In 2022, India overtook China as the world's most populous country and now has almost 1.46 billion people. China now has the second-largest population in the world, still with just over 1.4 billion inhabitants, however, its population went into decline in 2023. Global population As of 2025, the world's population stands at almost 8.2 billion people and is expected to reach around 10.3 billion people in the 2080s, when it will then go into decline. Due to improved healthcare, sanitation, and general living conditions, the global population continues to increase; mortality rates (particularly among infants and children) are decreasing and the median age of the world population has steadily increased for decades. As for the average life expectancy in industrial and developing countries, the gap has narrowed significantly since the mid-20th century. Asia is the most populous continent on Earth; 11 of the 20 largest countries are located there. It leads the ranking of the global population by continent by far, reporting four times as many inhabitants as Africa. The Demographic Transition The population explosion over the past two centuries is part of a phenomenon known as the demographic transition. Simply put, this transition results from a drastic reduction in mortality, which then leads to a reduction in fertility, and increase in life expectancy; this interim period where death rates are low and birth rates are high is where this population explosion occurs, and population growth can remain high as the population ages. In today's most-developed countries, the transition generally began with industrialization in the 1800s, and growth has now stabilized as birth and mortality rates have re-balanced. Across less-developed countries, the stage of this transition varies; for example, China is at a later stage than India, which accounts for the change in which country is more populous - understanding the demographic transition can help understand the reason why China's population is now going into decline. The least-developed region is Sub-Saharan Africa, where fertility rates remain close to pre-industrial levels in some countries. As these countries transition, they will undergo significant rates of population growth

Delhi was the largest city in terms of number of inhabitants in India in 2023.The capital city was estimated to house nearly 33 million people, with Mumbai ranking second that year. India's population estimate was 1.4 billion, ahead of China that same year.

The statistic shows the total population of India from 2019 to 2029. In 2023, the estimated total population in India amounted to approximately 1.43 billion people.

Total population in India

India currently has the second-largest population in the world and is projected to overtake top-ranking China within forty years. Its residents comprise more than one-seventh of the entire world’s population, and despite a slowly decreasing fertility rate (which still exceeds the replacement rate and keeps the median age of the population relatively low), an increasing life expectancy adds to an expanding population. In comparison with other countries whose populations are decreasing, such as Japan, India has a relatively small share of aged population, which indicates the probability of lower death rates and higher retention of the existing population.

With a land mass of less than half that of the United States and a population almost four times greater, India has recognized potential problems of its growing population. Government attempts to implement family planning programs have achieved varying degrees of success. Initiatives such as sterilization programs in the 1970s have been blamed for creating general antipathy to family planning, but the combined efforts of various family planning and contraception programs have helped halve fertility rates since the 1960s. The population growth rate has correspondingly shrunk as well, but has not yet reached less than one percent growth per year.

As home to thousands of ethnic groups, hundreds of languages, and numerous religions, a cohesive and broadly-supported effort to reduce population growth is difficult to create. Despite that, India is one country to watch in coming years. It is also a growing economic power; among other measures, its GDP per capita was expected to triple between 2003 and 2013 and was listed as the third-ranked country for its share of the global gross domestic product.

Abstract

The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) was carried out as the principal activity of a collaborative project to strengthen the research capabilities of the Population Reasearch Centres (PRCs) in India, initiated by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), Government of India, and coordinated by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Bombay. Interviews were conducted with a nationally representative sample of 89,777 ever-married women in the age group 13-49, from 24 states and the National Capital Territoty of Delhi. The main objective of the survey was to collect reliable and up-to-date information on fertility, family planning, mortality, and maternal and child health. Data collection was carried out in three phases from April 1992 to September 1993. THe NFHS is one of the most complete surveys of its kind ever conducted in India.

The households covered in the survey included 500,492 residents. The young age structure of the population highlights the momentum of the future population growth of the country; 38 percent of household residents are under age 15, with their reproductive years still in the future. Persons age 60 or older constitute 8 percent of the population. The population sex ratio of the de jure residents is 944 females per 1,000 males, which is slightly higher than sex ratio of 927 observed in the 1991 Census.

The primary objective of the NFHS is to provide national-level and state-level data on fertility, nuptiality, family size preferences, knowledge and practice of family planning, the potentiel demand for contraception, the level of unwanted fertility, utilization of antenatal services, breastfeeding and food supplemation practises, child nutrition and health, immunizations, and infant and child mortality. The NFHS is also designed to explore the demographic and socioeconomic determinants of fertility, family planning, and maternal and child health. This information is intended to assist policymakers, adminitrators and researchers in assessing and evaluating population and family welfare programmes and strategies. The NFHS used uniform questionnaires and uniform methods of sampling, data collection and analysis with the primary objective of providing a source of demographic and health data for interstate comparisons. The data collected in the NFHS are also comparable with those of the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted in many other countries.

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

• Household
• Data collected for women 13-49, indicators calculated for women 15-49

Universe

The population covered by the 1992-93 DHS is defined as the universe of all women age 13-49 who were either permanent residents of the households in the NDHS sample or visitors present in the households on the night before the survey were eligible to be interviewed.

Kind of data

Sample survey data

Sampling procedure

SAMPLE DESIGN

The sample design for the NFHS was discussed during a Sample Design Workshop held in Madurai in Octber, 1991. The workshop was attended by representative from the PRCs; the COs; the Office of the Registrar General, India; IIPS and the East-West Center/Macro International. A uniform sample design was adopted in all the NFHS states. The Sample design adopted in each state is a systematic, stratified sample of households, with two stages in rural areas and three stages in urban areas.

SAMPLE SIZE AND ALLOCATION

The sample size for each state was specified in terms of a target number of completed interviews with eligible women. The target sample size was set considering the size of the state, the time and ressources available for the survey and the need for separate estimates for urban and rural areas of the stat. The initial target sample size was 3,000 completed interviews with eligible women for states having a population of 25 million or less in 1991; 4,000 completed interviews for large states with more than 25 million population; 8,000 for Uttar Pradesh, the largest state; and 1,000 each for the six small northeastern states. In States with a substantial number of backward districts, the initial target samples were increased so as to allow separate estimates to be made for groups of backward districts.

