| Content | Index |
Table 2. Distribution of human population: states ranked according
to the population size (1991 census)
| State |
Population
|
Average no. of person per household
|
% share of India's total population
|
% share of Indian Himalayan population
|
| JAMMU & KASHMIR* |
7718700
|
6.37$
|
0.91
|
25.33
|
| UTTAR PRADESH HILLS |
5926146
|
5.22
|
0.70
|
19.45
|
| HIMACHAL PRADESH |
5170877
|
5.34
|
0.61
|
16.97
|
| TRIPURA |
2757205
|
5.24
|
0.33
|
9.05
|
| MANIPUR |
1837149
|
6.19
|
0.22
|
6.03
|
| MEGHALAYA |
1774778
|
5.42
|
0.21
|
5.82
|
| WEST BENGAL HILLS |
1299919
|
5.33
|
0.15
|
4.27
|
| NAGALAND |
1209546
|
5.57
|
0.14
|
3.97
|
| ARUNACHAL PRADESH |
864558
|
4.93
|
0.10
|
2.84
|
| ASSAM HILLS |
813524
|
5.69
|
0.10
|
2.67
|
| MIZORAM |
689753
|
5.70
|
0.08
|
2.26
|
| SIKKIM |
406457
|
5.33
|
0.05
|
1.33
|
*Since the 1991 census was not conducted in Jammu & Kashmir, these are projected population figures as per the Standing Committee of Experts set up by Government of India, October 1989; $ derived from 1981 census
Figure 3. Human population and decadel growth rate of four decades in Indian Himalayan Region
Figure 4. Population distribution of 12 administrative regions according to 1991 census
Figure 5. Percentage share of population of 12 administrative regions in total population of Indian Himalaya
The population density of the country has increased from 207.87 in 1981 to 257.45 persons/km2 in 1991 with a decadal (1981-91) growth rate of 23.85%. While the sex ratio (females per 1000 males) has decreased from 934 in 1981 to 927 in 1991. The average population density of the Himalayan region in India is 74.24# persons/km2, which is much less than the nation's density, while the decadal growth rate of the region is 29.05%, which is much higher than nation’s average. Density, sex ratio and decadal growth of the states ranked according to the population density is given below.
Table 3. Population density, sex ratio, decal growth rate: states
are ranked according to the population density
| State |
Density (1991) persons/km2
|
Sex ratio (1991) females/1000 males
|
Decal variation (1981-91) in %
|
% change in decal growth rate (1981-91 over
1971-81)
|
| WEST BENGAL HILLS |
412.80
|
914
|
26.91
|
-4.11
|
| TRIPURA |
262.82
|
945
|
34.30
|
2.38
|
| UTTAR PRADESH HILLS |
115.92
|
955
|
22.55
|
-3.97
|
| HIMACHAL PRADESH |
92.88
|
976
|
20.79
|
-2.92
|
| MANIPUR |
82.28
|
958
|
29.29
|
-3.17
|
| MEGHALAYA |
79.13
|
955
|
32.86
|
0.82
|
| JAMMU & KASHMIR |
76.13$
|
923
|
28.92
|
-0.77
|
| NAGALAND |
72.96
|
886
|
56.08
|
6.03
|
| SIKKIM |
57.28
|
878
|
28.47
|
-22.3
|
| ASSAM HILLS |
53.10
|
897
|
N.A.
|
N.A.
|
| MIZORAM |
32.72
|
921
|
39.69
|
-8.86
|
| ARUNACHAL PRADESH |
10.32
|
859
|
36.83
|
1.68
|
$Density has been worked out on comparable area of Jammu & Kashmir
The decadal growth rate of population of Nagaland, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, and Meghalaya shows an increasing trend in 1991 census over 1981 census. Among these states the decadal growth rate of Tripura is alarming as it is both higher than that of the other states in the region and also marginally higher than the country’s population density. The population density of West Bengal Hills is highest with a declining growth rate over past two decades. The moderate density region of Himalaya, i.e. Uttar Pradesh Hills, Himachal Pradesh, and Manipur represent a declining growth rate in 1991 over 1981 census. The low density regions of Himalaya i.e. Sikkim, Assam hills, Jammu & Kashmir, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh represent a negative trend in growth rate, except Arunachal Pradesh having lowest density in the country with a increasing growth rate.
