Maharashtra Board Class 11 Economics Chapter 6 Population In India PDF Download

Chapter - 6 : Population In India

Introduction

India is a developing country. The rate of economic development of a country depends on its quantitative and qualitative growth which can be measured in terms of population, national income, per capita income etc.

Population refers to the number of people living in an area at a given point of time. Population of India is measured once in every ten years through a census survey. According to 2011 census, India's population was 121.02 crores. India ranks second in the world next to China.

India has 17.5% of the world population but it occupies only 2.4% of the world's land area. Population statistics are compiled and published by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.

You Should Know : Population Facts

Kautilya wrote 'Arthashastra' in the third century B. C. It prescribed the collection of population statistics as a measure of state policy for taxation.

A systematic and modern population census in its present form was conducted between 1865 and 1872 in different parts of the country. However 1872 has been popularly labelled as the first population census of India.

On 11th July 1987, world population crossed 500 crores. Hence, 11th July is observed as 'World Population Day'.

Teacher's Note

India's population grows very fast. Every ten years, the government counts how many people live in India. This is like counting all the children in your school every year.

Exam Trick

Remember: 2011 census = 121.02 crores. India is the second most populated country. Just remember "second after China" and you will not forget this in the exam.

Points to Remember

Population means the number of people living in a place at one time.
India's population is counted every 10 years through census.
India has the second largest population in the world.
India has 17.5% of world population but only 2.4% of land.
Population statistics are published by the Office of the Registrar General.

Stimulate Your Memory

Find out the basic features of India's population that you have studied in Std. VIII and Std. X in the subject of Geography. (e.g. Sex Ratio, Density of Population, Age Composition, Urbanisation etc.)

Trends In Population Growth

India's population is very large in size. It is growing rapidly. Information regarding the size, structure and other characteristics of India's population is obtained through Census Survey.

Table 6.1 reviews the trends in population growth:

Teacher's Note

Look at this table carefully. The population keeps growing every 10 years. It is like your age - it increases every year. The population of India grew very fast between 1961 and 2001.

Exam Trick

Remember: Before 1921, population went down (negative growth). After 1921, it only goes up. So 1921 is the Year of Great Divide - a turning point.

Points to Remember

Population was 25.2 crores in 1911 and 121.02 crores in 2011.
Growth rate was highest between 1961 and 1981 (2.2%).
Growth rate is slowing down - it was 1.4% in 2011.
After 1921, population only increased, never decreased.
The population doubled from 1951 to 2011.

Marginal Decline In Population (1911-1921)

There was a marginal decline in population from 25.2 crores in 1911 to 25.1 crores in 1921. Thus, there was negative growth rate due to spread of epidemics such as influenza, cholera, plague, malaria etc.

Year Of Great Divide

The decadal growth of population was negative during the period 1911 to 1921. After 1921, there was a continuous increase in population. Hence, then Census Commissioner of India had designated the year 1921 as the 'Year of Great Divide'.

Positive Growth Rate (1931-1941)

India recorded an annual growth rate around 1 to 1.3% during this period.

Increase In Population (1951 Onwards)

Between 1951 to 1971 population increased from 36.1 crores to 54.8 crores. This shows that after Independence, there was tremendous rise in population.

Population Explosion (1971-2001)

During this period, India experienced 'population explosion' because during these three decades, annual population growth rate was more than 2%.

Slow Down In Population Growth Rate (2001-2011)

There is an indication of slow down in growth rate of population from 1.9% in 2001 to 1.4% in 2011. This shows that the average annual growth rate is declining.

Teacher's Note

Population growth is now slowing down. This is good for India. It means fewer babies are being born compared to before. This is because more people are getting education and better jobs.

Exam Trick

Remember: 1921 = Year of Great Divide (turning point). After 1921, growth never stopped. Before 1921, population actually fell.

