Rural and Urban Area Comparison in Punjab According to Census 2011

There are 50,362 square kilometres of land in Punjab. Punjab has a density of population of 551 per square kilometre. This is greater than the national average of 382 per square kilometre. According to the census of 2011, Punjab’s population is 2.77 Crore. As a result, in 2011, Punjab accounted for 2.29 per cent of India’s total population.

Despite a 3.57 per cent increase in the percentage of Punjab’s population residing in cities and towns over the previous decade, nearly two-thirds of the state’s population still lives in rural areas.

On what is the Rural-Urban Comparison based?

In terms of population density, rural and urban populations differ in terms of the size and density of their respective communities. A significant share of the population of rural areas lives in tiny towns and villages distributed across the countryside. Urban dwellers reside in towns and cities and are regarded as part of the urban community. On the other hand, this categorization is based on the employment framework, which is the more relevant aspect.

How to define literacy?

Individuals who are literate in India are individuals who can read and write and do mathematical equations while maintaining understanding. It is an excellent sign of a country’s socioeconomic success when the literacy rate of the population is high. One of the numerous reasons for this is that it reveals a great lot about a country’s socioeconomic status and its educational and political policies, to name a few îexamples.

Rural and Urban Area Comparison in Punjab

Urban/Rural Population

Approximately 37.52% of Punjab’s population resided in urban areas, while 62.52% lived in rural areas, according to the census 2011. The overall urban population was 10,399,146, with 5,545,989 men and 4,853,157 females making up the remainder. There were 9,093,476 men and 8,250,716 women living in rural parts of Punjab.

In urban areas of Punjab, the gender ratio was 875 females for every 1000 males. Urban areas in Punjab had a child sex ratio of 852 girls for every 1000 boys between 0 and 6. As a result, 10.87 per cent of Punjab’s urban population was under six, or 1,130,717 children. In rural Punjab, the average gender ratio was 907 women for every 1000 men. In a rural area of Punjab, the child gender ratio was 844 females for every 1000 males.

Growth Rate

As per the census 2011, rural regions had a 7.78 per cent increase in population, while urban areas saw a 25.72 per cent increase, according to the state’s Census Operations. According to Seema Jain, Director, Census Operations (Punjab), the population growth rate in urban areas is almost three times more than those in rural regions.

However, the state’s urban population has grown unevenly. Nearly half (49.12%) of Punjab’s urban population lives in the following towns or towns and cities: Jalandhar (53.18%), Amritsar (53.64%), Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar (55.17 %), and Ludhiana (59.14%). In alternative terms, Ludhiana is home to 19.86 per cent of Punjab’s urban residents. The district of SAS Nagar is the second most urbanised in Uttar Pradesh.

Working Population 

Nine million eight hundred ninety-seven thousand three hundred sixty-two people were employed in Punjab out of the state’s whole population. In contrast, just 14.6 percent of employees define their job as Marginal Activity. In comparison, 85.4 percent describe their work as Main Work (i.e., employment or earnings for more than six months), and only 14.6 percent describe their work as Marginal Activity (provides a means of subsistence for less than six months). For 9,897,362 workers engaged in Main Work, 1,803,860 cultivators (either as proprietors or co-owners) and 1,168,021 agricultural labourers contributed to 9,897,362 employees active in Main Work.

Literacy Rate

• The state’s literacy rate has grown from 69.65 per cent in 2001 to 76.68 per cent, according to the census 2011.

• Male literacy in rural areas has improved from 71.05 per cent in 2001 to 77.92 per cent in 2011, representing a 6.87 percent increase. 

• Female literacy has climbed from 57.72 per cent in 2001 to 66.47 per cent in 2011, representing a 6.87 percent increase. 

• Similarly, urban literacy among males has increased from 83.05 per cent in 2001 to 87.28 per cent in 2011. That shows a 4.23 per cent increase over the previous decade. 

• Literacy among females exceeded 74.49 per cent in 2001 to 79.62 per cent in 2011, representing a 5.13 per cent increase over the previous decade.

Conclusion

As per the census 2011, the urban population is increasing at a far quicker pace than that of rural areas. However, this rise is not simply attributable to an increase in the global population. In reality, migration from rural to urban regions accounts for a significant share of urban population increase. People’s work is shifting from primary to secondary and tertiary activities, consistent with this data. Neighbouring towns and suburbs are typically included in municipal or city limits.