Geography
Population and Settlement
Population and Settlement — Quick Revision
One-page CGPSC quick revision for Population and Settlement: Census 2011 figures, extremes, migration data and theories, urban definitions and settlement types.
India’s population, migration and settlements on one page. All figures are Census 2011 (final) unless stated. For explanations, go back to the chapter; for the state’s own numbers, see the Chhattisgarh population quick revision.
How to use this sheet
Scan it top to bottom in the week before Prelims. Bold entries are the facts examiners return to most often. Learn India and Chhattisgarh figures as pairs.
Census Basics
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Census Act, 1948; Union List; Registrar General and Census Commissioner (MHA) |
| First census / first synchronous | 1872 / 1881 |
| Census 2011 | 15th census, 7th after Independence; Commissioner C. Chandramouli |
| Reference date | 00:00 hrs, 1 March 2011; enumeration 9–28 February 2011 |
| Census 2027 (as of Oct 2026) | 16th; houselisting April–September 2026; enumeration February 2027; reference date 1 March 2027 (1 October 2026 for snow-bound areas); first digital census; first caste enumeration since 1931 |
| No “Census 2021” | Postponed round is Census 2027 |
India vs Chhattisgarh (Census 2011)
| Indicator | India | Chhattisgarh |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,21,08,54,977 | 2,55,45,198 |
| Growth 2001–11 | 17.7% (21.5% in 1991–2001) | 22.61% |
| Density | 382 (325 in 2001) | 189 |
| Sex ratio | 943 (prov. 940; 933 in 2001) | 991 |
| Child sex ratio | 918 (prov. 914; 927 in 2001) | 969 |
| Literacy | 72.98% (M 80.88, F 64.63; prov. 74.04) | 70.28% |
| Urban | 31.14% (prov. 31.16) | 23.24% |
| SC / ST | 16.6% / 8.6% | 12.82% / 30.62% |
Growth Phases
| Phase | Period | Marker |
|---|---|---|
| Stagnant | 1901–1921 | 1911–21 negative growth |
| Steady | 1921–1951 | 1921 = Great Divide |
| Explosion | 1951–1981 | Peak 24.8% in 1961–71 |
| Slowing | 1981–2011 | 23.9 → 21.5 → 17.7% |
NPP 2000: TFR 2.1 by 2010; stable population by 2045. NFHS-5 (2019–21) TFR 2.0.
Extremes (Census 2011)
| Measure | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|
| Population (state) | Uttar Pradesh (16.5%) | Sikkim |
| Density (state) | Bihar 1,106 | Arunachal 17 |
| Density (district) | North East Delhi 37,346 | Dibang Valley 1 |
| Growth (state) | Meghalaya 27.9% | Nagaland −0.58% |
| Sex ratio (state) | Kerala 1,084 | Haryana 879 |
| Sex ratio (UT) | Puducherry 1,037 | Daman and Diu 618 |
| Child sex ratio (state) | North-east/tribal states (about 970) | Haryana 834 |
| Literacy (state) | Kerala 94.0% | Bihar 61.8% |
| Literacy (district) | Serchhip (Mizoram) | Alirajpur (MP) |
| Urban share (state) | Goa 62.2% | Himachal 10.0%, Bihar 11.3% |
| Urban share (UT) | Delhi 97.5% | — |
Composition
| Item | Fact |
|---|---|
| Literate | Age 7+, reads and writes with understanding, any language |
| Religion | Hindus 79.8, Muslims 14.2, Christians 2.3, Sikhs 1.7, Buddhists 0.7, Jains 0.4 (%) |
| Language | Hindi 43.63% (not a majority); Bengali 2nd, Marathi 3rd; 22 languages in the Eighth Schedule |
| SC / ST | 20.14 crore / 10.43 crore; most SCs in UP, highest SC share Punjab; most STs in MP |
| Workers | WPR 39.8%; agricultural labourers (30.0%) > cultivators (24.6%) for the first time |
| Main / marginal | 6 months or more / less than 6 months |
Migration
| Item | Fact |
|---|---|
| Census bases | Place of birth; place of last residence |
| Census 2011 | 45.58 crore migrants by last residence (about 37.6%); 31.45 crore in 2001 |
| Top reason | Marriage overall and for women; work for men |
| Largest stream | Rural to rural |
| Source / destination | UP, Bihar / Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat |
| PLFS 2020–21 | Migration rate 28.9%; women about 48%, men 10.7%; marriage 86.8% of female migrants |
| Theories | Ravenstein 1885 (short distance, steps, counter-stream); Lee 1966 (push, pull, intervening obstacles); Zelinsky 1971; Todaro 1969 |
| Remittances | India top recipient: about USD 129 billion (2024, World Bank) |
| Law | ISMW Act 1979 → OSH Code 2020 (all four labour codes in force from 21 November 2025) |
Urbanisation and Settlements
| Item | Fact |
|---|---|
| Census town | No ULB + 5,000 people + 75% male main workers non-farm + 400/sq km |
| Statutory town | Municipality, corporation, cantonment board or notified area committee |
| Towns | 7,935 = 4,041 statutory + 3,894 census (1,362 census towns in 2001) |
| Million-plus | 53 UAs/cities (35 in 2001); megacities Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata |
| Urban trend | 11% (1901) → 17.3% (1951) → 27.8% (2001) → 31.1% (2011) |
| First | Urban absolute increase > rural absolute increase (2001–11) |
| Classes | Class I 1 lakh+; million-plus 10 lakh+; megacity 1 crore+ |
| Rural types | Clustered (plains), semi-clustered (Gujarat), hamleted (Chhattisgarh, Ganga plain), dispersed (Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, HP, Kerala) |
| Missions | SBM-U 2014; Smart Cities, AMRUT, PMAY-U 25 June 2015; Smart Cities closed 31 March 2025; PMAY-U 2.0 (2024) |
| CG smart cities | Raipur, Bilaspur, Nava Raipur Atal Nagar |
Don’t Confuse
| This | vs | That |
|---|---|---|
| 943 (overall sex ratio) | vs | 918 (child sex ratio) |
| Final 943 / 918 / 72.98% | vs | Provisional 940 / 914 / 74.04% |
| India 382 / 943 / 17.7% | vs | Chhattisgarh 189 / 991 / 22.61% |
| 1921 Great Divide | vs | 1961–71 peak growth |
| Bihar densest | vs | Bihar lowest literacy |
| Statutory town | vs | Census town |
| Hamleted (Chhattisgarh) | vs | Dispersed (Meghalaya) |
| Census 2011 migrants 37.6% | vs | PLFS 2020–21 rate 28.9% |
Favourite MCQ trap
“Most migration in India is for employment.” Wrong: marriage is the leading reason overall, and rural to rural is the largest stream. Employment leads only among men.
Second favourite trap
“Census 2021 data show…” There is no Census 2021. The latest published census is 2011; Census 2027 is in progress (reference date 1 March 2027).
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