Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition
Density of population
Calculate physiological and agricultural density.
Population density is the number of persons per square kilometre. In 2011 India's density was 382, up from 117 in 1951: the land now carries more than three times as many people.
It varies hugely: from 17 in Arunachal Pradesh to 11,297 in Delhi.
- High density: Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, with fertile plains and plenty of rain.
- Low density: the Himalayan and north-eastern hill states, with rugged land and harsh climate.
Simple density does not show the real pressure on farmland, so geographers also use two other measures:
- Physiological density = total population ÷ net cultivated area.
- Agricultural density = agricultural population (cultivators, farm labourers and their families) ÷ net cultivable area.
Density shows how much pressure people put on the land.
Density shows pressure on land.
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