GeographyCBSE Class 12 · Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition

Distribution and Density of Population in India (Class 12 Geography, India: People and Economy, Chapter 1)

Updated 16 October 2026 · Fact-checked

India's population (1,210 million in 2011) is very unevenly distributed: Uttar Pradesh has the most people, followed by Maharashtra, Bihar and West Bengal. Density was 382 persons per sq km in 2011, ranging from 17 in Arunachal Pradesh to 11,297 in Delhi; Bihar (1,102) is the densest state.

Notice how density ranges from 17 to 11,297: Bihar is the densest state, and Arunachal Pradesh is far below India's average of 382.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand Distribution and Density of Population in India

Why this topic matters. The state with the highest or lowest density (2011) is on the official India map list and is set as a map item almost every year; density formulas and the factors of distribution come as MCQs and 3- to 5-mark answers.

1. Basic facts (Census 2011).

India is the second most populous country after China, with 1,210 million people (2011), more than North America, South America and Australia together.
Data come from the Census, held every 10 years; the first Census was in 1872, the first complete one in 1881.

2. Distribution: highly uneven.

Uttar Pradesh has the highest population, followed by Maharashtra, Bihar and West Bengal.
Ten states (U.P., Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Gujarat) hold about 76 per cent of the population.
Large states with small shares: Jammu & Kashmir (1.04%), Arunachal Pradesh (0.11%), Uttarakhand (0.84%).

3. Factors of distribution.

Physical: climate, terrain and availability of water largely decide the pattern; so the North Indian Plains, deltas and coastal plains are crowded, while interior southern and central districts, the Himalayas, parts of the north-east and the west are thin.
Human effort can change this: irrigation (Rajasthan), minerals and energy (Jharkhand) and transport (Peninsular states) have raised density in once-thin areas.
Socio-economic and historical: evolution of settled agriculture, pattern of human settlement, transport network, industrialisation and urbanisation. River plains and coasts stay crowded because of early settlement and transport, even where land and water show degradation.
Cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Pune, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Jaipur are crowded because industry and urbanisation draw rural-urban migrants.

4. Density of population.

Density = number of persons per unit area (persons per sq km).
India: 382 persons per sq km (2011), up from 117 (1951), an increase of more than 200 in about 50 years (265).
Range: 17 (Arunachal Pradesh) to 11,297 (NCT of Delhi).
High in the north: Bihar (1,102), West Bengal (1,029), Uttar Pradesh (828); high in the peninsula: Kerala (859), Tamil Nadu (555).
Moderate: Assam, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Odisha.
Low: Himalayan hill states and north-eastern states (except Assam). Union Territories (except Andaman and Nicobar) are very dense.

5. Better measures of pressure on land. Simple density is a crude measure of the human-land relationship. For an agricultural country, two more are used:

Physiological density: all the people per sq km of net cultivated area.
Agricultural density: only the agricultural population per sq km of net cultivable area (formulas in the box below). Agricultural population = cultivators, agricultural labourers and their family members.

Map checklist (official list). Mark the state with the highest density (Bihar) and the state with the lowest density (Arunachal Pradesh), Census 2011. Delhi is a Union Territory (NCT), not a state, so it is not the answer to 'state with highest density'.

Key quotations

Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.

India is the second most populous country after China in the world
NCERT, India: People and Economy, Chapter 1: Opening line of the chapter (population 1,210 million in 2011).
Sets the scale for every question on distribution and density.

Distribution and Density of Population in India: key facts

Arithmetic density: $D e n s i t y = t o t a l p o p u l a t i o n / t o t a l a r e a (p er so n s p er s q k m)$; India 2011: 382; 1951: 117.
Physiological density: $P h y s i o l o g i c a l d e n s i t y = t o t a l p o p u l a t i o n / n e t c u l t i v a t e d a r e a$; Pressure of all people on farmed land.
Agricultural density: $A g r i c u l t u r a l d e n s i t y = t o t a l a g r i c u l t u r a l p o p u l a t i o n / n e t c u l t i v ab l e a r e a$; Agricultural population = cultivators + agricultural labourers + families.
Density facts (2011): Bihar 1,102
West Bengal 1,029
Kerala 859
Uttar Pradesh 828
Tamil Nadu 555
Arunachal Pradesh 17
NCT Delhi 11,297; Map: highest state Bihar, lowest state Arunachal Pradesh.

