Population - Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition

Class 12 Geography

The people are very important component of a country. India is the second most populous country after China in the world. India’s population is larger than the total population of North America, South America and Australia put together.

More often, it is argued that such a large population invariably puts pressure on its limited resources and is also responsible for many socio-economic problems in the country.

Distribution of Population

India has a highly uneven pattern of population distribution. Uttar Pradesh has the highest population followed by Maharashtra, Bihar and West Bengal.

Such an uneven spatial distribution of population in India suggests a close relationship between population and physical, socio-economic and historical factors.

Density of Population

Density of population, is expressed as number of persons per unit area. It helps in getting a better understanding of the spatial distribution of population in relation to land.

Growth of Population

Growth of population is the change in the number of people living in a particular area between two points of time. Its rate is expressed in percentage. Population growth has two components namely; natural and induced.

While the natural growth is analysed by assessing the crude birth and death rates, the induced components are explained by the volume of inward and outward movement of people in any given area.

Population Composition

Population composition is a distinct field of study within population geography with a vast coverage of analysis of age and sex, place of residence, ethnic characteristics, tribes, language, religion, marital status, literacy and education, occupational characteristics, etc.