According to the statement released by the Registrar General of India (RGI) for all states and Union territories across the country, there will be a recruitment of a Special Charge Officer who will be responsible for holding the 2021 census in areas that are controlled and occupied solely by the defence forces, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Border Security Force (BSF).
The census will be conducted in two phases.
The planned rounds for the Census 2021 are given below:
- The first phase – House listing operations will be conducted in any two months chosen by the respective states between April and September 2020.
- The second phase – Actual population enumeration will be done from February 9 to February 28, 2021
- Final phase – Revision round of the above two phases from March 1 to March 5, 2021
This is an important topic for UPSC and other government exams.
Importance of Census
The Census is one of the most credible sources of information on the following:
- Demography
- Economic Activity
- Literacy and Education
- Housing & Household Amenities
- Urbanization, Fertility, and Mortality
- Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
- Language
The Census was first started under British Viceroy Lord Mayo in 1872. It helped in framing new policies, government programs to uplift areas of improvement in the community.
| Kickstart your UPSC preparation now and complement it with the links given below: |
Highlights of 2011 Census of India
The Census of India 2011 was organized in two stages as trails House listing and Housing Census and Population Enumeration. The population of India has been augmented by more than 181 million during the decade 2001-2011. As per the 2011 Census population report of India is pegged at 1.21 billion, a surge of more than 181 million in the last 10 years. Here we are giving the key facts and data of the Census of India.
The 15th Census of India and the 7th Census of Independent India-2011 was started on 1st April 2010 with President being the first citizen to be enumerated, followed by the Vice President of India. The slogan of census 2011 was ‘Our Census, Our future’. C. Chandramouli was the Census Commissioner of India 2011.
Census of India 2011 was conducted in two stages:
- House listing & Housing Census: (April to September 2010)
- Population Enumeration (9th to 28 February 2011)
The population of the nation as per the provisional figures of Census 2011 is 1210.19 million of which 623.7 million (51.54%) are males and 586.46 million (48.46%) are females. Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in India its population is more than the population of Brazil.
Census of India – 2011 Data
The 15th Census of India was conducted in 2011.
Facts – Census 2011
| State with the highest population density | Bihar |
| State with the lowest population density | Arunachal Pradesh |
| Union territory with least population | Lakshadweep |
| State with the highest population | Uttar Pradesh |
| State with the lowest population | Sikkim |
| State with the highest sex ratio | Kerala |
| State with the lowest sex ratio | Haryana |
| State with the highest literacy rate | Kerala |
| State with the lowest literacy rate | Bihar |
The demographic data can be found below:
Total Population – 2011 Census
Population Density
Sex Ratio
Literacy RateÂ
| Literacy Rate in India (Category) | Data from Census of India 2011 |
| Males | 82.14% |
| Females | 65.46% |
| Overall Literacy | 74% |
Census of India 2011:- Download PDF Here
UPSC Related Questions
Given below are the answers to the questions from the UPSC exam perspective relevant as per the Census 2011:
| Questions | Answers |
| Which state of India has the lowest Literacy rate as per the 2011 Census? | Bihar, with a literacy of 63.82% |
| What is the sex ratio of India as per the 2011 Census? | The sex ratio in India is 940 females per 1000 males |
| What is the position of Madhya Pradesh with respect to the total population in India? | Madhya Pradesh is the fifth largest populated state |
| What is the percentage of the urban population in India as per the 2011 Census? | 31.165 % of the total population can be categorized under Urban population |
| What is the population of India according to the 2011 census? | The population of India is 1,210,854,977 with 623, 724, 248 males and 586,469, 174 females |
| Which state of India has the highest population density as per the 2011 census? | Bihar (1102/sq.km) |
| Which state of India has the least population as per the 2011 census? | Sikkim with a population of 6.71 lakhs. |
| Which state of India has the least population density as per the 2011 census? | Arunachal Pradesh with a population density of just 17 per square kilometre |
| Which state has the highest urban population in India as per the 2011 census? | Goa is the most urbanized state with 62.17% of the population living in urban areas. |
| What is the literacy rate of India as per the 2011 census? | The overall literacy rate in India is 74%Â |
| Which district of Punjab has the highest population according to the 2011 census of India? | Ludhiana is the most populated district in the state of Punjab. |
| Which state of India has a negative population growth rate as per the 2011 census? | Nagaland |
| Name the most densely populated state of India as per the 2011 census. | Bihar |
| Which is the largest tribal group of India as per census 2011? | Bhil is the most populous tribe with a total population of 4,618,068, constituting 37.7 percent of the total ST population. |
| Which state of India has the lowest sex ratio as per census-2011? | Haryana features the lowest sex ratio in India with just 877 women per 1000 males. |
| According to the census of 2011, which is the second most spoken language in India? | Bengali is the second most spoken language in India. |
| According to the census 2011, Which state has the highest population of tigers in India? | Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of tigers in India which is 526. |
| What is the second most populated state of India? | Maharashtra |
| Who is the 2011 census commissioner of India? | C M Chandramauli was the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India for the 2011 Indian Census. |
Frequently Asked Questions on Census of India 2011
Q 1. When is the next Census of India scheduled to happen?
Q 2. In how many languages will the Indian Census 2021 be conducted?
| Other Related Links | |
| IAS Salary | First Census of India – [February 9, 1951]Â |
| Demographics of India | National Population Register (NPR) |
| Citizenship in India | Overseas Citizen of India |
Comments