CENSUS PUBLICATIONS, CEYLON, 1921 VOLUME I.—PART II. REPORT ON THE CENSUS OF CEYLON, 1921 BY L. J. B. TURNER, M.A. (of the Ceylon Civil Service), Superintendent of Census and Director of Statistics, Ceylon, FelUnv of tlie Royal Statistical Society \1 613 PRINTED BY H. ROSS COTTLE, GOVERNMENT PRINTER, CEYLON To be purchased at the GOVERNMENT RECORD OFFICE, COLOMBO, price Rs. 5 1924 ( iii ) TABLE OF CONTENTS. PAGE CHAPTER I.—Sex. Section 1.—Some General Considerations .. •• •• •• 6 2. Some of the Statistics CHAPTER II.—Age. 15 Section 1.—The Inaccuracy of the Data .. 18 „ 2.—Some of the Results .. • • • • • • • 29 „ 3.—The Connected Theory CHAPTER III.—Conjugal Condition. 31 Section 1.—The Basis of the Figures and Early Marriages .. 32 „ 2.—Distribution of Population by Conjugal Condition 38 „ 3.—Some Marriage Customs .. • • CHAPTER IV.—Birthplace. 42 Section 1.—Population Ceylon-born and outside-born 46 „ 2.—Birthplaces of the Races 47 „ 3.—Sources of Supply of the District, Town, and Estate Populations... CHAPTER V.—Religion. 52 Section 1.—General 52 „ 2.—Development of Main Religions .. 54 „ 3.—Distribution by Race and Religion 55 „ ' 4.—Religious Composition of Provinces and Districts 56 „ . 5.—Christian Sects .. 58 „ 6.—Race by Religion and Province CHAPTER VI.—Literacy. 59 Section 1.—Some General Considerations 60 „ 2.—Progress of Literacy 63 ,, 3.—Literacy by Race and District .. 66 „ 4.—Literacy by Religion .. 69 „ 5.—Literacy in English 72 „ 6.—Tamil-speaking Sinhalese CHAPTER VII.—Occupations. 72 Section 1.—The Collection of the Information 74 „ 2.—The Main features of the Statistics 78 A.—Production of Raw Materials 81 B.—Preparation and Supply of Material Substances 86 C.—Public Administration and Liberal Arts 88 •D.—Miscellaneous 89 Subsidiary Occupations 90 CHAPTER VIH.—Infirmities. 95 CHAPTER IX.—The Maldive Islands .. 108 CHAPTER X.—Administration .. APPENDIX I.—Population (excluding the Military and Shipping) at the Censuses of 1021 and 1911 111 by Literacy, Religion, and Race APPENDIX II—Population of the Principal Estates in Ceylon at the Censuses of 1921 and 1911 by 115 Literacy, Religion, and Race APPENDIX III.—Population of the Principal Towns (excluding the Military and Shipping) at the 118 Censuses of 1921 and 1911 by Literacy, Religion, and Race 123 INDEX .. .. .. .. .. ( iv ) LIST OP MAPS. Facing Page CEYLON (24 miles to an inch) showing the Proportion of Males to 1,000 Persons of the Population in each District, 1921 CEYLON (24 miles to an inch) showing the Proportion for each District of Persons born and enumerated in that District, 1921 42 MAPS (64 miles to an inch) of the Island of Ceylon, showing the Proportion of the adherents of each of the Four Principal Religions to Total Population in each District, 1921 55 MAPS (64 miles to an inch) of the Island of Ceylon, showing the Proportion of Male and Female Literates to the Population of each Sex in each District, 1921 63 MAP OF THE MALDIVE ISLANDS 95 \ ( v ) LIST OF DIAGRAMS. Facing No. Page 1 .. Sex Proportions in the Districts, 1921 .. .. .. 6 2 .. Sex Proportions of the Races, 1921 .. .. 0 2A .. Sex Proportions in the Towns with Population of 6,000 and over, 1921 .. .. 8 3 .. Masculinity of All Races, Sinhalese, and Tamils by Decennial Age-groups, 1881 to 1921 .. 9 3A .. Masculinity of Moors, Malays, and Veddas by Decennial Age-groups, 1881 to 1921 .. 11 3B .. Masculinity of Europeans, Burghers and Eurasians, and Others by Decennial Age-groups, 1881 to 1921 .. .. 13 4 .. Enumerated Population at each Year of Age, All Races, Both Sexes, Ceylon, 1921 .. 15 6 .. Enumerated Population at each Year of Age, Indian Tamils, Both Sexes, Ceylon, 1921 .. 17 6 .. Enumerated Population at each Year of Age, Europeans, Both Sexes, Ceylon, 1921 . • 18 6A . Percentage Distribution of the Triple Age-grouping of Population of each Race by Sex, Ceylon, 1921 .. .. .. .. 19 7 .. Population below each Age, All Races, by Sex, Ceylon, 1921 .. 26 8 .. Population below each Age of Low-country Sinhalese, Kandyan Sinhalese, Ceylon Tamils, Indian Tamils, and Ceylon Moors, both Sexes, Ceylon, 1921 .. 26 9 ..' Population below each Age of Indian Moors, Burghers and Eurasians, and Others, both Sexes, Ceylon, 1921 .. .. .. .. 28 10 .. Population below each Age of Europeans, Malays, and Veddas, both Sexes, Ceylon, 1921" .. 28 11 .'. Age Diagram, 1821-1921 .. .. .. ..30 12 .. Age Diagram, 1911-1921 .. .. .. ..30 13 .. Proportion of the Unmarried aged 15 and over of each Race by Sex, Ceylon, 1921 and 1911 32 14 Proportion of the Unmarried, Married, Widowed, or Divorced at each Quinquennial Age- group, Ceylon, 1921 .. .. .. 35 15 .. Population of Districts by Birthplace, 1921 ... 49 16 .. Logarithmic Graphs of the Population of Ceylon by Religion, 1871-1921 .. .. 