How to answer Distribution and Density of Population in India questions

Expect map items (highest or lowest density state), formula-matching MCQs, short density sums, and 3- or 5-mark answers on factors of distribution.

1For a density sum, divide population by the right area: total area (density), net cultivated area (physiological), net cultivable area with agricultural population (agricultural).
2Write the unit: persons per sq km.
3For factors, use two groups: physical (climate, terrain, water) and socio-economic/historical (settled agriculture, settlements, transport, industry, cities), with Indian examples.
4Show that human effort can override physical limits: irrigation in Rajasthan, minerals in Jharkhand.
5On the map, answer 'state' questions with Bihar and Arunachal Pradesh, not Delhi.

Distribution and Density of Population in India in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Minerals and energy draw people

Suppose coal mines and a steel plant open in a thinly peopled, forested part of a state, followed by a rail link.

What would you expect to happen to population density there, and which Indian example does NCERT give?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Availability of mineral and energy resources is one way human effort changes the physical pattern.
NCERT: minerals and energy (Jharkhand) and transport networks (Peninsular states) have raised concentration in areas that were once very thinly populated.

Answer: Density would rise as jobs, settlements and transport grow, as NCERT shows for Jharkhand, where mineral and energy resources produced moderate to high concentrations of population.

Memory hook: Mines and rails bring people.

Irrigation changes the map

Suppose a dry district gets canal water and farms spread where there was only scrub.

What would you expect to happen to its population density, and which Indian example does NCERT give?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Water availability is a key physical factor.
NCERT: irrigation in Rajasthan has led to moderate to high concentration in once-thin areas.

Answer: Density would rise as farming and settlements expand, as happened with irrigation in Rajasthan.

Memory hook: Water in, people in.

Tricks to remember Distribution and Density of Population in India

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

Most people: 'U Must Bring Water'
Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, in order of population.
Use it when: Most populous states.
Bihar 1102, Arunachal 17
'Eleven-oh-two at the top, seventeen at the bottom.'
Use it when: Highest and lowest density states (2011).
117 to 382
1951 to 2011: density more than tripled.
Use it when: Change in national density.
PCA: Physiological = Cultivated, Agricultural = Agri people
Physiological divides all people by net cultivated area; agricultural divides farm people by net cultivable area.
Use it when: Not mixing the two formulas.

Distribution and Density of Population in India: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Reading two densities together · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

A district has a density of 800 persons per sq km but a physiological density of 1,500 persons per sq km. What does the gap show?
(A) Much of its area is not under cultivation.
(B) Most of its people are agricultural labourers.
(C) Its population is falling.
(D) Its net cultivated area is larger than its total area.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Physiological density divides the same total population by net cultivated area instead of total area; it is higher only because the cultivated area is much smaller than the total area (1 mark).

Answer: (A) Much of its area is not under cultivation.

Example 2: Assertion and reason on river plains · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level

Assertion (A): River plains and coastal areas of India remain regions of large population even where land and water show signs of degradation.
Reason (R): These regions have an early history of human settlement and a developed transport network.
(A) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(B) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(C) (A) is true but (R) is false.
(D) (A) is false but (R) is true.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

NCERT gives exactly this reason for the continued concentration, so R explains A (1 mark).

Answer: (A) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

Example 3: Agricultural density sum · 3 marks · Source-basedBoard level

A district has 13,20,000 agricultural population (cultivators, labourers and families) and 1,800 sq km of net cultivable area. Its total population is 24,00,000 and total area 3,000 sq km.
(i) Find its density. (1)
(ii) Find its agricultural density. (1)
(iii) Why is agricultural density useful for India? (1)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

(i) 24,00,000 / 3,000 = 800 persons per sq km (1 mark).
(ii) 13,20,000 / 1,800 = 733.3 persons per sq km (1 mark).
(iii) India has a large agricultural population; agricultural density shows pressure of farm people on cultivable land, which crude density hides (1 mark).

Answer: (i) 800 persons per sq km. (ii) About 733.3 persons per sq km of net cultivable area. (iii) Because India has a large agricultural population, agricultural density shows how many farm people depend on each unit of cultivable land; simple density is only a crude measure of the human-land relationship.