The urban and rural samples within states were drawn separetly and , to the extent possible, sample allocation was proportional to the size of the urban-rural populations (to facilitate the selection of a self-weighting sample for each state). In states where the urban population was not sufficiently large to provide a sample of at least 1,000 completed interviews with eligible women, the urban areas were appropriately oversampled (except in the six small northeastern states).

THE RURAL SAMPLE: THE FRAME, STRATIFICATION AND SELECTION

A two-stage stratified sampling was adopted for the rural areas: selection of villages followed by selection of households. Because the 1991 Census data were not available at the time of sample selection in most states, the 1981 Census list of villages served as the sampling frame in all the states with the exception of Assam, Delhi and Punjab. In these three states the 1991 Census data were used as the sampling frame.

Villages were stratified prior to selection on the basis of a number of variables. The firts level of stratification in all the states was geographic, with districts subdivided into regions according to their geophysical characteristics. Within each of these regions, villages were further stratified using some of the following variables : village size, distance from the nearest town, proportion of nonagricultural workers, proportion of the population belonging to scheduled castes/scheduled tribes, and female literacy. However, not all variables were used in every state. Each state was examined individually and two or three variables were selected for stratification, with the aim of creating not more than 12 strata for small states and not more than 15 strata for large states. Females literacy was often used for implicit stratification (i.e., the villages were ordered prior to selection according to the proportion of females who were literate). Primary sampling Units (PSUs) were selected systematically, with probaility proportional to size (PPS). In some cases, adjacent villages with small population sizes were combined into a single PSU for the purpose of sample selection. On average, 30 households were selected for interviewing in each selected PSU.

In every state, all the households in the selected PSUs were listed about two weeks prior to the survey. This listing provided the necessary frame for selecting households at the second sampling stage. The household listing operation consisted of preparing up-to-date notional and layout sketch maps of each selected PSU, assigning numbers to structures, recording addresses (or locations) of these structures, identifying the residential structures, and listing the names of the heads of all the households in the residentiak structures in the selected PSU. Each household listing team consisted of a lister and a mapper. The listing operation was supervised by the senior field staff of the concerned CO and the PRC in each state. Special efforts were made not to miss any household in the selected PSU during the listing operation. In PSUs with fewer than 500 households, a complete household listing was done. In PSUs with 500 or more households, segmentation of the PSU was done on the basis of existing wards in the PSU, and two segments were selected using either systematic sampling or PPS sampling. The household listing in such PSUs was carried out in the selected segments. The households to be interviewed were selected from provided with the original household listing, layout sketch map and the household sample selected for each PSU. All the selected households were approached during the data collection, and no substitution of a household was allowed under any circumstances.

THE RURAL URBAN SAMPLE: THE FRAME, STRATIFICATION AND SELECTION

A three-stage sample design was adopted for the urban areas in each state: selection of cities/towns, followed by urban blocks, and finally households. Cities and towns were selected using the 1991 population figures while urban blocks were selected using the 1991 list of census enumeration blocks in all the states with the exception of the firts phase states. For the first phase states, the list of urban blocks provided by the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSSO) served as the sampling frame.

All cities and towns were subdivided into three strata: (1) self-selecting cities (i.e., cities with a population large enough to be selected with certainty), (2) towns that are district headquaters, and (3) other towns. Within each stratum, the cities/towns were arranged according to the same kind of geographic stratification used in the rural areas. In self-selecting cities, the sample was selected according to a two-stage sample design: selection of the required number of urban blocks, followed by selection of households in each of selected blocks. For district headquarters and other towns, a three stage sample design was used: selection of towns with PPS, followed by selection of two census blocks per selected town, followed by selection of households from each selected block. As in rural areas, a household listing was carried out in the selected blocks, and an average of 20 households per block was selected systematically.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face

Research instrument

Three types of questionnaires were used in the NFHS: the Household Questionnaire, the Women's Questionnaire, and the Village Questionnaire. The overall content

This statistic depicts the age distribution of India from 2013 to 2023. In 2023, about 25.06 percent of the Indian population fell into the 0-14 year category, 68.02 percent into the 15-64 age group and 6.92 percent were over 65 years of age. Age distribution in India India is one of the largest countries in the world and its population is constantly increasing. India’s society is categorized into a hierarchically organized caste system, encompassing certain rights and values for each caste. Indians are born into a caste, and those belonging to a lower echelon often face discrimination and hardship. The median age (which means that one half of the population is younger and the other one is older) of India’s population has been increasing constantly after a slump in the 1970s, and is expected to increase further over the next few years. However, in international comparison, it is fairly low; in other countries the average inhabitant is about 20 years older. But India seems to be on the rise, not only is it a member of the BRIC states – an association of emerging economies, the other members being Brazil, Russia and China –, life expectancy of Indians has also increased significantly over the past decade, which is an indicator of access to better health care and nutrition. Gender equality is still non-existant in India, even though most Indians believe that the quality of life is about equal for men and women in their country. India is patriarchal and women still often face forced marriages, domestic violence, dowry killings or rape. As of late, India has come to be considered one of the least safe places for women worldwide. Additionally, infanticide and selective abortion of female fetuses attribute to the inequality of women in India. It is believed that this has led to the fact that the vast majority of Indian children aged 0 to 6 years are male.

Abstract

The economic and social importance of domestic tourism in a country like India, endowed with a splendid cultural and historical heritage, hardly needs to be emphasised. However, tourism, by itself, does not constitute any specific industry or sector in the economy. Rather, it is a composite of several traditional sectors like transport, accommodation, etc. Besides, tourism has linkages with distinct patterns of consumption and expenditure. Therefore, the importance of tourism in the national economy is manifold: in generating employment in various industries like hospitality, handicrafts, transport services etc. It also uniquely serves the purpose of maintenance of familial and social bonds, which is a great Indian tradition. Further, in view of the increase in tourism in recent years, tourism-specific development and investment requirements are also on the rise in the national economy.

This schedule is designed to collect detailed information on 'domestic tourism' in India through a nationwide household survey in the 65th round of NSS. This will provide a comprehensive assessment of household characteristics, visitor characteristics, trip characteristics and expenditure characteristics in relation to domestic tourism in India.