Points to Remember

From 1911 to 1921, population fell due to diseases.
From 1921 onwards, population only increased.
Between 1961 and 1981, growth rate was at its highest (2.2%).
After 2001, growth rate is slowing down.
In 2011, growth rate dropped to 1.4%.

Theories Of Population Growth

Malthusian Theory Of Population Growth

Thomas Robert Malthus propounded this theory in his book, "An Essay on the Principle of Population" in 1798 and modified some of its conclusions in the next edition in 1803.

According to Malthus, population increases in geometric progression (2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 etc.) and food supply increases in Arithmetic progression (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 etc.), This creates imbalance between population and food supply.

Malthus states that correction of the imbalance can be done by introducing 'preventive checks' such as late marriage, moral restraint etc. He also mentions about 'positive or natural checks' such as natural calamities. Natural checks operate and wash out the excess population and thus balance is maintained. However, preventive checks are more dependable out of the two.

Concepts Related To Population Growth

Birth rate : Birth rate means the number of births occurring per thousand of the living population during a year. It is also known as fertility rate.

Death rate : The number of deaths per thousand of the living population during a year is called death rate. It is also called mortality rate.

Survival rate : The difference between the birth rate and death rate is known as the survival rate. This shows the actual rate of population growth.

Survival rate = Birth rate – Death rate.

Teacher's Note

Malthus said that people increase very fast but food increases slowly. Think of it like a family - more mouths to feed, but same food. That is the problem Malthus was talking about.

Exam Trick

Remember: Geometric progression = fast (2, 4, 8, 16). Arithmetic progression = slow (1, 2, 3, 4). Population grows faster than food. Think: "People multiply, food just adds."

Points to Remember

Malthus theory says population grows very fast (geometric).
Food supply grows slowly (arithmetic).
This creates a problem of not enough food.
Preventive checks = late marriage and self-control.
Natural checks = diseases and natural disasters.

Theory Of Demographic Transition

The theory of demographic transition was given by A. J. Coale and E. M. Hoover, in the book, "Population growth and Economic Development in low-income countries" (1958).

According to this theory, every country passes through three stages of demographic transition. This theory explains the transition from high to low birth rates and death rates.

Stages Of Demographic Transition

The theory shows a three stage relationship between economic development and population growth. According to this theory, as a country advances economically, its population passes through three stages as follows :

A) First Stage (Low Growth Of Population)

It is pre-industrialised and primitive stage. The birth rate and death rate both are very high. All underdeveloped countries have passed through this stage. Social and economic conditions such as mass illiteracy, superstitions, mass poverty, orthodoxy, lack of medical facilities, spread of epidemics etc. led to low growth of population. Before 1921, India was in the first stage of demographic transition.

B) Second Stage (High Growth Of Population)

Introduction of industrialisation and beginning of the process of economic development is the indicator of the second stage. Due to economic development death rate started falling rapidly, but the birth rate continued to remain high. This led to population explosion. All developing countries, including India are in the second stage of demographic transition. India is on the verge of entering into the third stage.

C) Third Stage (Low Or Stable Population)

Rapid industrialisation and urbanisation, result in the spread of education and consciousness about standard of living. With economic development, both birth rate as well as death rate tend to decline. All developed countries are in this stage.

Fig. 6.2 helps to understand the theory of demographic transition.

Try This

Based on the table 6.2, explain how demographic transition theory is applicable to India.

Teacher's Note

Demographic transition means a country changes from having many babies and many deaths to having few babies and few deaths. Look at the table - death rate fell faster than birth rate. This caused population explosion.

Exam Trick

Remember the three stages: Stage 1 = high births and deaths (poor countries). Stage 2 = high births but low deaths (developing countries like India). Stage 3 = low births and deaths (rich countries). India is in Stage 2.

Points to Remember

Stage 1: High birth rate and high death rate.
Stage 2: High birth rate but death rate falls.
Stage 3: Both birth rate and death rate are low.
Death rate falls faster than birth rate in Stage 2.
This causes population explosion in Stage 2.

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