Revision Notes for Class 9 Geography Chapter 6 Population

Population is the pivotal element in social studies and is the point of reference from which all other elements are observed and from which they derive significance and meaning. ‘Resources’, ‘calamities’ and ‘disasters’ are all meaningful only in relation to human beings.

Population Size and Distribution

India’s Population Size and Distribution by numbers

• India’s population account for about 17.5 per cent of the world’s population which lives over India’s area of 3.28 million square km, which accounts for 2.4 per cent of the world’s area.
• Population of India as per 2011 Census Data:
  • The Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state of India and accounts for about 16 per cent of the country’s population.
  • The Sikkim has a population of just about 0.6 million.
  • Lakshadweep has only 64,429 people.
• Almost half of India’s population lives in just five states – Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.
• Rajasthan is the biggest state in terms of area and has only 5.5 per cent of the total population of India.

India’s Population Distribution by Density

• Population density is calculated as the number of persons per unit area. It provides a better picture of the uneven distribution. India is one of the most densely populated countries of the world.
• The population density of India in the year 2011 was 382 persons per sq km.
• Densities vary from 1,102 persons per sq km in Bihar to only 17 persons per sq km in Arunachal Pradesh.
• The Northern plains and Kerala have high to very high population densities because of the flat plains with fertile soils and abundant rainfall.

Population Growth and Processes of Population Change

Population is a dynamic phenomenon. The numbers, distribution and composition of the population are constantly changing.

Population Growth

• Growth of population refers to the change in the number of inhabitants of a country/territory during a specific period of time.
• This change can be expressed in two ways: in terms of absolute numbers and in terms of percentage change per year.
• Annual Growth Rate: It is the rate or the pace of population increase. It is studied in per cent per annum.
• It is essential to realise that India has a very large population. When a low annual rate is applied to a very large population, it yields a large absolute increase.

Processes of Population Change/Growth

There are three main processes of change of population: birth rates, death rates and migration. Natural increase of Population: It is the difference between birth rates and death rates.

• Birth Rate: It is the number of live births per thousand persons in a year. It is a major component of growth as in India, birth rates have always been higher than death rates.
• Death Rate: It is the number of deaths per thousand persons in a year. The main cause of the rate of growth of the Indian population has been the rapid decline in death rates.

Trend in Population change
Till 1980, high birth rates and declining death rates led to a large difference between birth rates and death rates resulting in higher rates of population growth.
Since 1981, birth rates have also started declining gradually, resulting in a gradual decline in the rate of population growth.

• Migration
  • It is the movement of people across regions and territories. Migration can be internal (within the country) or international (between the countries). Internal migration influences the distribution of population within the nation.
  • In India, most migrations have been from rural to urban areas because of the “push” factor in rural areas.
  • It changes not only the population size but also the population composition of urban and rural populations in terms of age and sex composition.
  • The rural-urban migration has resulted in a steady increase in the percentage of population in cities and towns.

Age Composition

• The age composition of a population refers to the number of people in different age groups in a country.
• The number and percentage of a population found within the children, working age and aged groups are notable determinants of the population’s social and economic structure.

Three broad categories to classify population

• Children (below 15 years): They are economically unproductive.
• Working Age (15–59 years): They comprise the working population.
• Aged (Above 59 years): They may be working voluntarily but they are not available for employment through recruitment.

The percentage of children and the aged affect the dependency ratio as these groups are not producers.

Sex Ratio

Sex ratio is defined as the number of females per 1000 males in the population. This information is an important social indicator to measure the extent of equality between males and females.

Literacy Rate

• Literacy is a very important quality of a population. According to the Census 2011, a person aged 7 years and above, who can read and write with understanding in any language, is treated as literate.
• The literacy rate in the country as per the Census of 2011 is 73 per cent; 80.9 per cent for males and 64.6 per cent for females.

Occupational Structure

• The percentage of population that is economically active is an important index of development.
• Occupational Structure: It is the distribution of the population according to different types of occupation.
• Occupations are, generally, classified as primary, secondary, and tertiary.
  • Primary activities: It include agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry, fishing, mining and quarrying, etc.
  • Secondary activities: It include manufacturing industry, building and construction work, etc.
  • Tertiary activities: It include transport, communications, commerce, administration and other services.
• Developing countries tend to have a higher proportion of their workforce engaged in primary activities.
• In India, about 64 per cent of the population is engaged only in agriculture. The proportion of population dependent on secondary and tertiary sectors is about 13 and 20 per cent respectively.

Health

• Health is an important component of population composition, which affects the process of development.
• Improvements in the Health conditions: In India, Death rates have declined from 25 per 1000 population in 1951 to 7.2 per 1000 in 2011 and life expectancy at birth has increased from 36.7 years in 1951 to 67.9 years in 2012.

Adolescent Population

• Adolescents are, generally, grouped in the age group of 10 to 19 years. It constitutes one-fifth of the total population of India. They are the most important resource for the future.
• Their nutrition requirements are higher than those of a normal child or adult. Poor nutrition can lead to deficiency and stunted growth.

National Population Policy (NPP)

• The Government of India initiated a comprehensive Family Planning Programme in 1952 by recognising that the planning of families would improve individual health and welfare.
• The Family Welfare Programme has sought to promote responsible and planned parenthood on a voluntary basis.
• The NPP 2000 provides a policy framework for imparting free and compulsory school education up to 14 years of age, reducing infant mortality rate to below 30 per 1000 live births, achieving universal immunisation of children against all vaccine preventable diseases, promoting delayed marriage for girls, and making family welfare a people-centred programme.

NPP 2000 on Adolescents

• NPP 2000 identified adolescents as one of the major sections of the population that need greater attention.
• Besides nutritional requirements, the policy puts greater emphasis on other important needs of adolescent including protection from unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
• It called for programmes that aim towards encouraging delayed marriage and child-bearing, education of adolescents about the risks of unprotected sex, making contraceptive services accessible and affordable, providing food supplements, nutritional services, and strengthening legal measures to prevent child marriage.

Interesting points

• Census
  • A census is an official enumeration of population done periodically.
  • In India, the first census was held in the year 1872.
  • The first complete census was taken in the year 1881. Since then, censuses have been held regularly every tenth year.
• Sex Ratios in India
  • Kerala has a sex ratio of 1084 females per 1000 males.
  • Puducherry has 1038 females for every 1000 males.
  • Delhi has only 866 females per 1000 males
  • Haryana has 877.