Geographic coverage

The survey will cover the whole of the Indian Union except (i) interior villages of Nagaland situated beyond five kilometres of the bus route and (ii) villages in Andaman and Nicobar Islands which remain inaccessible throughout the year.

Analysis unit

Randomly selected households based on sampling procedure and members of the household.

Universe

The survey used the interview method of data collection from a sample of randomly selected households and members of the household.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Outline of sample design: A stratified multi-stage design has been adopted for the 65th round survey. The first stage units (FSU) are the 2001 census villages (Panchayat wards in case of Kerala) in the rural sector and Urban Frame Survey (UFS) blocks in the urban sector. For towns with no UFS frame available (to be referred as 'non-UFS towns'), each town has been treated as an FSU. The ultimate stage units (USU) are households in both the sectors. In case of large FSUs, one intermediate stage of sampling is the selection of two hamlet-groups (hgs)/ sub-blocks (sbs) from each rural/ urban FSU.

Sampling Frame for First Stage Units: For the rural sector, the list of 2001 census villages (the term 'village' means Panchayat wards for Kerala) has constituted the sampling frame. For the urban sector, the list of latest available UFS blocks has been considered as the sampling frame. For non-UFS towns, the list of towns as per Census 2001 has been the sampling frame.

Stratification for FSU:

Rural sector: All villages of a district will form a separate stratum.

Urban sector: In the urban sector, strata will be formed within each NSS region on the basis of size class of towns as per Census 2001 town population. This departure has been made in the stratification principle in order to facilitate generation of town-class wise estimates to satisfy the requirements of the user ministries. The stratum numbers and their composition (within each region) are given below.

Stratum Composition (within NSS region) 1 All towns with population < 50,000
2 All towns with population 50,000 - 99,999
3 All towns with population 1,00,000 - 4,99,999
4 All towns with population 5,00,000 - 9,99,999
5, 6, …. Each million plus city

The non-UFS towns, if any, within an NSS region will be grouped together to form separate urban strata as per the size classes (in terms of population).

Sub-stratification: There has been no sub-stratification in the rural sector and for strata corresponding to non-UFS towns.

Total sample size (FSUs): 12928 FSUs for central sample and 13996 FSUs for state sample have been allocated at all-India level.

Allocation of total sample to States and UTs:
The total number of sample FSUs is allocated to the States and UTs in proportion to population as per census 2001 subject to a minimum sample allocation to each State/ UT. While doing so, the resource availability in terms of number of field investigators has been kept in view.

Allocation of State/ UT level sample to rural and urban sectors: State/ UT level sample is allocated between two sectors in proportion to population as per census 2001 with 1.5 weightage to urban sector subject to the restriction that urban sample size for bigger states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu etc. should not exceed the rural sample size. A minimum of 4 FSUs is allocated to each state/ UT separately for rural and urban areas. Further the State level allocations for both rural and urban have been adjusted marginally in a few cases to ensure that each stratum gets a minimum allocation of 4 FSUs.

Sampling deviation

There was no deviation from the original sampling design.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

Schedule 21.1 is on domestic tourism and consists of ten blocks with two blocks, viz, Block 5 and Block 6, having two sub-blocks each, namely, Block 5.1 & Block 5.2 and Block 6.1 & Block 6.2 respectively.

Block 0: Descriptive identification of sample household Block 1 : Identification of sample household Block 2: Particulars of field operations Block 3 : Household characteristics Block 4 : Demographic and other particulars for all household members Block 5.1: Particulars of overnight trips completed by household members during last 30 days Block 5.2: Particulars of same-day trips completed by household members during last 30 days Block 6.1: Particulars of expenditure ( in Rs.) for latest 3 trips in last 30 days covered in block 5.1 Block 6.2: Particulars of aggregate expenditure ( in Rs.) for all trips in last 30 days covered in block 5.2 Block 7: Remarks by investigator/senior investigator Block 8: Comments by superintendent/ senior superintendent Block 9: Comments by other supervisory officer

In 1800, the population of the region of present-day India was approximately 169 million. The population would grow gradually throughout the 19th century, rising to over 240 million by 1900. Population growth would begin to increase in the 1920s, as a result of falling mortality rates, due to improvements in health, sanitation and infrastructure. However, the population of India would see it’s largest rate of growth in the years following the country’s independence from the British Empire in 1948, where the population would rise from 358 million to over one billion by the turn of the century, making India the second country to pass the billion person milestone. While the rate of growth has slowed somewhat as India begins a demographics shift, the country’s population has continued to grow dramatically throughout the 21st century, and in 2020, India is estimated to have a population of just under 1.4 billion, well over a billion more people than one century previously. Today, approximately 18% of the Earth’s population lives in India, and it is estimated that India will overtake China to become the most populous country in the world within the next five years.

Abstract

The objectives of the debt and investment survey remain the same as those of the earlier surveys, namely, to obtain quantitative information on the stock of assets, incidence of indebtedness, capital formation and other indicators or rural/urban economy which will be of value in developing the credit structure in particular, and also for obtaining other allied information required in the field of planning and development. Further, since the survey will be of the kind of a repeat survey of that of the NSS 59th round, it is considered necessary to plan the survey in such a way as to ensure, as far as practicable, comparability with the estimates of the various characteristics generated from the earlier rounds. The survey period of the 70th round was from January to December 2013. This survey covers the whole of the Indian Union. Each sample FSU is being visited twice during this round in visit 1 and visit 2. Since the workload of the first visit (i.e. visit 1) is more, the first visit continues till the end of July 2013. Thus, period of the first visit is January - July 2013 and that of the second visit (i.e. visit 2) is August - December 2013. Broadly, the following information will be collected in this round from each household: (i) the assets of the household as on 30th June 2012, classified into (a) physical assets and (b) financial assets (ii) the liabilities of the household as on 30th June 2012 in visit 1 and as on 30th June 2013 in visit 2 (iii) the amount of capital expenditure incurred by the household during July 2012 - June 2013 on (a) residential plots, houses or buildings, (b) farm business, and (c) non-farm business.

