CENSUS OF INDIA 1991 SERIES -1 INDIA Paper 2 of 1991 PROVISIONAL POPULATION TOTALS: RURAL-URBAN DISTRIBUTION AMULYA RATNA NANDA Registrar General & Census Commissioner. India Ministry of Home Affairs 2/A, Mansingh Road New Delhi-llOOll CONTENTS Pages FIGURES AT A GLANCE 1 CHAPTER 1-INTRODUCfION 3-6 CHAPTER 2-RURAL-URBAN DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION 7-20 Rural-urban dichotomy: Conceptual analysis 7 Urban frame: Towns and uI'ban agglomerations 8 Urban agglomerations 8 Level and trend of urbanisation 11 Spatial analysis 16 CHAPTER 3-DISTRIBUTION OF URBAN POPULATION B¥ ~'ZE CLASS 21-34 Trend of urbanisation 29 CHAPTER 4-CITIES, METROPOLISES AND MEGA CITIES 35-49 Metropolitan areas 38 Mega cities 43 National Capital Region 49 CHAPTER 5-URBAN GROWTH AND ITS COMPOSITION 51-58 Rate of natural increase in selected States SS Urban-rural growth differential (URGD) 56 Natural increase and growth of population of common towns S8 CHAPTER 6-GROWTH OF COMMON TOWNS BY SIZE CLASS 59-61 STATEMENTS 1 Provisional population of States and Union Territories-Revised fl8ures 4 2 Number of towns, 1981 and 1991 9 3 Towns of 1981 declassified or merged with other towns in 1991 and new towns of 1991 10 4 Number of urban agglomerations and towns, 1981-l991 12 5 Trend of urbanisation in India 13 6 Level of urbanisation in selected countries/areas: Mid 1990 \ 14 7 Urban popu18tion of States and Union Territories, 1981-1991 15 8 States and Union Territories arranged in descending order of their level of urbanisation 16 (iii) STATEMENTS 9 States and Union Territories arranged in descending order of their share in India's 1991 urban population 18 10 Rural-urban composition of population, 1991 19 11 Number of urb~n agglomerations/towns and their population by size class, 1991 22-23 12 Increase/decrease of popUlation in each size class during 1981-91 26-27 13 Increase/decrease of population in each size class during 1981-91-India 29 14 Number of urban agglomerations/towns by size class-India, 1901-1991 30 15 Percentage distribution of urban agglomerations/lowns by size class-­ India, 1901-1991 31 16 Urban population by size class-India, 1901-1991 31 17 Percentage distribution of urban population by size class-India, 1901-1991 32 18 Decadal variation of urban popUlation by size class-India, 1901-11 to 1981-91 33 19 Percentage decadal variation of urban population in each size class­ India, 1901-11 to 1981-91 34 20 Distribution of Class I urban agglomerations/cities (popUlation 100,000 & above) by different population sizes, 1991 35 21 Number of Class I urban agglomerations/cities with growth rate of more than 50 per cent during 1981-91 arranged in descending order of their growth rate 36-37 22 Urban agglomerations/cities having population of more than a million, 1901·1991 38 23 Urban agglomerations/cities having population of more than a million in 1991 arranged in descending order of their 1991 popUlation 39 24 Indices of popUlation growth of urban agglomerations/cities having population of more than a million in 1991 40 25 World's 34 largest metropolises ranked by population size 47 26 Distribution of towns by size class in the National Capital Region by sub-regions 49 27 Population and growth rate of Class I and Glass II towns of the National Capital Region 50 28 Annual exponential growth rate: ,Urban, rural and their difference (URGD) 51-52 29 Average birth rate, death rate and rate of natural increase per 1,090 population, as per SRS-India : 1971-80, 1981-89 52 (iv) STATEMENTS 30 Increase in urban population and population of common urban agglo­ merations/towns during 1971-81 and 1981-91 54 31 Annual rate of natural increase (per 1,()()(» in urban areas of selected States based on SRS : 1971-80 and 1981-89 56 32 Rate of natural increase during 1981-89 based on Sample Registration System 56 33 Projected and provisional figures of percentage of urban to total population, 1991 57 34 Decadal growth of population of common urban agglomerations/towns and rate of natural increase of urban population, 1981-91 58 CHARTS AND DIAGRAMS 1 Growth of urban population: 1901-1991 11 2 Urban growth rate and level of urbanisation for selected States 17 3 Urban population by size class: 1981 and 1991 25 4 Number of urban agglomerations/towns by size class: 1901-1991 30 5 Share of urban popUlation by size class: 1981 and 1991 31 6 Proportion of urban population by size class: 1901-1991 32 7 Urban population by size class: 1901-1991 32 8 Growth rate of urban population by size class: 1901-1991 33 9 Growth of million plus urban agglomerations/cities (1971, 1981 & 1991) 41 10 Indices of population growth (1951 = 100) of top and bottom five metropolitan cities (million & above), 43 11 Metropolitan cities of the 1991 Census ranked by population: 1951-1991 44 12 World's largest urban agglomerations 45 MAPS 1 Administrative Divisions, 1991 2 Level of urbanisation: 1991 (States/Union Territories) 65 3 Level of urbanisation: 1991 (Districts) 67 4 Class I urban agglomerations/cities (population 100,000 & above) growth rate: 1981-91 69 5 Greater Bombay Urban Agglomeration-Areal spread: 1971, 1981 & 1991 71 6 Greater Bombay Urban Agglomeration-Growth of population, 1981-91 73 7 Calcutta Urban Agglomeration-Areal spread: 1971, 1981 & 1991 75 (v) MAPS 8 Calcutta Urban Agglomeration-Growth of popubttion, 1981-91 77 9 Delhi Urban Aggiomeration-Areal spread: 1971, 1981 &. 