Example 4: Large area, small share · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Jammu & Kashmir (1.04 per cent), Arunachal Pradesh (0.11 per cent) and Uttarakhand (0.84 per cent) hold very small shares of India's population despite fairly large areas. Explain why, using the factors of distribution. (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Physical: climate, terrain and availability of water largely decide distribution; the Himalayan terrain and harsh climate leave little level, watered farmland (1 mark).
NCERT notes that the Himalayas and some north-eastern states have a lower proportion of population than the plains, deltas and coasts (1 mark).
Socio-economic: settled agriculture, transport networks, industrialisation and urbanisation, which concentrate people elsewhere, are less developed in such terrain (1 mark).

Answer: All three are mountainous states. Climate, terrain and the availability of water largely determine where people live, and rugged Himalayan terrain with a harsh climate offers little level, well-watered land for farming, so the Himalayas and parts of the north-east have a lower proportion of population than the North Indian Plains, deltas and coastal plains. Socio-economic factors add to this: the evolution of settled agriculture, transport networks, industrialisation and urbanisation, which draw people to the plains and cities, are much less developed here.

Example 5: Compare densities · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Bihar has a density of 1,102 persons per sq km and Arunachal Pradesh 17 (2011). Explain this contrast using factors of distribution. (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Bihar: Ganga plain, fertile land, water, settled agriculture since early times (1 mark).
Arunachal: mountainous terrain, difficult climate, forests, limited cultivable land and transport (1 mark).
Socio-economic: transport network and settlement history favour Bihar; Arunachal remote (1 mark).

Answer: Bihar lies in the North Indian Plains, with level, fertile land and plenty of water, so settled agriculture and dense settlement developed early, supported by transport routes; its density reaches 1,102. Arunachal Pradesh is a Himalayan state of rugged terrain, forests and a harsh climate, with little cultivable land, poor transport and a late, sparse settlement pattern, so its density is only 17. Physical and socio-economic factors together explain the contrast.

Example 6: HOTS: is high density always a burden? · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

"High population density in India is not only a result of physical advantages but also of human choices." Examine with examples from NCERT. (5 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Physical advantages: climate, terrain, water; plains, deltas, coasts (1 mark).
Human choices: irrigation (Rajasthan), minerals (Jharkhand), transport (Peninsular states) (1 mark).
Socio-economic and historical: settled agriculture, settlements, transport, industry, urbanisation (1 mark).
Cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Pune, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Jaipur; migrants (1 mark).
Conclusion with density figures (382 in 2011 vs 117 in 1951) (1 mark).

Answer: Physical advantages explain much of the pattern: climate, terrain and water make the North Indian Plains, deltas and coastal plains crowded, while mountains and dry or rugged interiors are thin.

But human choices also shape density. Irrigation has brought people to parts of Rajasthan, mineral and energy development to Jharkhand, and transport networks to the Peninsular states, turning once-thin areas into moderately or highly populated ones.

Socio-economic and historical factors matter too: the evolution of settled agriculture, the pattern of settlements, transport, industrialisation and urbanisation. River plains and coasts stay crowded because of early settlement and transport links, even where land and water are degrading.

Cities show this most clearly: Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Pune, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Jaipur are dense because industry and urbanisation draw rural-urban migrants; the NCT of Delhi reaches 11,297 persons per sq km.

So while nature set the base, human decisions raised India's density from 117 in 1951 to 382 in 2011 and decide where people concentrate today.

Where students lose marks in Distribution and Density of Population in India

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Writing Delhi as the state with highest density
Delhi's 11,297 is the highest figure.
Wrong working
State with highest density: Delhi.
Right working
Delhi is a Union Territory (NCT). The state is Bihar (1,102).
Do this: Read 'state' carefully.
Usually costs: 1 map mark.
Mistake: Swapping physiological and agricultural density
Similar formulas.
Wrong working
Agricultural density = total population / net cultivated area.
Right working
That is physiological density; agricultural density uses agricultural population and net cultivable area.
Do this: PCA trick.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: No unit or census year
Rushing.
Wrong working
India's density is 382.
Right working
382 persons per sq km (2011).
Do this: Unit + year every time.
Usually costs: Half to 1 mark.
Mistake: Only physical factors in a 5-mark answer
Socio-economic side forgotten.
Wrong working
Population depends on climate, terrain and water.
Right working
Add settled agriculture, settlements, transport, industrialisation and urbanisation, with examples.
Do this: Two groups, examples in each.
Usually costs: 2 marks.