Geographic coverage

In this round all the States and Union Territories except Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Lakshadweep are participating.

Analysis unit

Randomly selected households based on sampling procedure and members of the household

Universe

The survey used the interview method of data collection from a sample of randomly selected households and members of the household.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

1. Sample Design

3.1 Outline of sample design: A stratified multi-stage design has been adopted for the 70th round survey. The first stage units (FSU) are the census villages (Panchayat wards in case of Kerala) in the rural sector and Urban Frame Survey (UFS) blocks in the urban sector. The ultimate stage units (USU) are households in both the sectors. In case of large FSUs, one intermediate stage of sampling is the selection of two hamlet-groups (hgs)/ sub-blocks (sbs) from each rural/ urban FSU.

3.2 Sampling Frame for First Stage Units: For the rural sector, the list of 2001 census villages updated by excluding the villages urbanised and including the towns de-urbanised after 2001 census (henceforth the term 'village' would mean Panchayat wards for Kerala) constitutes the sampling frame. For the urban sector, the latest updated list of UFS blocks (2007-12) is considered as the sampling frame.

3.3 Stratification:

(a) Stratum has been formed at district level. Within each district of a State/ UT, generally speaking, two basic strata have been formed: i) rural stratum comprising of all rural areas of the district and (ii) urban stratum comprising all the urban areas of the district. However, within the urban areas of a district, if there were one or more towns with population 10 lakhs or more as per population census 2011 in a district, each of them formed a separate basic stratum and the remaining urban areas of the district was considered as another basic stratum.

(b) However, a special stratum in the rural sector only was formed at State/UT level before district- strata were formed in case of each of the following 20 States/UTs: Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. This stratum will comprise all the villages of the State with population less than 50 as per census 2001.

(c) In case of rural sectors of Nagaland one special stratum has been formed within the State consisting of all the interior and inaccessible villages. Similarly, for Andaman & Nicobar Islands, one more special stratum has been formed within the UT consisting of all inaccessible villages. Thus for Andaman & Nicobar Islands, two special strata have been formed at the UT level:

(i) special stratum 1 comprising all the interior and inaccessible villages (ii) special stratum 2 containing all the villages, other than those in special stratum 1, having population less than 50 as per census 2001.

3.4 Sub-stratification:

Rural sector: Different sub-stratifications are done for 'hilly' States and other States. Ten (10) States are considered as hilly States. They are: Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.

(a) sub-stratification for hilly States: If 'r' be the sample size allocated for a rural stratum, the number of sub-strata formed was 'r/2'. The villages within a district as per frame have been first arranged in ascending order of population. Then sub-strata 1 to 'r/2' have been demarcated in such a way that each sub-stratum comprised a group of villages of the arranged frame and have more or less equal population.

(b) sub-stratification for other States (non-hilly States except Kerala): The villages within a district as per frame were first arranged in ascending order of proportion of irrigated area in the cultivated area of the village. Then sub-strata 1 to 'r/2' have been demarcated in such a way that each sub-stratum comprised a group of villages of the arranged frame and have more or less equal cultivated area. The information on irrigated area and cultivated area was obtained from the village directory of census 2001.

(c) sub-stratification for Kerala: Although Kerala is a non-hilly State but because of non-availability of information on irrigation at FSU (Panchayat Ward) level, sub-stratification by proportion of irrigated area was not possible. Hence the procedure for sub-stratification was same as that of hilly States in case of Kerala.

Urban sector: There was no sub-stratification for the strata of million plus cities. For other strata, each district was divided into 2 sub-strata as follows:

 sub-stratum 1: all towns of the district with population less than 50000 as per census 2011 
 sub-stratum 2: remaining non-million plus towns of the district

3.5 Total sample size (FSUs): 8042 FSUs have been allocated for the central sample at all-India level. For the state sample, there are 8998 FSUs allocated for all-India. State wise allocation of sample FSUs is given in Table 1.

3.6 Allocation of total sample to States and UTs: The total number of sample FSUs have been allocated to the States and UTs in proportion to population as per census 2011 subject to a minimum sample allocation to each State/ UT. While doing so, the resource availability in terms of number of field investigators as well as comparability with previous round of survey on the same subjects has been kept in view.

3.7 Allocation of State/ UT level sample to rural and urban sectors: State/ UT level sample size has been allocated between two sectors in proportion to population as per census 2011 with double weightage to urban sector subject to the restriction that urban sample size for bigger states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu etc. should not exceed the rural sample size. A minimum of 16 FSUs (minimum 8 each for rural and urban sector separately) is allocated to each state/ UT.

3.8 Allocation to strata: Within each sector of a State/ UT, the respective sample size has been allocated to the different strata in proportion to the population as per census 2011. Allocations at stratum level are adjusted to multiples of 2 with a minimum sample size of 2.

For special stratum formed in the rural areas of 20 States/UTs, as discussed in para 3.3 (b), 2 FSUs were allocated to each.

For special stratum 1 in the rural areas of Nagaland and Andaman & Nicobar Islands, 4 and 2 FSUs were allocated respectively.

3.9 Allocation to sub-strata:

3.9.1 Rural: Allocation is 2 for each sub-stratum in rural.

3.9.2 Urban: Stratum allocations have been distributed among the two sub-strata in proportion to the number of FSUs in the sub-strata. Minimum allocation for each sub-stratum is 2.

3.10 Selection of FSUs:

For the rural sector, from each stratum x sub-stratum, required number of sample villages has been selected by Simple Random Sampling Without Replacement (SRSWOR).

For the urban sector, FSUs have been selected by using Simple Random Sampling Without Replacement (SRSWOR) from each stratum x sub-stratum.

Both rural and urban samples were drawn in the form of two independent sub-samples and equal number of samples has been allocated among the two sub rounds.

