Maharashtra Urban Population 2011

India is the second-largest state country in terms of population, and it is speculated to badge the largest position in a few years. The government keeps the account of all its citizens and maintains records of various things such as the sex ratio, literacy rate, employment ratio and many more. All of this is done through the process of the census. Census is done every ten years in the country to access all the information regarding the population of the country. The first census was conducted in the year 1872 and has been in practice since then, with the latest one conducted in 2011. The next census is all set to take place in the year 2022. This article is going to specifically focus on some major aspects of the Maharashtra census 2011.

Maharashtra Census 2011

Maharashtra is a western state of India which is densely populated and is the commercial capital of the country. It is one of the fastest-growing states of India in terms of literacy as well as GDP growth. There are various things that have changed in Maharashtra since the 2001 census, some of which are discussed below. 

 Population

Maharashtra is the second most populated state in the country after Uttar Pradesh and is said to have experienced the most significant growth in GDP since the last census. The population of this state is approximately 11.24 crores which is as much as 9.28% of the total Indian population. The population estimates made for the 2021 census are around 12 crores. The fertility rate of this state is 1.8, and the major reason behind its population density is not birth but migrations that happen due to employment opportunities. Maharashtra is the fastest-growing state, and it has abundant employment opportunities as compared to states like Bihar and the northeast, making it a suitable place to migrate.

The growth rate of the population, even after experiencing a rise in the actual population, has reduced significantly from 22.57% in 2001 to 15.99% in 2011. The breakup of the population is also different. The male population has increased from 5 crores to 5.8 crores, the female population has experienced a rise from 4.6 crores to 5.4 crores, and there is a negligible increase in the child population. 

Literacy

The biggest indicator of the growth of any region or state, or country is its literacy rate. Literacy rate refers to the percentage of the population which is literate. There are different parameters for considering a person literate in different countries. In India, a person is said to be literate if they are above the age of 7 years and is capable of reading and writing at least one language with logical understanding. The state has a literacy rate of around 82.34%, which was around 76.88% in 2001. When it comes to the literacy rate of men in the state, the change is not as significant as in the case of women. The male population has seen a growth of three per cent from 85% to 88%, and the female population has seen a prominent rise of  8% in literacy from 67% in 2001 to 75% in 2011. Although there is still a long way to go, literacy is rising at a good pace in Maharashtra.

Urbanisation

Urbanisation is rapidly rising in India, which has a far deeper impact than it looks. When a region or state, or country moves towards urbanisation, then it leads to the growth of the Secondary and service sector, reducing the share of the primary sector. Maharashtra, at present, is the third most urbanised state in the country, with its 45% population residing in urban areas. It has been observed that in the total population rise of Maharashtra, around 60% in the urban area, making it the most rapidly urbanising state. In the earlier census of 2001, it was the second most urbanised state, but as of now, it has the largest urban population in it as per the numerical terms. Besides that, Mumbai is the most urbanised city in Maharashtra and Gadchiroli is the least urbanised division. With rising urbanisation in the state, the dependency on the primary sector is reducing, and people are moving towards secondary and tertiary sectors, which has also made the state most employable, and it also contributes significantly to GDP.

Economic Growth

With an increasing literacy rate and urbanisation, the state of Maharashtra is experiencing massive economic growth, along with being the most employable state. With its extreme level of yearly growth, the state is the richest in India and is the commercial capital of the country. As per the latest report, the GSDP of Maharashtra is around 32 trillion INR.

Conclusion

 Urbanisation is the indicator of economic growth in a state, and Maharashtra has around 45% of its population living in cities, and migrations are happening because of massive employment opportunities. The state is the richest in the country and has a significant contribution to the GDP as well.