India Census 2011 counts 1.21 billion people

[Tender Branson]

# Current population: 1,210,193,422
# Males: 623,724,248
# Females: 586,469,174
# Increase 2001-2011: 181 million

India's population has grown by 181 million people over the past decade to 1.21bn, according to the 2011 census.

More people now live in India than in the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan and Bangladesh combined.

India is on course to overtake China as the world's most populous nation by 2030, but its growth rate is falling, figures show. China has 1.3bn people.

The census also reveals a continuing preference for boys - India's sex ratio is at its worst since independence.

Female foeticide remains common in India, although sex-selective abortion based on ultrasound scans is illegal. Sons are still seen by many as wage-earners for the future.

Statistics show fewer girls than boys are being born or surviving. The gender imbalance has widened every decade since independence in 1947.

According to the 2011 census, 914 girls were born for every 1,000 boys under the age of six, compared with 927 for every 1,000 boys in the 2001 census.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12916888

[Tender Branson]

While it the relative growth rate is going down in India, the absolute growth remained the same:

1981-1991: +161.2 Mio.
1991-2001: +182.2 Mio.
2001-2011: +181.6 Mio.

[Tender Branson]

What kind of place is Bihar ?

Must be a really poor state, because only half of women are literates there and only 70% of men.

It almost doubled in population from 60 to 112 Mio. in only the last 20 years ...

[Tender Branson]

Considering that India will grow by about 170 Mio. in the next 10 years and that China will only grow by 50 Mio. in the next 10 years, it's more than likely that India will be the biggest country already by 2020-2025, not in 2030.

[phk]

I have some interesting stats on this that I will post later.

[Frodo]

The census also reveals a continuing preference for boys - India's sex ratio is at its worst since independence.

Female foeticide remains common in India, although sex-selective abortion based on ultrasound scans is illegal. Sons are still seen by many as wage-earners for the future.

Statistics show fewer girls than boys are being born or surviving. The gender imbalance has widened every decade since independence in 1947.

According to the 2011 census, 914 girls were born for every 1,000 boys under the age of six, compared with 927 for every 1,000 boys in the 2001 census.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12916888

Anyone want to speculate on why the gender imbalance has actually increased over this past decade?  I can understand somewhat why it was there to begin with, but one would think that as India further develops and modernizes that the gender ratio would equalize a bit.     

[memphis]

Population density in some Asian countries is so crazy. You'd think Malthus would take over at some point but it just keeps going up and up. Bangladesh is three times as dense as India. About the size of Iowa with a population greater than half of the United States. That kind of existance has to be so fragile. Makes me kind of glad my corner of the world isn't growing so much.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Anyone want to speculate on why the gender imbalance has actually increased over this past decade?  I can understand somewhat why it was there to begin with, but one would think that as India further develops and modernizes that the gender ratio would equalize a bit.     

Access to the technology needed to make sex selection possible prior to the baby being born has increased.  I imagine that the rate of female infanticide has likely decreased, but now that sex selection can be done without risking going to jail for murder, it is an option for more people, even if the percentage of people who consider it is going down.

[ag]

What kind of place is Bihar ?

sh**thole, naturally. Yes, it is poor, underdeveloped, corrupt and illiterate.

For many years it was Laloo Prasad Yadav's fief. Laloo is, perhaps, the most colorful (and, actually, one of the smartest) SOBs in Indian politics. When he got arrested, he made his wife the Chief Minister (rumors were, she was, indeed, illiterate).

Nevertheless,  the due should be given to Indian democracy: even in Bihar the voters have been able to kick Laloo out.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     To put percentages to the gender imbalance, 51.6% of the general population is male, along with 52.2% of children under six.

     Interesting note; Alaska was, according to the 2000 Census, marginally more male-dominated than India now. I haven't seen them consolidated into a nice percentage, but the growth numbers reported by the 2010 Census assure that that is no longer the case.

[opebo]

Population density in some Asian countries is so crazy. You'd think Malthus would take over at some point but it just keeps going up and up. Bangladesh is three times as dense as India. About the size of Iowa with a population greater than half of the United States. That kind of existance has to be so fragile. Makes me kind of glad my corner of the world isn't growing so much.