3.11 Selection of hamlet-groups/ sub-blocks - important steps

3.11.1 Criterion for hamlet-group/ sub-block formation: After identification of the boundaries of the FSU, it is first determined whether listing is to be done in the whole sample FSU or not. In case the approximate present population of the selected FSU is found to be 1200 or more, it is divided into a suitable number (say, D) of 'hamlet-groups' in the rural sector and 'sub-blocks' in the urban sector by more or less equalising the population as stated below.

approximate present population of the sample FSU no. of hg's/sb's to be formed

less than 1200 (no hamlet-groups/sub-blocks) 1
1200 to 1799 3
1800 to

Abstract

The objectives of the debt and investment survey remain the same as those of the earlier surveys, namely, to obtain quantitative information on the stock of assets, incidence of indebtedness, capital formation and other indicators or rural/urban economy which will be of value in developing the credit structure in particular, and also for obtaining other allied information required in the field of planning and development. Further, since the survey will be of the kind of a repeat survey of that of the NSS 59th round, it is considered necessary to plan the survey in such a way as to ensure, as far as practicable, comparability with the estimates of the various characteristics generated from the earlier rounds. The survey period of the 70th round was from January to December 2013. This survey covers the whole of the Indian Union. Each sample FSU is being visited twice during this round in visit 1 and visit 2. Since the workload of the first visit (i.e. visit 1) is more, the first visit continues till the end of July 2013. Thus, period of the first visit is January - July 2013 and that of the second visit (i.e. visit 2) is August - December 2013. Broadly, the following information will be collected in this round from each household: (i) the assets of the household as on 30th June 2012, classified into (a) physical assets and (b) financial assets (ii) the liabilities of the household as on 30th June 2012 in visit 1 and as on 30th June 2013 in visit 2 (iii) the amount of capital expenditure incurred by the household during July 2012 - June 2013 on (a) residential plots, houses or buildings, (b) farm business, and (c) non-farm business.

Geographic coverage

In this round all the States and Union Territories except Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Lakshadweep are participating.

Analysis unit

Randomly selected households based on sampling procedure and members of the household

Universe

The survey used the interview method of data collection from a sample of randomly selected households and members of the household.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

1. Sample Design

3.1 Outline of sample design: A stratified multi-stage design has been adopted for the 70th round survey. The first stage units (FSU) are the census villages (Panchayat wards in case of Kerala) in the rural sector and Urban Frame Survey (UFS) blocks in the urban sector. The ultimate stage units (USU) are households in both the sectors. In case of large FSUs, one intermediate stage of sampling is the selection of two hamlet-groups (hgs)/ sub-blocks (sbs) from each rural/ urban FSU.

3.2 Sampling Frame for First Stage Units: For the rural sector, the list of 2001 census villages updated by excluding the villages urbanised and including the towns de-urbanised after 2001 census (henceforth the term 'village' would mean Panchayat wards for Kerala) constitutes the sampling frame. For the urban sector, the latest updated list of UFS blocks (2007-12) is considered as the sampling frame.

3.3 Stratification:

(a) Stratum has been formed at district level. Within each district of a State/ UT, generally speaking, two basic strata have been formed: i) rural stratum comprising of all rural areas of the district and (ii) urban stratum comprising all the urban areas of the district. However, within the urban areas of a district, if there were one or more towns with population 10 lakhs or more as per population census 2011 in a district, each of them formed a separate basic stratum and the remaining urban areas of the district was considered as another basic stratum.

(b) However, a special stratum in the rural sector only was formed at State/UT level before district- strata were formed in case of each of the following 20 States/UTs: Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. This stratum will comprise all the villages of the State with population less than 50 as per census 2001.

(c) In case of rural sectors of Nagaland one special stratum has been formed within the State consisting of all the interior and inaccessible villages. Similarly, for Andaman & Nicobar Islands, one more special stratum has been formed within the UT consisting of all inaccessible villages. Thus for Andaman & Nicobar Islands, two special strata have been formed at the UT level:

(i) special stratum 1 comprising all the interior and inaccessible villages (ii) special stratum 2 containing all the villages, other than those in special stratum 1, having population less than 50 as per census 2001.

3.4 Sub-stratification:

Rural sector: Different sub-stratifications are done for 'hilly' States and other States. Ten (10) States are considered as hilly States. They are: Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.

(a) sub-stratification for hilly States: If 'r' be the sample size allocated for a rural stratum, the number of sub-strata formed was 'r/2'. The villages within a district as per frame have been first arranged in ascending order of population. Then sub-strata 1 to 'r/2' have been demarcated in such a way that each sub-stratum comprised a group of villages of the arranged frame and have more or less equal population.

(b) sub-stratification for other States (non-hilly States except Kerala): The villages within a district as per frame were first arranged in ascending order of proportion of irrigated area in the cultivated area of the village. Then sub-strata 1 to 'r/2' have been demarcated in such a way that each sub-stratum comprised a group of villages of the arranged frame and have more or less equal cultivated area. The information on irrigated area and cultivated area was obtained from the village directory of census 2001.

(c) sub-stratification for Kerala: Although Kerala is a non-hilly State but because of non-availability of information on irrigation at FSU (Panchayat Ward) level, sub-stratification by proportion of irrigated area was not possible. Hence the procedure for sub-stratification was same as that of hilly States in case of Kerala.

Urban sector: There was no sub-stratification for the strata of million plus cities. For other strata, each district was divided into 2 sub-strata as follows:

 sub-stratum 1: all towns of the district with population less than 50000 as per census 2011 
 sub-stratum 2: remaining non-million plus towns of the district

3.5 Total sample size (FSUs): 8042 FSUs have been allocated for the central sample at all-India level. For the state sample, there are 8998 FSUs allocated for all-India. State wise allocation of sample FSUs is given in Table 1.

3.6 Allocation of total sample to States and UTs: The total number of sample FSUs have been allocated to the States and UTs in proportion to population as per census 2011 subject to a minimum sample allocation to each State/ UT. While doing so, the resource availability in terms of number of field investigators as well as comparability with previous round of survey on the same subjects has been kept in view.

3.7 Allocation of State/ UT level sample to rural and urban sectors: State/ UT level sample size has been allocated between two sectors in proportion to population as per census 2011 with double weightage to urban sector subject to the restriction that urban sample size for bigger states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu etc. should not exceed the rural sample size. A minimum of 16 FSUs (minimum 8 each for rural and urban sector separately) is allocated to each state/ UT.

3.8 Allocation to strata: Within each sector of a State/ UT, the respective sample size has been allocated to the different strata in proportion to the population as per census 2011. Allocations at stratum level are adjusted to multiples of 2 with a minimum sample size of 2.