Three-year moving average of birth rates, death rates, and infant mortality rates (figures are per 1000) of Himalayan states, 1988-90 and 1991-93 are given in the following table.
Table 4. Birth rate, death rate and infant mortality rate of
Himalayan states: states are ranked according to the declining rate of
birth rate.
| States |
|
|
|
||||||
|
1988-90
|
1991-93
|
% decline
|
1988-90
|
1991-93
|
% decline
|
1988-90
|
1991-93
|
% decline
|
|
| SIKKIM |
30.4
|
22.8
|
25.00
|
8.8
|
6.7
|
23.86
|
71
|
45
|
36.62
|
| ARUNACHAL PRADESH |
35.2
|
28.5
|
19.03
|
14.8
|
10.5
|
29.05
|
87
|
58
|
33.33
|
| MANIPUR |
23.2
|
20.1
|
13.36
|
6.5
|
5.3
|
18.46
|
35
|
22
|
37.14
|
| MEGHALAYA |
34.0
|
30.2
|
11.18
|
9.6
|
8
|
16.67
|
58
|
53
|
8.62
|
| TRIPURA |
25.7
|
23.6
|
8.17
|
7.6
|
7.1
|
6.58
|
53
|
49
|
7.55
|
| HIMACHAL PRADESH |
29.1
|
27.8
|
4.47
|
8.9
|
8.8
|
1.12
|
75
|
68
|
9.33
|
| NAGALAND |
19.3
|
19.2
|
0.52
|
4.4
|
3.9
|
11.36
|
19
|
7
|
63.16
|
| JAMMU & KASHMIR |
31.5
|
N.A.
|
-
|
8
|
N.A.
|
-
|
69
|
N.A.
|
-
|
Time-series data for Assam, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal Hills, and Mizoram are not available
All the states are showing a marginally lower birth rate than that of all-India figure, which is 28.7 in 1993 resulting a lower decadal population growth in Indian Himalaya. The death rate of all the states has also declined significantly and expectation of life at birth is more than 60 years at national level.
Rural Population
The Indian Himalayan region is mainly rural. According to the 1991 census the rural population of India is 62,86,91,676, constituting 74.29% of the total population. The percentage of rural population has gradually decreased from 89.2% in 1901 to 74.29% in 1991. The decadal rate of urbanisation is 2.57% during the last three decades which is very high as compared to the urbanisation rate of pre-independent India. The total rural population inhabiting the Himalayan region of the country is 2,44,61,849, or 80.29% of its total population. Though the percentage is much higher than the all-India figure (74.29%), it contributes only 3.89% of total rural population of the country. The rural population of Himalayan states (ranked according to the absolute number of rural population) is given in the table 5.
Table 5. Distribution of rural population: states are ranked
according to the size of rural population (1991 census)
| State |
Rural population
|
Rural population (as % of the state)
|
% share of rural population in India
|
% share of rural population of Indian Himalaya
|
| JAMMU & KASHMIR# |
5879300
|
76.17
|
0.94
|
24.03
|
| HIMACHAL PRADESH |
4721681
|
91.31
|
0.75
|
19.30
|
| UTTAR PRADESH HILLS |
4640204
|
78.30
|
0.74
|
18.97
|
| TRIPURA |
2335484
|
84.70
|
0.37
|
9.55
|
| MEGHALAYA |
1444731
|
81.40
|
0.23
|
5.91
|
| MANIPUR |
1331504
|
72.48
|
0.21
|
5.44
|
| NAGALAND |
1001323
|
82.79
|
0.16
|
4.09
|
| WEST BENGAL HILLS |
903859
|
69.53
|
0.14
|
3.69
|
| ARUNACHAL PRADES |
753930
|
87.20
|
0.12
|
3.08
|
| ASSAM HILLS |
708572
|
87.10
|
0.11
|
2.90
|
| MIZORAM |
371810
|
53.90
|
0.06
|
1.52
|
| SIKKIM |
369451
|
90.90
|
0.06
|
1.51
|
| Content | Index |