Demographics & Migration — Study Notes
Overview
Demographics and migration constitute a vital intersection of geography, economics, and public policy — topics that appear regularly in UPSSSC PET. Questions test your grasp of India's census data (population, growth, literacy, sex ratio), state-level variations, and migration trends. Understanding these concepts helps you interpret data-based questions and connect demographic patterns to development policies.
For UPSSSC PET, expect 2–3 questions from this topic, often appearing as direct fact recall (e.g., census year, sex ratio definition) or data interpretation from tables/graphs showing state-wise population or literacy. Mastering census terminology, decadal trends (especially 2001 and 2011), and Uttar Pradesh-specific figures gives you a scoring edge. Migration questions focus on rural-urban flows, seasonal labour movement, and push-pull factors.
The Census of India — conducted every 10 years since 1872 (first synchronous census 1881) — is the world's largest administrative exercise. Census 2021 was postponed due to COVID-19. Your preparation must prioritize Census 2011 data, which remains the latest official baseline for demographic questions.
Key Concepts
- **Census Operations**: Conducted by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Two phases — house-listing (administrative data) and population enumeration (demographic details). Census data informs parliamentary delimitation, fund allocation, and planning.
- **Decadal Growth Rate**: Percentage change in population over 10 years. Formula: [(Population in current census – Population in previous census) / Population in previous census] × 100. India's decadal growth rate declined from 21.54% (1991–2001) to 17.64% (2001–2011), indicating demographic transition.
- **Sex Ratio**: Number of females per 1,000 males. India's overall sex ratio improved from 933 (2001) to 943 (2011). Child sex ratio (0–6 years) worsened from 927 to 918, reflecting gender bias and female foeticide despite the PCPNDT Act.
- **Literacy Rate**: Percentage of population aged 7 years and above who can read and write with understanding in any language. India's literacy rose from 64.8% (2001) to 74.0% (2011). Male literacy 82.1%, female literacy 65.5% — the gender gap narrowed but persists.
- **Density of Population**: Persons per square kilometre. India's density increased from 325 (2001) to 382 (2011). Bihar (1,102) and West Bengal (1,029) are most dense; Arunachal Pradesh (17) least dense. Uttar Pradesh density: 828 per sq km.
- **Internal Migration**: Movement within national borders. Classified as rural-to-rural (largest component, often marriage-related for women), rural-to-urban (work-driven), urban-to-urban, and urban-to-rural (small reverse flows). Census migration data tracks place of birth vs place of enumeration and last residence.