Population distribution in India is geographically polarised — six states hold half the population while desert, hill and forest regions remain sparsely peopled. Examine the demographic geography with reference to density, growth and migration patterns.
Subtopic: Geography · Effects on Human Life — Demographic Geography
How to structure your answer
Introduction: India's 2011 population was 1.21 billion; UN World Population Prospects 2024 puts 2024 estimate at 1.45 billion. National density 382/km² (Census 2011); huge regional disparity.
Body — three dimensions: (1) Density — Bihar 1,106/km², West Bengal 1,028, Kerala 859 vs Arunachal Pradesh 17/km², Mizoram 52, Sikkim 86; six states (UP, Maharashtra, Bihar, WB, MP, TN) hold ~50% of population. (2) Growth — Census 2011 decadal growth 17.7% (down from 21.5% in 2001); EAG states above 20%, southern states below 16%. (3) Migration — Census 2011 recorded 45.6 crore internal migrants (37.6% of population); Bihar-UP source corridor to Delhi-Mumbai-Punjab; PMGKY 2020 pandemic exposed migrant precarity.
Conclusion: Geography determines who is dense, who is sparse, and who moves — the 2027 Census will be the first to map this in 16 years.
Written within the word limit
207 words · target 250 words · 14 min
Introduction:
India's 2011 population stood at 1.21 billion; UN World Population Prospects 2024 estimates 1.45 billion in 2024, with national density at 382/sq km (Census 2011). Distribution is extreme — six states hold half the population while desert, hill and forest regions remain sparsely peopled.
Density: Bihar (1,106/sq km), West Bengal (1,028) and Kerala (859) lead, while Arunachal Pradesh (17), Mizoram (52) and Sikkim (86) lag. Six states — Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu — hold approximately 50% of India's population. The Indo-Gangetic plain forms the densest belt while the Thar desert, Ladakh and Lahaul-Spiti remain almost empty.
Growth: Decadal growth was 17.7% in Census 2011, down from 21.5% in 2001. EAG states (Bihar, UP, MP, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha) continue above 20%, while southern states stay below 16% — the demographic transition is uneven across the federation, with implications for delimitation post-2027.
Migration: Census 2011 D-series records 45.6 crore internal migrants — 37.6% of the population; 84% intra-state, much of it marriage-driven for women. Inter-state flows run from Bihar-UP source corridors to Delhi-Mumbai-Punjab destinations; brick-kiln migrants from Bihar to Punjab harvest illustrate the pattern; the PMGKY response in 2020 exposed migrant precarity; Kerala anchors the Gulf out-migration corridor.
Conclusion:
Geography determines who is dense, sparse and on the move; the 2027 Census will be the first authoritative map of this in 16 years — essential for service planning and federal delimitation.
What an examiner expects to see
- Census 2011 population 1.21 billion; UN WPP 2024 — 1.45 billion
- National density 382/km² (Census 2011)
- Bihar 1,106/km², Arunachal 17/km² — extreme range
- UP, Maharashtra, Bihar, WB, MP, TN hold ~50% of population
- Decadal growth 17.7% (Census 2011), down from 21.5%
- EAG states (Bihar, UP, MP, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha)
- Internal migrants 45.6 crore (Census 2011 D-series)
- 84% of migration is intra-state (mostly marriage-driven for women)
- Census 2027 enumeration cleared 12 December 2025
Concrete cases, schemes and judgments
- Indo-Gangetic plain — densest belt
- Thar desert (Rajasthan) — sparse and arid
- Himalayan high-altitude — Ladakh, Lahaul-Spiti
- Brick-kiln migrants from Bihar to Punjab harvest
- Kerala's Gulf remittance corridor — out-migration leader