Population Facts about India

General Points
As per Census 2011, India's population stood at 1,21,05,69,573.
The census moment, the referral time at which the snapshot of the population is taken was 00.00 hours of 1 March 2001. Until the 1991 Census, the sunrise of 1 March was taken to be the census moment.
India’s population as on 1 March 2001 stood at 1,028 million (532.1 million males and 496.4 million females).
India's population grew by 18,14,55,986 (17.64%) at the rate of 1.64% per annum in the decade 2001-11.
India accounts for a meagre 2.4 per cent of the world surface area of 135.79 million sq km. Yet, it supports and sustains a whopping 17.5 per cent of the world population.
India in relation to other countries
The growth in India's population during the decade 2001-11 is slightly lower than the population of Brazil, the fifth most populated country in the world.
China's decadal growth is 0.53% against India's 1.64%. At the present rates India is likely to overtake China as the most populous country of world by 2030.
Three most populous countries of the world viz. China (1.34 billion), India (1.21 billion) and USA (308.7 million) account for 40% population of the world.
The population of India is almost equal to the combined population of U.S.A., Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Japan.
Population Growth - 1901-2011
The population of India in 1901 was 23,83,96,327. It increased more than four times by 2011.
The population of India in grew by just one and half times in the first half of twentieth century, while it recorded a three fold growth in the latter half of the century.
The population of India saw a negative growth during 1911-1921 when its population decreased from 25,20,93,390 to 25,13,21,213.
The population of India in 1951, just four years after independence was 36,10,88,090.
Density of Population
The population density of India is 382 persons per square kilometre while it was 325 persons in 2001.
India had a population density of just 77 persons per sq. km in 1901.
Gender Composition
Out of the total population, the number of males in India is 62,37,34,248 and number of females is 58,64,69,174.
The above figures give a sex ratio of 943 females per 1000 males which is an improvement of 10 points over the 2001 sex ratio of 933.
India had the highest sex ratio in 1901 when it was 972 and worst in 1991 when it was 927.
India has poorer sex ratio when compared to its neighbours - Pakistan (943), Sri Lanka (1034), Nepal (1014), Myanmar (1048) and Bangladesh (978) while it is better than China (926), Afghanistan (931) and Bhutan (897).
Literacy
For the purposes of Census, a person aged 7 and above who can both read and write with understanding in any language is treated as literate. A person who can only read but cannot write is not literate. In the census prior to 1991, children below five years of age were necessarily treated as illiterates.
The overall literacy rate as per 2011 census is 74.04%. The literacy rate in 2001 was 65%.
The literacy rate is 82.14% for males and 65.46% for females.

National Symbols of India

National Emblem
The National Emblem is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka.
The four smaller animals at the bottom of national emblem are horse and bull (visible) and lion and elephant (not visible).
The National Emblem was adopted by the Government of India on 26 January 1950.
'Satyameva Jayate' inscribed below has been taken from the Mundaka Upanishad.
National Anthem
The national anthem 'Jana Gana Mana' was first sung at Calcutta session of Indian National Congress in 1911, 27 Dec.
It was adopted by the Indian constitution on 24 Jan 1950.
Its English rendering has been given by Tagore himself.
The song was composed originally in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore, the National Anthem is its Hindi version.
The complete song consists of five stanzas. The first stanza contains the full version of the National Anthem.
The playing time for full version of the song is 52 seconds.
National Song
The national song Vande Mataram has been taken from Bankim Chandra Chatterji’s Anand Math.
It was first sung at 1896 session of INC. Its English rendering has been given by Shri Aurobindo.
National Calendar
The national calendar based on the Saka Era was adopted on 22 Mar 1957.
Chaitra is the first month of the year whose 1st day falls on 22 March normally and on 21 March in a leap year.
The national calendar also has 365/366 days
Chaitra has 30 days normally and 31 days in a leap year.
National Flag
The design of the national flag was adopted on 22 July 1947.
The ratio of width of the flag to its length is two to three.
The design of the wheel at the centre is taken from the abacus of the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka.
The 'Dharmachakra' (wheel) at the centre has 24 spokes.
The display of the National Flag is governed by Flag Code of India, 2002, which took effect on 26 Jan 2002.
As per the provisions of the Flag Code of India, 2002, there shall be no restriction on the display of the National Flag by members of general public, private organisations, educational institutions, etc.,except to the extent provided in the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 and any other law enacted on the subject.
Other National Symbols
The national bird is Peacock (Pavo cristatus)
The national fruit is Mango (Magnifera indica)
The national flower is Lotus (Nelumbo Nucifera)
The national tree is Banyan (Ficus benghalensis)
The national animal is Tiger (Panthera tigris)
The national aquatic animal is River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica)
The national river is the Ganges

Comparison - National Anthem and National Song

	National Anthem	National Song
Name	Jana Gana Mana	Vande Mataram
Author	Rabindranath Tagore	Bankim Chandra Chatterji
Originally written in	Bengali	Sanskrit
1st sung in	1911, Kolkata	1896, Kolkata
English rendering by	Tagore	Shri Aurobindo

India's Position in the World

Agricultural Production
Largest producer of milk.
Largest producer of millets in the world
Largest producer of jute.
Largest producer of ginger.
Largest producer of bananas.
Largest producer of castor oil seeds.
Largest producer of mangoes.
Largest producer of safflower oil seeds.
Largest producer of papayas.
Largest producer of cottonseed (As per International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) report for the month of March 2017)
Second largest producer of tea, the first position being held by China.
Second largest producer of sugarcane, the first position being held by Brazil.
Second largest producer of wheat, the first position being held by China.
Second largest producer of onions, the first position being held by China.
Second largest producer of potatoes, the first position being held by China.
Second largest producer of garlic, the first position being held by China.
Second largest producer of rice, the first position being held by China.
Second largest producer of cement., next to China.
Second largest producer of silk, the first position being held by China.
NOTE: The agricultural information is as per latest data available on the website of Food and Agricultural Organisation.
Miscellaneous
1st to introduce government supported family planning in the world.
Largest postal network in the world.
Largest livestock population.
Largest consumer of gold jewellery.
India has the second largest arable land in the world. The USA has the largest arable land in the world.
India is the third largest producer and second largest consumer of fertiliser in the world.
India has the largest deposits of Thorium in the world.

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First in the World

First Heads of State

First Prime Minister of Pakistan	Liaqat Ali
First Prime Minister of England	Robert Walpole
First President of United States of America	George Washington
First Prime Minister of Bangladesh	Sheikh Mujibar Rehman
First President of Chinese Republic	Sun Yat Sen
First Prime Minister of Australia	Sir Edmunton Barton
First Prime Minister of Israel	David Ben-Gurion
First State President of South Africa	Charles Robberts Swart
First President of Russia	Boris Yelstin
First President of Nepal	Ram Baran Yadav

First in the World - Men

First man in space	Yuri Gagarin	USSR
First person of African descent in space	Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez	Cuba
First man to reach the North Pole	Robert Peary	USA
First man to scale Mt Everest	Edmund Hillary	New Zealand
First man to reach the South Pole	Roald Amundsen	Norway
First man to circumnavigate the world	Enrique, Magellan's slave	Malay
First man to land on the moon	Neil Armstrong	USA
First Secretary General of the United Nations	Trygve Lie	Norway