The most common sort among the calculations of population density is as defined by the number of persons per square kilometre. Calculations of population density depict the concentration of population over certain spatial units, and the Census of India uses number of persons per square kilometre as its principle method with which to measure population density.
However, given the compelling influence of geography over the spatial distribution of populations, geographical units can also be considered as valid units in calculations of population density.
As per the 2011 Census, GoI, the population density of India in terms of number of persons per square kilometre had reached 382 persons per sq km as compared to 325 persons per sq km in the 2001 Census. This represents a rise by about 57 people per sq km of India on average as compared to the last Census. Only about 2.4 per cent of the world’s total area comprises India, but Indians make up for 17.5 per cent of the world’s population. As per the 1901 Census, the population density of India was just 77 persons per sq km. In fact India’s population density fell between the 1911 to the 1921 Census by 1.2 per cent. Since then India’s population density has been steadily rising with much higher percentage growths.
Fig: Population Density (persons per sq km) of India as per Census 2011
Urban states and union territories in India have the highest population density among states and union territories in terms of this measure, with the most being in Delhi as per the 2011 Census, followed by Chandigarh, Puducherry, and Daman & Diu in that order. Delhi has a population density of 11,297 persons per sq km. Among the bigger states in terms of land area, Bihar has the highest population density of 1,102 persons per sq km and occupies the 6th rank, followed by West Bengal, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh in that order. The lowest population density in India in terms of persons per sq km is present in Arunachal Pradesh with 17 persons per sq km. In terms of states having the lowest population density, Arunachal Pradesh is followed by the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Mizoram and Sikkim as per the 2011 Census.
Population Density by Geographical Regions
The Census of India has made attempts to also map population density in terms of geographical regions. In this 6 regions across India have been identified for measurements of population density.
The northern region includes the 7 states and union territories of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan and has a population density of 267 persons per sq km as per the 2011 Census. The central region includes the 4 states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh and has a population density of 417 persons per sq km.
The eastern region includes the 6 states and union territories of Bihar, Sikkim, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and has a population density of 625 persons per sq km. The north-eastern region includes the 7 states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya and Assam and has a population density of 176 persons per sq km.
The western region includes the 4 states and union territories of Gujarat, Daman & Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Maharashtra and has a population density of 344 persons per sq km. The southern region includes the 7 states and union territories of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa, Lakshadweep, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and has a population density of 397 persons per sq km.
The highest population density thus was in the eastern region that included the very densely populated states of Bihar and West Bengal. The lowest population density was observed for the north-eastern region in the 2011 Census. Since the 2001 Census the highest rate of increase in population density has been observed for the central northern and eastern regions while lower increases in population density have been observed for the western, southern and the north-eastern region. The highest rate of increase was observed for the central region with 20.31 per cent while the lowest rate of increase was observed for the southern region with 12.58 per cent.
This distribution tends to agree with the Heartland Theory in geopolitical theory that looks at political development as based around central areas called the heartland areas. In this the Gangetic Plain emerges as the demographic heartland in India, with the highest population density present the central region and also in the eastern region comprising Bihar and West Bengal among states. A higher population density however, increases the load on natural resources and the environment, especially in the case of waste in urban areas, which can severely pollute the environment.
Physical Factors Affecting Population Density in India
The geography of India can play a vital role in influencing the population density of India. The physical factors can include topography, climate, soil conditions, etc.
Topography –
Human settlements many a time are established around topographical features. Whether it were the hilltop villages in early Nagaland that would offer defence against attacks by enemy tribes or settlements close to water sources such as the important cities next to great rivers such as Delhi and Kanpur, topography has played a decisive role in agglomeration of settlements and population density.
Take Santa Cruz del Islote Island, Colombia for example. The island has a population density of 103,917 persons per sq km, making it in terms of averages one of the most densely populated places in the world. The most densely populated single place in the world however, is Dharavi slum in Mumbai, India, with a total area of 1.7 to 2.2 sq km and a population density of 300,000 persons per sq km. Its overcrowding can also be attributed to Mumbai’s unique topography that allows the city limited area to expand spatially. The Indo-Gangetic Plains are a region with a benign topography and plentiful water with fertile land and thus has a very high population density whereas the nationally remote, mountainous and forest-covered Arunachal Pradesh has a low population density.
