Growth of Population in India

Growth of Population in India

Introduction: 

Since the first Indian Census in 1871, India has recorded a massive growth in population. Currently, India is the world’s second-most populist country with 121 crore people. This rapid growth of   population in India was characterised by rapid urbanisation and a decrease in the average age of the general population, making India one of the world’s youngest nations. The phases of population growth can be classified into four distinct phases of growth

•  1891-1921 – phase of stagnant growth
• 1921-1951 – phase of steady growth
• 1951-1981- Phase of population explosion
• 1981- 2011 (scheduled 2021 census was postponed due to the pandemic) – phase of steadying of population

Along with the population explosion and growth, there also existed lots of variation in the said growth of the population. The population in northern states seemed to continue to grow rapidly whereas southern states like Goa, Kerala, Tamil Nadu ranking high on the HDI controlled the population explosion. Along with the growth in population it was accompanied with other challenges and problems of adolescents like that of skill training of the youth, provision of nutrient food for the infants, employment opportunities for the growing youth etc.

Phase (i)- 1891-1921

The phase from 1891 to 1921 can be characterised as the first phase of population growth. 

During this phase, the population of the country grew from 23.6 crores in 1891 to 25.1(a growth of just 0.19%) crores in 1921. Due to the stagnant and sluggish growth of the population during this phase, this phase of the population growth is referred to as the “Stagnant population” phase.

 One of the main reasons for such dismal growth in the population was the lack of health infrastructure and services. This phase witnessed a ballooning birth rate of 47 births per 1000 population but the death rates were equally high 45 deaths per 1000 population. The Infant Mortality rate too was at its peak of 218 deaths per 1000 births. The lethargic approach of the British administration towards health services in India made the administration incapable of tackling various epidemic outbreaks like that of the infamous plague in the 1890s or the Spanish flu in the 1920s which left millions dead. 

Phase (ii) – 1921- 1951

This phase of population growth from 1921-1951 is referred to as the “Steady Growth” period. During this period population increased from 25.1 crores in 1921 to 36.1 crores in 1951, a growth of 11 crores or a CAGR of 1.22% which is considered to be a moderate growth rate. This phase witnessed a transition of Indian demographics into a new era, which was resultant of the socio-political changes which were taking place in the country.

The birth rates per 1000 population remained stable to 42, but the death rates saw a massive fall from 45 per 1000 population to 27 per 1000 population.. Improvement in the health infrastructure of the country and successful attempts by the administration to control the epidemics and outbreaks contributed a lot in bringing down the death rates during this phase.

During this phase, India had entered into the second stage of demographic transition, which entails high birth rates while the death rates continue to subside. 

Phase (iii) – 1951-1981

During the third 30 year phase, India’s population almost doubled from 36.1 crores to 68.3 crores, with a CAGR of 2.14%. This was the sharpest jump in the growth rate of the Indian population, thus this phase is regarded as the “Rapid High Growth” phase. There was a record growth of the Indian population by 32 crores, which was almost 3 times the growth in the previous phase.

The third phase of the demographic transition is characterised by falling birth rates and a steep fall in the death rates, leading to higher net addition to the population. During this phase of population growth, India’s birth rate declined from 42 per 1000 population to 32 per 1000 population, while the death rate came down from 27 per 1000 population to 15 per 1000 population

With the help of various government measures, schemes and programs related to family planning, health and welfare, health infrastructure casualties and death incidences in the country were kept in check. It was also in this phase that India began to develop and work on various mass vaccination programs, which furthered the cause of reducing death rates. And as all this while birth rates constantly remained high, it led to a massive explosion in the country’s population.

Phase (iv) – 1981-2011

The final stage of demographic transition includes falling birth rates and low death rates leading to steadying up of the population. But as the birth rates are much higher than the death rates, the nation’s population continued to grow from 68.3 crores in 1981 to 121 crores in 2011, a growth of 77% in total. This phase is referred to as a “high growth stage with definite signs of slowing down”. During the 1991-2001 decade population grew from 84.4 crores to 100.2 crores, and from 2001-2011 it went up from 100.2 crores to 121 crores a growth of 18.1 crores 

This phase also witnessed a steady continuous fall in the birth rate from 32 per 1000 to 22 per 1000. Along with the birth rates, the death rates too came down to 7 per 1000 population. The main reason for such phenomenal statistics was the growth of the Indian Economy post the 1991 reforms.

Regional variation in Population Growth

Though the general population of India witnessed massive growth since independence, the regional distribution of the growth was disproportionate. The states in the Hindi heartland (Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, haryana etc) recorded high population growth of 20-25%, whereas southern states like Goa, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka controlled the population growth not exceeding 20% for the 1991-2001 period. 

Another important aspect of the population growth of the country is the rise in the share of the adolescent population. As per the 2011 census, the adolescent population constituted 20.9% of the total population. This is a huge positive point for a developing country like India, which can reap the benefits of“ demographic dividend:”. It’s also equally important for the Government to carefully harness the above-mentioned asset by providing the relevant skills, education, health, employment and other opportunities and infrastructure.

Conclusion

India’s population growth trajectory has followed a high correlation with India’s economic growth and development story. Since independence, as the nation began to develop with the spread of education, infrastructure, urbanisation and employment, the population growth too began to slow down with the Total Fertility rate falling from 6 children per woman in 1950 to 2.2 in 2021. Further insights could have been made available if the scheduled 2021 census was carried out, which would have given a better idea to our policy framers regarding the state of affairs of our subjects. For further insights on the said subject, students can refer to the census surveys for India data available on the department’s website.