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India clocks 1.02 billion

India's share of the world population is now 16.7% even as the country registered a fall in its decadal growth rate by 2.52% and an improvement in its sex ratio and literacy rate.

At 0000 hours on March one, 2001, the country's population stood at 1027,015,247, comprising 531,277,078 men and 495,738,169 women, Registrar General and Census Commissioner J K Banthia told reporters releasing the provisional population results of the Census of India 2001 which concluded on Feb 28.

With this, India has become the second country in the world after China to cross the one billion population mark.

The number of literate people in the country too has gone up significantly comprising three-fourths of the male population and more than half of the female population while for the first time since independence, the absolute number of illiterates have shown a significant decline.

Uttar Pradesh continued to be the most populous state in the country with 16.17% of India's population followed by Maharashtra (9.42%) and Bihar (8.07%).

West Bengal is the most densely populated state with 904 persons living per sq km followed by Bihar with 880.

The sex ratio (number of females per 1000 males) is 933 females per 1000 males, which is an improvement of six points over 927 recorded in 1991 census, Banthia said.

The literacy rates among the population seven years and above for the country stood at 65.38% and the corresponding figures for males and females were 75.85% and 54.16% respectively.

Kerala continued its lead in the literacy race with 90.92% followed by Mizoram (88.49%) and Lakshadweep (87.52%) while Bihar recorded the lowest literacy rate of 47.53% in the country, the Census Commissioner said.

Kerala also led the nation in recording the lowest population growth rate of 9.42% followed by Tamil Nadu (11.19%) and Andhra Pradesh (13.86%), which also registered the sharpest decline of 10.34% among all the major states.

The highest sex ratio of 1058 women per 1000 men has also been reported from Kerala while Haryana recorded the lowest sex ratio of 861 among the major states.

"The percentage decadal growth of the country as a whole has declined from 23.86% during 1981-1991 to 21.34% during 1991-2001, thus registering a fall in its decadal growth rate by 2.52% points, which is the sharpest decline since independence," the Census Commissioner said.

Significantly, India added about 181 million persons between 1991-2001, which is more than the estimated population of Brazil, the fifth most populous country in the world while the 166 million population of Uttar Pradesh is more than the estimated population of Pakistan, Banthia said.

Banthia said the final population results were expected in another 21 months as each and every village had to be covered while the urban trends would be available by May this year.

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