Demographics

Population density map of India

With an estimated population of 1.2 billion,[10] India is the world's second most populous country. The last 50 years have seen a rapid increase in population due to medical advances and massive increase in agricultural productivity due to the "green revolution".[161][162] The percentage of Indian population living in urban areas has consistently grown; from 1991 to 2001, India's urban population increased by 31.2%.[163] In 2001, about 285 million Indians lived in urban areas while more than 70% of India's population resided in rural areas.[164][165] As per the 2001 census, there are twenty seven million-plus cities,[163] with the largest cities being Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata.

India's literacy rate is 64.8% (53.7% for females and 75.3% for males).[42] The state of Kerala has the highest literacy rate at 91% while Bihar has the lowest at 47%.[166][167] The national human sex ratio is 944 females per 1,000 males. India's median age is 24.9, and the population growth rate of 1.38% per annum; there are 22.01 births per 1,000 people per year.[42] Though India has one of the world's most diverse and modern healthcare systems, the country continues to face several public health-related challenges.[168][169] According to the World Health Organization, 900,000 Indians die each year from drinking contaminated water and breathing in polluted air.[170]

There are about 60 physicians per 100,000 people in India.[171] The Indian Constitution recognises 212 scheduled tribal groups which together constitute about 7.5% of the country's population.[172] As per the 2001 census, over 800 million Indians (80.5%) were Hindu. Other religious groups include Muslims (13.4%), Christians (2.3%), Sikhs (1.9%), Buddhists (0.8%), Jains (0.4%), Jews, Zoroastrians and Bahá'ís.[173] India has the world's third-largest Muslim population and the largest Muslim population for a non-Muslim majority country.