Population Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition Class 12 Geography Chapter 1 CBSE Notes 2025-26

India is the world’s second most populous country, with a population of 1,210 million as per the 2011 Census. This figure is greater than the total of North America, South America, and Australia combined. Such a large population has major impacts on the country’s resources, economic activities, and social structure.

Sources of Population Data

Most of the information on India’s population is collected through the Census, conducted every 10 years. The first complete census was carried out in 1881. Reliable data from these censuses provide insight into changes and patterns in the country’s demographics.

Distribution of Population

India’s population distribution is extremely uneven. Uttar Pradesh has the highest population, followed by Maharashtra, Bihar, and West Bengal. Almost 76% of India’s people are concentrated in just ten states, including Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Gujarat. In contrast, states like Jammu & Kashmir (1.04%), Arunachal Pradesh (0.11%), and Uttarakhand (0.84%) have vast land areas but small populations.

This unevenness relates to different factors. Physical factors like climate, terrain, and water availability play a major role. Socio-economic and historical elements also matter, such as the development of agriculture, settlement patterns, and levels of industrialization and urbanization.

Density of Population

Population density is calculated as the number of people per square kilometre. In 2011, the average population density in India was 382 people per sq km, up from 117 in 1951. 

Densities range from just 17 persons/sq km in Arunachal Pradesh to over 11,000 in the National Capital Territory of Delhi. In the northern states, Bihar (1,102), West Bengal (1,029), and Uttar Pradesh (828) are highly dense, while Kerala (859) and Tamil Nadu (555) have high densities in the southern peninsula.

Two special population densities are also recognized for agricultural analysis:

• Physiological density = total population / net cultivated area
• Agricultural density = total agricultural population / net cultivable area

The agricultural population includes all cultivators, agricultural labourers, and their families.

Growth of Population

Population growth refers to the change in the number of people over time. The growth rate is generally expressed in percentages and results from two main factors: natural growth (births minus deaths) and migration. In 2011, the current annual growth rate was 1.64%. Population doubling time means the time required for a population to double in size based on its current rate.

The decadal growth rate ($g$) is calculated by the formula:
$g = \frac{P_2 - P_1}{P_1} \times 100$
Where $P_1$ = population in the base year, $P_2$ = population in the present year.

Census Year	Total Population	Absolute Increase	% Growth
1901	238,396,327	--	--
1911	252,093,390	+13,697,063	+5.75
1921	251,321,213	-772,117	-0.31
1931	278,977,238	+27,656,025	+11.60
1941	318,660,580	+39,683,342	+14.22
1951	361,088,090	+42,420,485	+13.31
1961	439,234,771	+77,682,873	+21.51
1971	548,159,652	+108,924,881	+24.80
1981	683,329,097	+135,169,445	+24.66
1991	846,302,688	+162,973,591	+23.85
2001	1,028,610,328	+182,307,640	+21.54
2011	1,210,193,422	+181,583,094	+17.64

Phases of Population Growth in India

Population growth in India has passed through different phases:

• Phase I (1901-1921): Stagnant growth with high birth and death rates, low overall population increase, even a decline from 1911-21.
• Phase II (1921-1951): Steady growth, thanks to improvements in health and sanitation that reduced deaths, but birth rates remained high.
• Phase III (1951-1981): Population explosion due to rapid fall in death rates while birth rates stayed high, and migration further contributed to growth.
• Phase IV (Post-1981): Growth continues but at a slowing pace due to falling birth rates linked to better education and delayed marriage age.

India's projected population by 2025 is 1,350 million.

Regional Variation in Population Growth

Some states have seen rapid growth, while others have slowed down. Between 1991 and 2001, states like Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Puducherry, and Goa recorded low decadal growth rates (below 20%). Kerala recorded just 9.4%. 

The northern belt, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh, witnessed higher growth of 20-25%. By 2011, the overall growth had slowed in almost all states.

About 20.9% of India’s people are adolescents (ages 10–19). Many challenges exist for youth and adolescents: early marriage, illiteracy, poor nutrition, maternal mortality, and risks such as HIV/AIDS and substance abuse. 

Government policies like the National Youth Policy (2014) and the National Policy for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (2015) aim to empower and skill the youth population.

