Population and Census

Census 2011 recorded Jharkhand's population at about 3.30 crore, growing 22.42 percent in the decade. Density was 414 per square kilometre, the sex ratio 948, literacy 66.41 percent and the urban share about 24 percent.

Population 2011 — 3,29,88,134 | Density 414 | Sex ratio 948 | Literacy 66.41 percent

Census 2011 headline figures

Social composition

• Scheduled Tribes — about 86 lakh, roughly 26.2 percent of the populationबार-बार पूछा जाता है
• Scheduled Castes — about 12 percent of the population
• The state is predominantly rural, with about three-fourths in villages
• Urban population is concentrated in the industrial and mining districts
• Population is unevenly distributed, dense in the east and sparse in the south-west

District extremes

• Most populous district — Ranchi
• Least populous district — Lohardaga
• Densest district — Dhanbad at 1,316 per sq km
• Sparsest district — Simdega at 159 per sq km
• Highest literacy — Ranchi at 76.06 percent
• Lowest literacy — Pakur at 48.82 percent

What the numbers say

• A high decadal growth rate means a very young population and rising job demand
• The sex ratio of 948 is better than the national figure of 940 in 2011
• Female literacy of 55.42 percent is the weakest headline indicator
• Low urbanisation with high mineral wealth shows limited local value addition
• The tribal share has slowly declined over successive censuses as other groups grew faster

Points that get asked

• Population 2011 — about 3.30 crore
• Decadal growth — 22.42 percent
• Density — 414 per sq km
• Sex ratio — 948
• Urban share — about 24 percent

How the census counts these things

• Decadal growth compares the count of one census with the previous one
• Density is population divided by area in square kilometres
• Sex ratio is the number of females per one thousand males
• Literacy rate counts people aged seven and above who can read and write with understanding
• Urban status depends on population size, density and the share in non-farm work
• Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste counts follow the notified constitutional lists

Trends across censuses

• Population has grown steadily since the state was formed in 2000
• Literacy has risen in every census, but the gender gap narrows slowly
• Urbanisation has increased only slightly, staying near a quarter of the population
• Tribal share has edged down over successive counts
• The next census will change these figures, so check the latest before the exam