The densest places I've been to were Vietnam and the Philippines.  Thailand is practically the wild-west by comparison - You really never feel crowded here except in Bangkok.  Up here in Isaan its about like a normal american state.  Maybe only an hour's drive between big towns, instead of 2-4 hours drive like in Missouri. 

In addition the population here isn't really growing anymore.

[Sbane]

The census also reveals a continuing preference for boys - India's sex ratio is at its worst since independence.

Female foeticide remains common in India, although sex-selective abortion based on ultrasound scans is illegal. Sons are still seen by many as wage-earners for the future.

Statistics show fewer girls than boys are being born or surviving. The gender imbalance has widened every decade since independence in 1947.

According to the 2011 census, 914 girls were born for every 1,000 boys under the age of six, compared with 927 for every 1,000 boys in the 2001 census.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12916888

Anyone want to speculate on why the gender imbalance has actually increased over this past decade?  I can understand somewhat why it was there to begin with, but one would think that as India further develops and modernizes that the gender ratio would equalize a bit.     

Think about it this way...do poor people have money to get selective abortions? This gender imbalance is a north Indian middle class phenomenon. Disgusting.

[Sbane]

Population density in some Asian countries is so crazy. You'd think Malthus would take over at some point but it just keeps going up and up. Bangladesh is three times as dense as India. About the size of Iowa with a population greater than half of the United States. That kind of existance has to be so fragile. Makes me kind of glad my corner of the world isn't growing so much.

It's crowded but it's not like it's impossible to live. All you need is food and very basic shelter to survive (don't have to worry about snow or temps below 55 basically). And those parts of India and Bangladesh that are this populated are usually located on incredibly fertile soil. Even with horrible farming practices and lack of a cold supply chain, India is able to have a surplus of food and Bangladesh doesn't have a huge deficit IIRC.

Everyone might have more space, but that's just a luxury.

[GMantis]

Anyone want to speculate on why the gender imbalance has actually increased over this past decade?  I can understand somewhat why it was there to begin with, but one would think that as India further develops and modernizes that the gender ratio would equalize a bit.     

Access to the technology needed to make sex selection possible prior to the baby being born has increased.  I imagine that the rate of female infanticide has likely decreased, but now that sex selection can be done without risking going to jail for murder, it is an option for more people, even if the percentage of people who consider it is going down.

Why do you think it's going down? From what sbane said, it seems that as the middle class increases, so will gender selective abortion.

[Sbane]

Anyone want to speculate on why the gender imbalance has actually increased over this past decade?  I can understand somewhat why it was there to begin with, but one would think that as India further develops and modernizes that the gender ratio would equalize a bit.     

Access to the technology needed to make sex selection possible prior to the baby being born has increased.  I imagine that the rate of female infanticide has likely decreased, but now that sex selection can be done without risking going to jail for murder, it is an option for more people, even if the percentage of people who consider it is going down.

Why do you think it's going down? From what sbane said, it seems that as the middle class increases, so will gender selective abortion.

Yes, but attitudes could change too. Just keep that in mind. This is a practice that is illegal and looked down upon. Not by all obviously... but yes I do believe the trends are in the right direction.

I mean, do you think when people become middle class they suddenly want to kill girls or something? Of course not, but they might have money to make such wishes come true if they thought in that fashion.

[Хahar 🤔]

Population density in some Asian countries is so crazy. You'd think Malthus would take over at some point but it just keeps going up and up. Bangladesh is three times as dense as India. About the size of Iowa with a population greater than half of the United States. That kind of existance has to be so fragile. Makes me kind of glad my corner of the world isn't growing so much.

I've only ever been to Dhaka, but that city is enormous. One can travel for hours upon hours in any direction without leaving what would be a crowded city center in the United States.

For many years it was Laloo Prasad Yadav's fief. Laloo is, perhaps, the most colorful (and, actually, one of the smartest) SOBs in Indian politics. When he got arrested, he made his wife the Chief Minister (rumors were, she was, indeed, illiterate).

He'll be back, of course. Either Bihar will reelect him or a future government will need his support like the previous Congress government did. The former Minister of Railways is a clever man.