Climate –
Climatic factors such as the amount of precipitation can heavily influence the spatial distribution of population. In the dry and largely arid state of Rajasthan for example, which can also exhibit extremes of temperature, population density is quite low. Temperature thus can also influence the spatial distribution of populations. In India’s Himalayan region for example, the extremely cold and wet conditions tend to discourage high population density. Wherever, extremes of climate occur, it can be said that population density generally tends to be less. With climate change on the horizon, extremities of climate could witness an increase in certain regions.
Soil –
Although contemporary society is highly industrialized with increasing rates of urbanization, in India about 75 per cent of the total population live in villages and practice mainly agriculture. Agriculture and allied activities meets the livelihood needs of these people, which is heavily dependent on the fertility and other qualities of the soil. Due to alluvial soil being present for example, the northern plains, coastal regions and also the deltaic regions of India tend to have high population densities.
Conclusion
This could point towards other methods of measuring population density such as population density in terms of population occupying agricultural land, or population density in terms of climatic factors like aridity, mean temperatures and precipitation. Many correlations have been mentioned between the distribution of population densities across geographical regions and geographical determinants of the spatial distribution of population. In this other than simply persons per sq km, geographical units such as population density in terms of geographical factors such as precipitation, soil fertility, availability of water, etc are also equally valid.
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In a diverse country like India, where each State is socially, culturally, economically, and politically distinct, measuring Governance becomes increasingly tricky. The Public Affairs Index (PAI 2021) is a scientifically rigorous, data-based framework that measures the quality of governance at the Sub-national level and ranks the States and Union Territories (UTs) of India on a Composite Index (CI).
States are classified into two categories – Large and Small – using population as the criteria.
In PAI 2021, PAC defined three significant pillars that embody Governance – Growth, Equity, and Sustainability. Each of the three Pillars is circumscribed by five governance praxis Themes.
The themes include – Voice and Accountability, Government Effectiveness, Rule of Law, Regulatory Quality and Control of Corruption.
At the bottom of the pyramid, 43 component indicators are mapped to 14 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are relevant to the States and UTs.
This forms the foundation of the conceptual framework of PAI 2021. The choice of the 43 indicators that go into the calculation of the CI were dictated by the objective of uncovering the complexity and multidimensional character of development governance
The Equity Principle
The Equity Pillar of the PAI 2021 Index analyses the inclusiveness impact at the Sub-national level in the country; inclusiveness in terms of the welfare of a society that depends primarily on establishing that all people feel that they have a say in the governance and are not excluded from the mainstream policy framework.
This requires all individuals and communities, but particularly the most vulnerable, to have an opportunity to improve or maintain their wellbeing. This chapter of PAI 2021 reflects the performance of States and UTs during the pandemic and questions the governance infrastructure in the country, analysing the effectiveness of schemes and the general livelihood of the people in terms of Equity.
Growth and its Discontents
Growth in its multidimensional form encompasses the essence of access to and the availability and optimal utilisation of resources. By resources, PAI 2021 refer to human resources, infrastructure and the budgetary allocations. Capacity building of an economy cannot take place if all the key players of growth do not drive development. The multiplier effects of better health care, improved educational outcomes, increased capital accumulation and lower unemployment levels contribute magnificently in the growth and development of the States.
The Pursuit Of Sustainability
The Sustainability Pillar analyses the access to and usage of resources that has an impact on environment, economy and humankind. The Pillar subsumes two themes and uses seven indicators to measure the effectiveness of government efforts with regards to Sustainability.
The Curious Case Of The Delta
The Delta Analysis presents the results on the State performance on year-on-year improvement. The rankings are measured as the Delta value over the last five to 10 years of data available for 12 Key Development Indicators (KDI). In PAI 2021, 12 indicators across the three Pillars of Equity (five indicators), Growth (five indicators) and Sustainability (two indicators). These KDIs are the outcome indicators crucial to assess Human Development. The Performance in the Delta Analysis is then compared to the Overall PAI 2021 Index.
Key Findings:-
In the Scheme of Things
The Scheme Analysis adds an additional dimension to ranking of the States on their governance. It attempts to complement the Governance Model by trying to understand the developmental activities undertaken by State Governments in the form of schemes. It also tries to understand whether better performance of States in schemes reflect in better governance.
The Centrally Sponsored schemes that were analysed are National Health Mission (NHM), Umbrella Integrated Child Development Services scheme (ICDS), Mahatma Gandh National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SmSA) and MidDay Meal Scheme (MDMS).
National Health Mission (NHM)
INTEGRATED CHILD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES (ICDS)
MID- DAY MEAL SCHEME (MDMS)
SAMAGRA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN (SMSA)
MAHATMA GANDHI NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE SCHEME (MGNREGS)