autosomal markers that "(1) there is an underlying unity of female lineages in India, indicating that the initial number of female settlers may have been small; (2) the tribal and the caste populations are highly differentiated; (3) the Austroasiatic tribals are the earliest settlers in India, providing support to one anthropological hypothesis while refuting some others; (4) a major wave of humans entered India through the northeast; (5) the Tibeto-Burman tribals share considerable genetic commonalities with the Austroasiatic tribals, supporting the hypothesis that they may have shared a common habitat in southern China, but the two groups of tribals can be differentiated on the basis of Y-chromosomal haplotypes; (6) the Dravidian speaking populations were possibly widespread throughout India but are regulated to South India now; (7) formation of populations by fission that resulted in founder and drift effects have left their imprints on the genetic structures of contemporary populations; (8) the upper castes show closer genetic affinities with Central Asian populations, although those of southern India are more distant than those of northern India; (9) historical gene flow into India has contributed to a considerable obliteration of genetic histories of contemporary populations so that there is at present no clear congruence of genetic and geographical or sociocultural affinities."[151]
In a later 2010 review article, Majumder affirms some of these conclusions, introduces and revises some other. The ongoing studies, concludes Majumder, suggest India has served as the major early corridor for geographical dispersal of modern humans from out-of-Africa. The archaeological and genetic traces of the earliest settlers in India has not provided any conclusive evidence. The tribal populations of India are older than the non-tribal populations. The autosomal differentiation and genetic diversity within India's caste populations at 0.04 is significantly lower than 0.14 for continental populations and 0.09 for 31 world population sets studied by Watkins et al.., suggesting that while tribal populations were differentiated, the differentiation effects within India's caste population was less than previously thought. Majumder also concludes that recent studies suggest India has been a major contributor to the gene pool of southeast Asia.[152][153]
Another study covering a large sample of Indian populations allowed Watkins et al.. to examine eight Indian caste groups and four endogamous south Indian tribal populations. The Indian castes data show low between-group differences, while the tribal Indian groups show relatively high between-group differentiation. This suggests that people between Indian castes were not reproductively isolated, while Indian tribal populations experienced reproductive isolation and drift. Furthermore, the genetic fixation index data show historical genetic differentiation and segregation between Indian castes population is much smaller than those found in east Asia, Africa and other continental populations; while being similar to the genetic differentiation and segregation observed in European populations.[153]
In 2006, Sahoo et al.. reported their analysis of genomic data on 936 Y-chromosomes representing 32 tribal and 45 caste groups from different regions of India. These scientists find that the haplogroup frequency distribution across the country, between different caste groups, was found to be predominantly driven by geographical, rather than cultural determinants. They conclude there is clear evidence for both large-scale immigration into ancient India of Sino-Tibetan speakers and language change of former Austroasiatic speakers, in the northeast Indian region.[154][155]
The genome studies conducted up until 2010 have been on relatively small population sets. Many are from just one southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh (including Telangana, which was part of the state until June 2014). Thus, any conclusions on demographic history of India must be interpreted with caution. A larger national genome study with demographic growth and sex ratio balances may offer further insights on the extent of genetic differentiation and segregation in India over the millenniums.[152]
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Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
^Angus Maddison, The World Economy: Historical Statistics, Statistical Appendix (2007, ggdc.net).
Estimates cited are for the beginning of the 1st millennium ("year 0"), the beginning of the 2nd millennium ("year 1000"), and for the beginning each century since the 16th (years 1820 and 1913 are given for the 19th and 20th century, respectively, as Maddison presents detailed estimates for these years), and a projection for the year 2030.
^(a) Census 2011 Final, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India (may need subscription); (b) The data is mirrored here: Density of Population, Chapter 7, Census of India (2013)
^ abRural-Urban distributionCensus of India: Census Data 2001: India at a glance >> Rural-Urban Distribution. Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 26 November 2008.
^Number of VillagesCensus of India: Number of Villages Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 26 November 2008.
^Urban Agglomerations and TownsCensus of India: Urban Agglomerations and Towns. Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 26 November 2008.
^"Literacy Rate – 7+years (%)". NITI Aayog, (National Institution for Transforming India), Government of India. Archived from the original on 8 June 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
^"Statistical Abstract Andhra Pradesh, 2018"(PDF). CORE Dashboard. Gollapudi, Vijayawada: Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Andhra Pradesh. p. II. Archived from the original(PDF) on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
^"Sex Composition of the Population", Office of Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India (2013)
^Fisher, Michael H. (1 August 2007). "Excluding and Including 'Natives of India': Early-Nineteenth-Century British-Indian Race Relations in Britain". Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East. 27 (2): 303–314. doi:10.1215/1089201x-2007-007. S2CID146613125 – via Silverchair.
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