For special stratum formed in the rural areas of 20 States/UTs, as discussed in para 3.3 (b), 2 FSUs were allocated to each.

For special stratum 1 in the rural areas of Nagaland and Andaman & Nicobar Islands, 4 and 2 FSUs were allocated respectively.

3.9 Allocation to sub-strata:

3.9.1 Rural: Allocation is 2 for each sub-stratum in rural.

3.9.2 Urban: Stratum allocations have been distributed among the two sub-strata in proportion to the number of FSUs in the sub-strata. Minimum allocation for each sub-stratum is 2.

3.10 Selection of FSUs:

For the rural sector, from each stratum x sub-stratum, required number of sample villages has been selected by Simple Random Sampling Without Replacement (SRSWOR).

For the urban sector, FSUs have been selected by using Simple Random Sampling Without Replacement (SRSWOR) from each stratum x sub-stratum.

Both rural and urban samples were drawn in the form of two independent sub-samples and equal number of samples has been allocated among the two sub rounds.

3.11 Selection of hamlet-groups/ sub-blocks - important steps

3.11.1 Criterion for hamlet-group/ sub-block formation: After identification of the boundaries of the FSU, it is first determined whether listing is to be done in the whole sample FSU or not. In case the approximate present population of the selected FSU is found to be 1200 or more, it is divided into a suitable number (say, D) of 'hamlet-groups' in the rural sector and 'sub-blocks' in the urban sector by more or less equalising the population as stated below.

approximate present population of the sample FSU no. of hg's/sb's to be formed

less than 1200 (no hamlet-groups/sub-blocks) 1
1200 to 1799 3
1800 to

Abstract

Agriculture plays an important role in India's economy. It provides gainful employment to a large section of population of the country, particularly, the rural population. It contributes to the socio-cultural development of the farming community. The land holding provides them the confidence and strength to stay and survive in the society. In view of the importance of agriculture, Government of India has been conducting comprehensive Agriculture Censuses for collection of data on structure and characteristics of agricultural holdings, as part of World Census of Agriculture Programme since 1970-71. Operational holding, being the basic unit of decision-making in agriculture, detailed data on structure of agricultural holdings and its characteristics are necessary for formulation of any meaningful and effective strategy for agricultural development.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

Households

Universe

The statistical unit was the operational holding, defined as an entity comprising all land that is used wholly or partly for agricultural production and is operated as one technical unit by one person alone or with others, without regard to the title, legal form, size or location. A technical unit was defined as the unit that is under the same management and has the same means of production, such as labour force, machinery, animals, credit, etc. The operated area includes both cultivated and uncultivated area, provided that a part of it is put to agricultural production during the reference period.

Kind of data

Census/enumeration data [cen]

Sampling procedure

(a) Sampling design For the collection of data in the Agriculture Census, an approach of Census-cum-sample survey has been adopted. Various States in the country have been grouped in to two categories i.e. land record States and non-land record States. Those States where comprehensive land records are maintained giving information on land and its utilization, cropping pattern etc are called land record States and those States where such information is not maintained in the form of land-records are called nonland record States. In land record States data on Agriculture Census is pooled for all the parcels of an operational holding irrespective of its location. However, for operational convenience the outer limit for pooling is restricted to taluka. This pooling is done for each operational holder in the village of his residence. In the non-land record States the data is collected through sample survey following household enquiry approach in 20% of villages in each block. In these selected villages, all the operational holdings are enumerated following household enquiry approach.Thus in land record States no sampling is resorted to for data collection for the number and area of operational holdings and in nonland record States sampling of villages in each block/taluka is resorted to

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

Three questionnaires were used, one for each of the three phases of the census:

· Phase I questionnaire, for collecting data on number and area of operational holdings, according to the prescribed size classes2 for different social groups,3 types of holdings' and gender.

· Phase II questionnaire, for collecting data on: (i) dispersal of holdings; (ii) tenancy and terms of leasing; (iii) land utilization; (iv) irrigation status and source-wise area irrigated; (v) cropping pattern

· Phase III questionnaire, for collecting additional data.

The AC 2011 questionnaires covered 12 items of the 16 core items recommended for the WCA 2010 round. The exceptions were: (i) "Presence of aquaculture on the holding" (ii) "Other economic production activities of the holding's enterprise" (iii) "Number of animals on the holding for each livestock type" (iv) "Presence of forests and other woodland on the holding"

See questionnaire in external materials.

Cleaning operations

(a) DATA PROCESSING AND ARCHIVING In-house software was developed for data entry and processing of census data. Data entry, data validation and error correction, the generation of trial tables, and the generation of final tables and their examination by states or UTs took place according to the three phases of the census. All questionnaires were manually scrutinized by the statistical staff before they were submitted for data entry. Data are archived at tehsil level and are available in the public domain. The data entry and processing software included checks of census data for inconsistencies and mismatch.

Data appraisal

Census data are compiled at the national and tehsil level. The All India Report of Agriculture Census 2010-2011 is based on the data collected during Phase-II of the Census. The detailed data of AC 2010/2011 results are available on the website of the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers' Welfare.

Abstract

In order to have a comprehensive picture of the farming community and to analyze the impact of the transformation induced by public policy, investments and technological change on the farmers' access to resources and income as well as well-being of the farmer households it was decided to collect information on Indian farmers through “Situation Assessment Survey” (SAS). The areas of interest for conducting SAS would include economic well-being of farmer households as measured by consumer expenditure, income and productive assets, and indebtedness; their farming practices and preferences, resource availability, and their awareness of technological developments and access to modern technology in the field of agriculture. In this survey, detailed information would be collected on receipts and expenses of households' farm and non-farm businesses, to arrive at their income from these sources. Income from other sources would also be ascertained, and so would be the consumption expenditure of the households.

Geographic coverage

The survey will cover the whole of the Indian Union.