1991 79 10 Delhi Urban Agglomeration-Growth of population, 1981-91 81 11 Madras Urban Agglomeration-Areal spread; 1971, 1981 & 1991 83 12 Madras Urban Agglomeration-Growth of population, 1981-91 85 13 National Capital Region-Growth of population of Class I and Class 11 towns, 1981-91 87 PROVISIONAL POPULATION TABLES 1 Population and literates in States and Union Territories by residence and sex, 1991 93-95 2 Population and literates in districts by residence and sex, 1991 99-149 3 Percentage of urban population, decennial growth rate, sex ratio by residence and density 153-168 4 Population of urban agglomerations, cities and towns, 1991 171-361 Appendix: List of towns of 1981 declassified in 1991 and towns of 1981 merged with ~ther towns in 1991 363-369 5 Number of urban agglomerations/towns in States and Union Territories by size class, 1951-1991 372-373 6 Populatioa of urban agglomerations/towns in States and Union Territories by size class, 1951-1991 377-383 7 Urban population by size class of urban agglomerations/towns, 1971-1991 387-393 8 Urban population by size class of urban agglomerations/towns by sex, 1991 397-403 9 Population, growth rate and sex ratio of urban agglomerations/cities with a population of 100,000 and above arranged in descending order of popu· lalion, 1991 ... 407-415 10 Population of urban agglomerations/towns (a) common in 1971 and 1981 by their size class in 1971 and (b) common in 1981 and 1991 by their size class in 1981 ... 419-425 (vi) FIGURES AT A GLANCE Population of India Total 844,324,222 Rural 627,146,597 Urban 217,177,625 Number of Towns 1971 3,126 1981 4,029 1991 4,689 Number of Urban Agglomerations/Towns 1971 2,590 1981 3,378 1991 3,768 Decennial Growth of Urban Population 1971·81 Absolute 50,348,570 Percentage 46.14 1981·91 Absolute 57,715,078 Percentale 36.19 Urban Population as Percentage of Tota. 1971 19.91 Population 1981 23.34 1991 25.72 N... I 1. The 1991 Cens'us hal not been held in Jammu a Kashmir. Tbe r....... include population of ......u • ICMhIBir • pIOjected by the StaftClilll Commiuee 01 &pens Oft Population ProjectioM (October. 1989). z.. Tbc 1981 CeaIuI could DOt be bcId ia "-nt. Wb* WOI'ItinI out tbe o.ce.aiaI Growtb &be intelpOlMed ...... populalion for Allam ror ,1981 bu beea illcludecl in. tbe UItNaIl popuIaIioIl of India in 1981. CHAPTER! INTRODUCTION The 1991 Census of India was conducted during Some variations may be noticed between the figures February 9-28, 1991 with reference point of time being published in Paper 1 of 1991 and in this paper. It is also the sunrise of March 1, 1991. A revisional round was possible that some differences may arise between these conduct.ed during March I-S, 1991 to up-date the provisional figures and the final figures which are population as on March 1, 1991. proposed to be made available after the tabulation of the primary census data is completed. On completion of the count, the provisional These provisional data are heing brought out with the population totals and those of literates by sex for India, main objective of placing before the data users the basic States and Union Territories were released on March 25, information on certain essential characteristics of the 1991 through the publication of Paper 1 of 1991. These popUlation at the earliest. The provisional population provisional results are based on a quick tabulation of the figures already published in Paper 1 of 1991 and the field totals compiled by the enumerators immediately on slightly revised figures obtained since the publication of completion of the field work. Paper 1 of 1991 are indicated in Statement 1. While Paper 1 of 1991 pertains to the size of the It is necessary to explain the concept of literacy and population and literates by sex with a brief analysis of the calculation of literacy rate adopted in the 1991 these data, the present publication, i.e. Paper 2 of 1991, Census. The children in the age group 0·4 were presents the provisional data relating to the rural-urban considered as illiterates by definition in the 1981 Census.