[GMantis]

Anyone want to speculate on why the gender imbalance has actually increased over this past decade?  I can understand somewhat why it was there to begin with, but one would think that as India further develops and modernizes that the gender ratio would equalize a bit.     

Access to the technology needed to make sex selection possible prior to the baby being born has increased.  I imagine that the rate of female infanticide has likely decreased, but now that sex selection can be done without risking going to jail for murder, it is an option for more people, even if the percentage of people who consider it is going down.

Why do you think it's going down? From what sbane said, it seems that as the middle class increases, so will gender selective abortion.

Yes, but attitudes could change too. Just keep that in mind. This is a practice that is illegal and looked down upon. Not by all obviously... but yes I do believe the trends are in the right direction.

I mean, do you think when people become middle class they suddenly want to kill girls or something? Of course not, but they might have money to make such wishes come true if they thought in that fashion.

Yes, that's what I said about the middle class as well.

And does society frown upon this or does only the government frown on this officially, while secretly the practice still remains popular? As you probably know, it's very easy to circumvent such a ban, so unless the fundamental attitude changes, it will have little effect, as the trend in the article clearly shows.
There is also the fact that as the birthrate in India decreases, this preference for boys will make sex selective abortion even more popular, as in China.

[Sbane]

Anyone want to speculate on why the gender imbalance has actually increased over this past decade?  I can understand somewhat why it was there to begin with, but one would think that as India further develops and modernizes that the gender ratio would equalize a bit.     

Access to the technology needed to make sex selection possible prior to the baby being born has increased.  I imagine that the rate of female infanticide has likely decreased, but now that sex selection can be done without risking going to jail for murder, it is an option for more people, even if the percentage of people who consider it is going down.

Why do you think it's going down? From what sbane said, it seems that as the middle class increases, so will gender selective abortion.

Yes, but attitudes could change too. Just keep that in mind. This is a practice that is illegal and looked down upon. Not by all obviously... but yes I do believe the trends are in the right direction.

I mean, do you think when people become middle class they suddenly want to kill girls or something? Of course not, but they might have money to make such wishes come true if they thought in that fashion.

Yes, that's what I said about the middle class as well.

And does society frown upon this or does only the government frown on this officially, while secretly the practice still remains popular? As you probably know, it's very easy to circumvent such a ban, so unless the fundamental attitude changes, it will have little effect, as the trend in the article clearly shows.
There is also the fact that as the birthrate in India decreases, this preference for boys will make sex selective abortion even more popular, as in China.

Things like women's education rate, whether they live in a nuclear or extended family, and other issues are also at play here. The thing is that it isn't a hate of girls, but rather the fears of the burden they might pose in the future. Obviously a woman most probably will not have similar feelings but if she lives in an extended family.... And really the pressure is mostly from the guy's side of the family. As the population becomes more urbanized, and nuclear families become more common as well as women in the workforce, it will work to reduce sex-selective abortions. And I don't anticipate a situation like China since in India there is no restrictions like the one child policy. So even if a couple wanted a son, the chances they don't have one with 2 children is about 1/4th and with 3 children it's only 1/8th. So even if they want a relatively smaller family, there is a good chance they will have at least one son. 

There is also a strong regional component to this. Although it happens to a lesser extent all over north India, the practice is highly concentrated in the state of Punjab and the regions surrounding it. I think there's only 7.8 females for every 10 males in that state. In the south there is no gender imbalance, specifically in the states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. These states make up close to 25% of the total population and to boot their TFR is about 2.1, which is perfect. So to lump in any south Indians with this practice (or even the "problem" of overpopulation) would be highly unfair.

And when you ask if it's actually popular with the populace, the answer is obviously no in the south while in Punjab a large part of the older population probably does view girls as a burden and don't want any new ones in the family. And of course circumstances matter. Do you really think a family that has been middle class for a while and is quite stable financially will want sex-selective abortions? Of course not, rather they will use their daughters wedding to give a huge dowry and throw a huge wedding to show off their wealth. On the other hand a poorer rural family who are new entrants into the middle class might have other concerns.