Analysis unit

Randomly selected households based on sampling procedure and members of the household

Universe

The survey used the interview method of data collection from a sample of randomly selected households and members of the household.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

1. Sample Design

3.1 Outline of sample design: A stratified multi-stage design has been adopted for the 70th round survey. The first stage units (FSU) are the census villages (Panchayat wards in case of Kerala) in the rural sector and Urban Frame Survey (UFS) blocks in the urban sector. The ultimate stage units (USU) are households in both the sectors. In case of large FSUs, one intermediate stage of sampling is the selection of two hamlet-groups (hgs)/ sub-blocks (sbs) from each rural/ urban FSU.

3.2 Sampling Frame for First Stage Units: For the rural sector, the list of 2001 census villages updated by excluding the villages urbanised and including the towns de-urbanised after 2001 census (henceforth the term 'village' would mean Panchayat wards for Kerala) constitutes the sampling frame. For the urban sector, the latest updated list of UFS blocks (2007-12) is considered as the sampling frame.

3.3 Stratification:

(a) Stratum has been formed at district level. Within each district of a State/ UT, generally speaking, two basic strata have been formed: i) rural stratum comprising of all rural areas of the district and (ii) urban stratum comprising all the urban areas of the district. However, within the urban areas of a district, if there were one or more towns with population 10 lakhs or more as per population census 2011 in a district, each of them formed a separate basic stratum and the remaining urban areas of the district was considered as another basic stratum.

(b) However, a special stratum in the rural sector only was formed at State/UT level before district- strata were formed in case of each of the following 20 States/UTs: Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. This stratum will comprise all the villages of the State with population less than 50 as per census 2001.

(c) In case of rural sectors of Nagaland one special stratum has been formed within the State consisting of all the interior and inaccessible villages. Similarly, for Andaman & Nicobar Islands, one more special stratum has been formed within the UT consisting of all inaccessible villages. Thus for Andaman & Nicobar Islands, two special strata have been formed at the UT level:

(i) special stratum 1 comprising all the interior and inaccessible villages (ii) special stratum 2 containing all the villages, other than those in special stratum 1, having population less than 50 as per census 2001.

3.4 Sub-stratification:

Rural sector: Different sub-stratifications are done for 'hilly' States and other States. Ten (10) States are considered as hilly States. They are: Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.

(a) sub-stratification for hilly States: If 'r' be the sample size allocated for a rural stratum, the number of sub-strata formed was 'r/2'. The villages within a district as per frame have been first arranged in ascending order of population. Then sub-strata 1 to 'r/2' have been demarcated in such a way that each sub-stratum comprised a group of villages of the arranged frame and have more or less equal population.

(b) sub-stratification for other States (non-hilly States except Kerala): The villages within a district as per frame were first arranged in ascending order of proportion of irrigated area in the cultivated area of the village. Then sub-strata 1 to 'r/2' have been demarcated in such a way that each sub-stratum comprised a group of villages of the arranged frame and have more or less equal cultivated area. The information on irrigated area and cultivated area was obtained from the village directory of census 2001.

(c) sub-stratification for Kerala: Although Kerala is a non-hilly State but because of non-availability of information on irrigation at FSU (Panchayat Ward) level, sub-stratification by proportion of irrigated area was not possible. Hence the procedure for sub-stratification was same as that of hilly States in case of Kerala.

Urban sector: There was no sub-stratification for the strata of million plus cities. For other strata, each district was divided into 2 sub-strata as follows:

 sub-stratum 1: all towns of the district with population less than 50000 as per census 2011 
 sub-stratum 2: remaining non-million plus towns of the district

3.5 Total sample size (FSUs): 8042 FSUs have been allocated for the central sample at all-India level. For the state sample, there are 8998 FSUs allocated for all-India. State wise allocation of sample FSUs is given in Table 1.

3.6 Allocation of total sample to States and UTs: The total number of sample FSUs have been allocated to the States and UTs in proportion to population as per census 2011 subject to a minimum sample allocation to each State/ UT. While doing so, the resource availability in terms of number of field investigators as well as comparability with previous round of survey on the same subjects has been kept in view.

3.7 Allocation of State/ UT level sample to rural and urban sectors: State/ UT level sample size has been allocated between two sectors in proportion to population as per census 2011 with double weightage to urban sector subject to the restriction that urban sample size for bigger states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu etc. should not exceed the rural sample size. A minimum of 16 FSUs (minimum 8 each for rural and urban sector separately) is allocated to each state/ UT.

3.8 Allocation to strata: Within each sector of a State/ UT, the respective sample size has been allocated to the different strata in proportion to the population as per census 2011. Allocations at stratum level are adjusted to multiples of 2 with a minimum sample size of 2.

For special stratum formed in the rural areas of 20 States/UTs, as discussed in para 3.3 (b), 2 FSUs were allocated to each.

For special stratum 1 in the rural areas of Nagaland and Andaman & Nicobar Islands, 4 and 2 FSUs were allocated respectively.

3.9 Allocation to sub-strata:

3.9.1 Rural: Allocation is 2 for each sub-stratum in rural.

3.9.2 Urban: Stratum allocations have been distributed among the two sub-strata in proportion to the number of FSUs in the sub-strata. Minimum allocation for each sub-stratum is 2.

3.10 Selection of FSUs:

For the rural sector, from each stratum x sub-stratum, required number of sample villages has been selected by Simple Random Sampling Without Replacement (SRSWOR).

For the urban sector, FSUs have been selected by using Simple Random Sampling Without Replacement (SRSWOR) from each stratum x sub-stratum.

Both rural and urban samples were drawn in the form of two independent sub-samples and equal number of samples has been allocated among the two sub rounds.

3.11 Selection of hamlet-groups/ sub-blocks - important steps

3.11.1 Criterion for hamlet-group/ sub-block formation: After identification of the boundaries of the FSU, it is first determined whether listing is to be done in the whole sample FSU or not. In case the approximate present population of the selected FSU is found to be 1200 or more, it is divided into a suitable number (say, D) of 'hamlet-groups' in the rural sector and 'sub-blocks' in the urban sector by more or less equalising the population as stated below.

approximate present population of the sample FSU no. of hg's/sb's to be formed

less than 1200 (no hamlet-groups/sub-blocks) 1
1200 to 1799 3
1800 to 2399 4
2400 to 2999 5
3000 to 3599 6
…………..and so on .