53 17 .. Population of Districts by Religion, 1921 .. .. .. 56 18 .. Proportion of Literates and English Literates of each Race by Sex, Ceylon, 1921 .. 60 19 .. Proportion of Literates and English Literates of each of the Four Main Religions by Sex, Ceylon, 1921 .. .. .. .. 60 20 .. Proportion of Literates and English Literates in the Districts by Sex, 1921 .. 66 20A .. Proportion of Literates and English Literates by Sex in the Principal Towns, Ceylon, 1921 70 21 .. Percentage of Earners to the Total Population of each Race by Sex, Ceylon, 1921 .. 73 21A .. Percentage Distribution of the Population of each Race by Principal Sub-classes of Occupation, Ceylon, 1921 .. .. .. 75 21B .. Percentage Distribution of the Population of each District by Principal Sub-classes of Occupation, 1921 .. .. .. .. • 77 22 .. Distribution by Age of a Thousand of the Total Blind, Deaf-mute, and Insane Population of each Sex, Ceylon, 1901-1921 .. .. .. ... 93 23 .. Population of the Maldive Islands at each Age up to 4, and Average Population by Quinquennial groups thereafter .'. .. .. 99 b 23-22 ( vi ) ADDENDUM. Page 40, footnote (f): Gate Mudaliyar Gunawardhana has drawn my attention to the following points:— The words for cross-cousin (i.e., the child of a maternal uncle or a paternal aunt) in Sinhalese and Tamil are also those for brother-in-law ; similarly, the same words are used for cross-nephew and son-in- law ; while, a marriage of two cross-cousins as distinguished from one between persons not so related is called, from the ancient practice, evessa, meaning obligatory. These instances show that cross-cousin marriage was, in the past, a matter of course. It is also interesting to note that if a woman does not marry a cross-cousin, the latter'6 family is considered entitled to compensation. This takes the form of a present of a cloth from the bridegroom to the maternal uncle of the bride (i.e., the father of the male cross-cousin). Also the bride in such a case is not given away by her parents or brothers, but by her maternal uncle as representing the family of the cross-cousin whom she ought to have married. Among the Southern Indian tribes'a girl's father's sister's son who has the first right to the girl's hand in marriage must be paid eight annas or two janams before he will allow her to be married to a stranger. [C/. Thurston, Castes and Tribes of Southern India (Madras, 1909), Vol. VII., p. 60.] It may be argued that cross-cousin marriage is a Dravidian rather than an Aryan custom, on the ground that in Northern India marriage of all cousins is equally forbidden. [Gf. Sir J. G. Frazer's Folk-lore in the Old Testament (London, 1919), Vol. II., pp. 100-132 ; Manu, Code Bk. III., 5 ; Bk. XI., 171-2.] For information regarding cross-cousin marriage in Southern India, and its origin, reference may be made to Gait's Census of India, 1911, Vol. I., Part I., pp. 255-7, paragraphs 311 and 312. / REPORT ON THE CENSUS OF CEYLON, 1921. CHAPTER I.—SEX. SECTION T.—SOME GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. Accuracy.—As the possibility of the enumerators confusing males and females is somewhat remote, the errors in the totals of the two sexes should be of about the same order as those in the figures of the total population, that is probably between 2 per cent, and 2 per 1,000 for " all races," and some­ what higher for the separate races. The numbers of both males and females were probably understated, and it is possible that the understatement of females was somewhat greater than that of males, but the difference is not likely to be very great. The Totals.—The first point which is immediately noticeable is that in 1921, as at all previous Censuses of Ceylon, the males exceeded the females in number. The figures are given in the following table:— TABLE No. 1.—Males, Females, and Total Persons (excluding Military and Shipping).* Census Year. Males. Females. ' TotaL 1.2 3 4 1871 .. 1,280,129 .. 1,120,251.. .. 2,400,380 1881 A .. 1,469,553 .. 1,290,185 .. 2,759,738 1891 3 .. 1,593,376 .. 1,414,413 .. 3,007,789 1901 .t(= .. 1,896,212 .. 1,669,742 .. 3,565,954 1911 S .. 2,175,030 .. 1,931,320 .. 4,106,350 1921 j& .. 2,381,812 .. 2,116,793 .. 4,498,605 Masculinity.—The subject can be better examined by taking out the ratios of the sexes by any of the following three methods :f (1) by calculating the males per 1,000 females ; (2) by calculating the males per 1,000 of the total population ; (3) by calculating the excess of males per 1,000 of the total population. Any of these ratios gives what is called the " masculinity " of the population, while the " femininity " is obtained by obvious interchanges. The third method is probably the best, but, for convenience of comparison with the previous Ceylon Census Reports we may use (2).