Population Composition

Population composition means analyzing the population according to factors like age, gender, residence, language, religion, literacy, and occupation. In India, composition is highly diverse – both socially and economically.

Rural–Urban Composition

In 2011, 68.8% of Indians lived in rural areas (over 640,000 villages) and only 31.16% in urban areas. Himachal Pradesh and Bihar are mostly rural, while Goa and Mizoram have larger urban populations. Most Union Territories except Dadra and Nagar Haveli are predominantly urban. 

Urbanization is rising, with cities growing faster than villages due to more economic opportunities. Major cities and corridors (such as from Punjab to West Bengal, and Delhi-Mumbai) show higher urban populations, while remote, hilly, or tribal areas are less urbanized.

Linguistic Composition

India is extremely rich in languages. There are 22 scheduled languages and hundreds of dialects across four main families: Austric, Dravidian, Sino-Tibetan, and Indo-European. Hindi has the most native speakers. Language families are distributed regionally, for example:

• Austric: Spoken in Meghalaya, Nicobar, parts of eastern India.
• Dravidian: Found in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and central India.
• Sino-Tibetan: North-eastern states, parts of Himalayan region.
• Indo-European: Covers most of North and Central India, and some regions of the west.

Family	Major Regions
Austric	Meghalaya, Nicobar, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha
Dravidian	Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, AP, MP, Odisha, Maharashtra, Bihar, WB
Sino-Tibetan	J&K, HP, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, NE states
Indo-European	Most of India including J&K, Punjab, HP, UP, Rajasthan, Haryana, MP

Religious Composition

Religion is central to Indian society. Hindus form the majority (79.8% in 2011), followed by Muslims (14.2%), Christians (2.3%), Sikhs (1.7%), Buddhists (0.7%), and Jains (0.4%). 

Religious minorities are often clustered in particular regions; for example, Muslims in Jammu & Kashmir and Kerala, Christians in Goa and the North East, Sikhs in Punjab and parts of Haryana and Delhi, Buddhists in Maharashtra and the Himalayas.

Religion	Population (million)	% of Total
Hindus	966.3	79.8
Muslims	172.2	14.2
Christians	27.8	2.3
Sikhs	20.8	1.7
Buddhists	8.4	0.7
Jains	4.5	0.4
Other/Not Stated	10.8	0.9

Composition of Working Population

In 2011, only 39.8% of India’s people were recorded as workers (main and marginal), leaving about 60% as non-workers, indicating a high dependency burden.

• Main Worker: Works for at least 183 days a year.
• Marginal Worker: Works for less than 183 days.

Work participation is highest in less developed, mainly rural states (e.g., Himachal Pradesh 51.9%), and lowest in some Union Territories (e.g., Lakshadweep 29.1%). The dependency ratio is higher in more urbanized and developed areas.

India’s workforce distribution (2011) was 54.6% in the primary sector (mainly agriculture), 3.8% in household industries, and 41.6% in other sectors like services and manufacturing.

Sector	Total Workers	% of Total	Male	Female
Primary	26,30,22,473	54.6	16,54,47,075	9,75,75,398
Secondary	1,83,36,307	3.8	97,75,635	85,60,672
Tertiary	20,03,84,531	41.6	15,66,43,220	4,37,41,311

There is a trend of increasing involvement in secondary and tertiary sectors, while dependence on agriculture is gradually declining. States like Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland have a high share of cultivators, while Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh have more agricultural labourers. Metro cities and UTs like Delhi, Chandigarh, and Puducherry see more employment in services.

Religion also impacts the landscape, as sacred buildings like temples, mosques, churches, and monasteries shape the features of villages, towns, and cities across India.

Class 12 Geography Chapter 1 Notes – Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition

Class 12 Geography Chapter 1 covers key topics like population distribution, density, growth and composition in India. These notes are carefully designed as per the latest NCERT syllabus for quick understanding and easy memorization. Review tables and regional data help visualize important differences between states and sectors.

With these notes, students can revise important census figures, growth rate phases, and sector-wise work structures at a glance. The organized points ensure you cover every exam-relevant aspect from population trends to linguistic and religious composition for CBSE board exams and other competitive tests.