18.2.1

Population Distribution in India

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Population Distribution

India is now the most populous country in the world, with a population of 1.44 billion.

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Current population

  • In 2016, India had a population of 1.3 billion (equivalent to 17.7% of the total world’s population).
  • In 2023, India passed China as the most populous country, with 1.43 billion people.
  • From 2001 to 2011, the county’s population increased by 181 million.
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Population density

  • India is ranked in the top 50 most densely with populated countries in the world, with an average of 455 people per square kilometre.
  • This varies across the states with some of the busier cities, like Mumbai, having a population density of 21,000 people per square kilometre.
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Population distribution

  • The largest state in India is Uttar Pradesh with an estimated population of 20 million people.
  • The lowest populated state is Uttarakhand with a population of 1 million people.
  • Most of India’s population are distributed between the four states of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and West Bengal.

Jump to other topics

1Geography Skills

2Geology of the UK

3Geography of the World

4Development

5Weather & Climate

6The World of Work

7Natural Resources

8Rivers

9Coasts

10Glaciers

11Tectonics

12Climate Change

13Global Population & Inequality

14Urbanisation

15Ecosystems

16Life in an Emerging Country

17Analysis of Africa

18Analysis of India

19Analysis of the Middle East

20Analysis of Bangladesh

21Analysis of Russia

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