SocialCops Series

DECODING OPEN DATAPopulation Census, India

We have mined and scraped thousands of open data sets on

These data sets can be very difficult to understand and process.

After we process open data, we share some of our findings with you, so you don’t have to go through the same hassle.

This data series brings you our insights and analysis on India’s

biggest open data archives.

Health

Education

Income

and more…

What is the

Population Census?

URBANIZATION

ECONOMIC ACTIVITY

HOUSING & HOUSEHOLD AMENITIES

The biggest source of primary data on…

LITERACY & EDUCATION

DEMOGRAPHY

FERTILITY & MORTALITY

LANGUAGESCHEDULED CASTES & TRIBES

RELIGION MIGRATION

2011

19911981

1971

20011961

1951

1941

1881

1931

1921

1911

1901

18911871

The census has been conducted every 10 years since 1871

The most recent census happened in 2011

How many people were involved?

25,42,934 total people

21 lakh enumerators 4 lakh

supervisors & master trainers 23,800

charge officers

1,500 district

charge officers

1,065 upper division

clerks6,905 lower division

clerks664 others

The Census used…

7,336 x 109 tons of paper

comprised of

7,336 x 109 tons of paper

3,400 lakh questionnaires

54 lakh manuals

and

printed in

18

languages

7,336 x 109 tons of paper

The entire exercise cost

₹2,200 crore.

That’s only

₹18.33 per capita.

The entire exercise cost

₹2,200 crore.

That’s only

₹18.33 per capita.

How does the Census

actually happen?

First, census officials distribute the blank census forms…

The questionnaires and other materials are given to charge officers in over 1200 locations.

1

The charge officers distribute the blank materials to census supervisors.

2

The census supervisors give the blank forms to enumerators.

3

Enumerators travel across the country to collect data through house-to-house canvassing.

4

Then census officials collect the completed census forms…

Enumerators give the filled forms back to census supervisors.

5

The census supervisors give the forms back to charge officers.

6

Charge officers send the filled forms to one of 17 processing centers.

7

At the processing centers, 5 things happen:

8

1. Scanning

2. Image-based recognition

3. Image validation

4. Completion of unknown characters

5. Tabulation

What data does the Census collect from

households?

The Census collects data using 2 different schedules:

30 questions

Houselisting Schedule

28 questions

Population Enumeration

Schedule

Houselisting Schedule data

Building number

Census house

number

Major house

material

Use of house

Condition of house

Household number

Total persons

Head of household

Sex of head Caste Ownership

statusNumber of rooms

Number of married couples

Source of drinking

water

Availability of drinking

waterSource of lighting

Latrine within

premise

Type of latrine facility

Waste water outlet connection

Kitchen availability

Fuel used for cooking

Bathing facility Television Radio

Computer or laptop

Telephone or mobile Bicycle

Scooter, motorcycle or moped

Car, jeep or van

Available banking services

Population Enumeration Schedule data

Relationship to head Sex

Date of birth and

ageMarital status

Age at marriage Religion

Caste Disability Mother tongue

Other languages

knownLiteracy status

Status of educ.

attendance

Highest education

level

Working during last

year

Category of economic

activity

Occupation nature

Trade or service

Class of worker

Non- economic

activity

Seeking or available for

work

Travel to place of

workBirthplace

Place of last

residence

Reason for migration

Duration of stay in last

placeChildren surviving

Children ever born

No. of children born alive last year

What did we

learn ?from the Census

Between 2001 and 2011, India increased its population

by 181.5 million people.

That’s almost equivalent to the entire population

of Brazil

More than 50% of India’s population lives in just six states

16.5%Uttar Pradesh

9.28%Maharashtra

8.6%Bihar

7.54%West Bengal

6.99%Andhra Pradesh

6.0%Madhya Pradesh

Villages by population

3.1%

5000-9999

16.1%

2000-4999

23.3%

1000-1999

13.7%

< 200 200-499 500-999

19.2%

23.7%

≥ 10,000

0.8%

There are 635,407 villages and 7,948 towns in India.

69% of India’s population lives in rural areas.

Only Puducherry, Chandigarh and Delhi have less than 50% of their population in rural areas.

Percentage of population in rural areas

0-15% 15-30% 30-45% 45-60% 60-75% 75-90% NA

% o

f all

fem

ales

10

20

30

40

50

< 18 18-21 22-25 > 25

20012011

Age of marriage (female)

The average age of marriage has risen from

17.7 to 18.7 years for females

% o

f all

mal

es

10

20

30

40

50

< 18 18-21 22-25 > 25

20012011

Age of marriage (male)

The average age of marriage has risen from

22.4 to 23.2 years for males

Male-led 87%

Female-led 13%

Divorced or separated 3%

Widowed 69%

Currently married 24%

Never married 4%

Never married Currently marriedWidowed Divorced or separated

4%3%

Female-led households

A quarter of female-led households are led by a married woman

1.0%

Education level32.7%

Illiterate

4.0%

Literate without

education

6.7%

Below primary

14.0%

Primary

11.7%

Middle

10.5%

Secondary

10.2%

Higher secondary

Diploma, certificate

8.9%

Graduate

60-66% 66-72% 72-78% 78-84% 84-90% 90-96% NA

The average literacy rate is 73%.

For women, this drops to 65.5%.

That’s 17.1 points lower than the male literacy rate (82.1%).

Literacy rate by state

In rural areas, the literacy rate is

68.9%

In urban areas, the literacy rate is

84.9%

In urban areas, the female literacy rate is

79.9%

In rural areas, the female literacy rate is

58.8%

-400

-350

-300

-250

-200

-150

-100

-50

0

50

100

Only 2 states have more women than men.

The remaining 33 states and UTs are missing an average of 76 women per 1000 men.

Daman & Diu 618 women : 1000 men

Dadra & Nagar Haveli 774

Chandigarh 818

Delhi 868

Kerala 1084 women : 1000 men

Puducherry 1037

All India 943

For more insights,

dig into the dataand let us know what you find!

In case you get stuck, here’s some

Census jargon

Ce

nsu

s A

bb

revi

atio

ns

Rural

Urban

All areas that are not urban. Basic unit is the revenue village.

Areas that are classified as STs, CTs, and UAs

Census Town (CT)

A place with: (a) minimum population of 5000, (b) at least 75% of the main male working

population engaged in non-agricultural pursuits,

(c) population density of at least 400 people per square km.

Out Growth (OG)

A viable unit such as a village or part of a village contiguous to a statutory town

Statutory Town (ST)

All places with a municipal council, municipal corporation, cantonment board, or notified area committee, etc.

Urban Agglomeration (UA)

A continuous urban spread constituting either: (a) a town and its adjoining OGs, (b) two or more physically contiguous towns

with or without OGs

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