For rural areas of Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand (except four districts Dehradun, Nainital, Hardwar and Udham Singh Nagar), Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur, Reasi, Doda, Kistwar, Ramgarh, Leh (Ladakh), Kargil districts of Jammu and Kashmir and Idukki district of Kerala, the number of hamlet-groups are formed as follows:

approximate present population of the sample village no. of hg's to be formed

less than 600 (no hamlet-groups) 1
600 to 899 3
900 to 1199 4
1200 to 1499 5
1500 to 1799 6
.………..and so on .

3.11.2 Formation and selection of hamlet-groups/ sub-blocks: In case hamlet-groups/ sub-blocks are to be formed in the sample

The statistic illustrates the Buddhist population in India in 2011, with a breakdown by state and union territory. The region with the highest Buddhist population was Maharashtra, followed by the state of West Bengal with close to 283,000 Buddhists. The region with the least Buddhist population was the union territory of Lakshadweep in that year. The countries with the largest number of Buddhists in 2010 can be found here.

In 2022, the majority of Indian adults had a wealth of 10,000 U.S. dollars or less. On the other hand, about *** percent were worth more than *********** dollars that year. India The Republic of India is one of the world’s largest and most economically powerful states. India gained independence from Great Britain on August 15, 1947, after having been under their power for 200 years. With a population of about *** billion people, it was the second most populous country in the world. Of that *** billion, about **** million lived in New Delhi, the capital. Wealth inequality India suffers from extreme income inequality. It is estimated that the top 10 percent of the population holds ** percent of the national wealth. Billionaire fortune has increase sporadically in the last years whereas minimum wages have remain stunted.

According to the 2011 census, the population density in the Indian state of Maharashtra was *** individuals per square kilometer. Located on the Deccan Plateau, it is the second-most populous state in the country. A steady increase in the population of the state can be attributed to growing urban districts such as Mumbai and Pune, with diverse employment opportunities in several sectors.

India's economic powerhouse

With a contribution of over ** trillion Indian rupees in the financial year 2017, the state of Maharashtra had the highest gross state domestic product in the country. A per capita income of over *** thousand Indian rupees was estimated across the state for the preceding year. Based on its economic model, the state was a highly preferred destination for domestic and foreign investments.

The most populous Indian state

Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra, was the most populous city after Delhi. As the country's economic core, it serves as the financial and commercial capital while providing numerous job opportunities. Many are attracted to this dream city in search of a lucrative career and to make it big in the world-famous Bollywood film industry.

The growth in India's overall population is driven by its young population. Nearly ** percent of the country's population was between the ages of 15 and 64 years old in 2020. With over *** million people between 18 and 35 years old, India had the largest number of millennials and Gen Zs globally.

The population of India is divided into several groups based on social, educational, and financial statuses. The formation of these groups is a result of the historical social structure of the country. Between 2019 and 2021, Other Backward Class (OBC) constituted the largest part of Indian households accounting for about ** percent. On the other hand, Schedule Tribes formed about *** percent of households. How prosperous is India’s caste-based society? India suffers from extreme social and economic inequality. The combined share of Schedule Tribe and Schedule Caste in the affluent population of India was less than ** percent. Contrary to this, economically and socially stronger groups constituted the major part of the affluent population. Hence, indicating a strong relationship between caste and prosperity. India’s thoughts on caste-based reservation The constitution of India provides reservations to the weaker sections of the society for their upliftment and growth. However, the need for reservation has increased with time, making the whole situation even more complicated. People are divided over the existence of a system that provides preference to certain castes or sects. In a survey conducted in 2016 about providing employment reservation to young adults of Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe, many people expressed opposition. More than ** percent of opposition came from upper Hindu caste. Minimum opposition was observed from the people belonging to Schedule Tribe and Schedule Caste.

Nigeria has the largest population in Africa. As of 2025, the country counted over 237.5 million individuals, whereas Ethiopia, which ranked second, has around 135.5 million inhabitants. Egypt registered the largest population in North Africa, reaching nearly 118.4 million people. In terms of inhabitants per square kilometer, Nigeria only ranked seventh, while Mauritius had the highest population density on the whole African continent in 2023. The fastest-growing world region Africa is the second most populous continent in the world, after Asia. Nevertheless, Africa records the highest growth rate worldwide, with figures rising by over two percent every year. In some countries, such as Niger, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Chad, the population increase peaks at over three percent. With so many births, Africa is also the youngest continent in the world. However, this coincides with a low life expectancy. African cities on the rise The last decades have seen high urbanization rates in Asia, mainly in China and India. However, African cities are currently growing at larger rates. Indeed, most of the fastest-growing cities in the world are located in Sub-Saharan Africa. Gwagwalada, in Nigeria, and Kabinda, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ranked first worldwide. By 2035, instead, Africa's fastest-growing cities are forecast to be Bujumbura, in Burundi, and Zinder, Nigeria.

There were over one million registered Indians in Canada as of December 2020. The region with the largest Indian population was Ontario, with 222 thousand, followed by Manitoba, which counted 164 thousand Indians. The regions with the smallest Indian populations were Yukon, and Northwest Territories.

The statistic shows the 30 largest countries in the world by area. Russia is the largest country by far, with a total area of about 17 million square kilometers.

Population of Russia

Despite its large area, Russia - nowadays the largest country in the world - has a relatively small total population. However, its population is still rather large in numbers in comparison to those of other countries. In mid-2014, it was ranked ninth on a list of countries with the largest population, a ranking led by China with a population of over 1.37 billion people. In 2015, the estimated total population of Russia amounted to around 146 million people. The aforementioned low population density in Russia is a result of its vast landmass; in 2014, there were only around 8.78 inhabitants per square kilometer living in the country. Most of the Russian population lives in the nation’s capital and largest city, Moscow: In 2015, over 12 million people lived in the metropolis.

Madhya Pradesh was reported to have the most number of tigers in the country estimated at 526 Royal Bengal Tigers in 2018. This was a 71 percent increase in tiger population in the central state, compared to 308 tigers in 2014. On the contrary, Northeastern states of Mizoram, Nagaland and North western Bengal reported a complete absence of the big cat from its assessment.