Exam tips

Asked in: map items on the state with the highest density (2023 64/1/1, 2024 64/1/1 and 64/2/1, 2025 64/7/1, 2026 64/1/1, sample papers 2023-24 and 2025-26) and the lowest density (2023 64/4/1, 2024 64/3/1, 2026 64/4/1 and 64/5/1, sample papers 2024-25 and 2026-27); 2025 board paper 64/4/1 Q12 (1 mark, incorrectly matched density formula); 2023 board paper 64/1/3 Q10 (1 mark, state with the lowest density); 2023 board paper 64/3/1 Q27 (5 marks, factors affecting density in India); 2026-27 sample paper Q19 (3 marks, source on uneven distribution). The answers on this page are our own.
Always quote Census 2011 figures with the year.
In a sum, show the division and the unit; method marks are given even if arithmetic slips.
Mark Bihar and Arunachal Pradesh boldly inside their boundaries and label them.

Practice questions on Distribution and Density of Population in India

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
Which of these is a Union Territory, so it cannot be the answer to 'the state with the highest density (2011)'?
(A) Bihar
(B) West Bengal
(C) NCT of Delhi
(D) Kerala
Hint
Eleven thousand-plus, but not a state.
Answer
(C) NCT of Delhi (11,297 persons per sq km); the state with the highest density is Bihar (1,102).
Q2 · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level
Arrange in descending order of density (2011): Kerala, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal. (1 mark)
Hint
Two northern states lead.
Answer
Bihar (1,102), West Bengal (1,029), Kerala (859), Tamil Nadu (555).
Q3 · 1 mark · Very short answerHarder board level
Which two peninsular states does NCERT name as having high density? (1 mark)
Hint
Far south.
Answer
Kerala (859) and Tamil Nadu (555).
Q4 · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder board level
Who is counted in 'agricultural population' for calculating agricultural density? (2 marks)
Hint
Two worker types plus families.
Answer
Cultivators and agricultural labourers, together with their family members.
Q5 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Suppose two districts have the same density of 800, but District P cultivates 2,500 sq km of its 3,000 sq km and District Q only 1,000 sq km. Each has 24,00,000 people. Find each physiological density and say which faces more pressure on farmland. (3 marks)
Hint
Divide by cultivated area.
Answer
P: 24,00,000 / 2,500 = 960 persons per sq km. Q: 24,00,000 / 1,000 = 2,400 persons per sq km. Q faces far more pressure on farmland though crude density is the same, which is why physiological density is a better measure for India.
Q6 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Why do Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru have high concentrations of population? (3 marks)
Hint
Industry, cities, migrants.
Answer
These urban regions have grown through industrial development and urbanisation. They offer jobs and services, which draw large numbers of rural-urban migrants. Their transport networks and the historical pattern of settlement further concentrate population, so densities are very high (NCT of Delhi 11,297 persons per sq km in 2011).
Q7 · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
"Density of population is a crude measure of the human-land relationship." Explain the statement and describe two better measures, with an example calculation. (5 marks)
Hint
Define, criticise, two formulas, a sum.
Answer
Density is the number of persons per unit area; India's was 382 per sq km in 2011. It is crude because it divides people by all land, including mountains, forests and deserts that support few people, so it hides the pressure on land that actually feeds them. For an agricultural country two better measures are used. Physiological density = total population / net cultivated area, showing pressure of all people on farmed land. Agricultural density = agricultural population (cultivators, agricultural labourers and families) / net cultivable area, showing pressure of farm people on land they can farm. Example: a district with 24,00,000 people on 3,000 sq km has density 800, but with only 1,600 sq km cultivated its physiological density is 1,500; if 13,20,000 are agricultural population on 1,800 sq km cultivable land, agricultural density is about 733. These measures are significant for India's large agricultural population.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.What share of India's population lived in Arunachal Pradesh (2011)?Show answer
0.11 per cent.
2.Which state has the highest population?Show answer
Uttar Pradesh.
3.How often is India's Census held?Show answer
Every 10 years.
4.Which Union Territory had the highest density in 2011?Show answer
The NCT of Delhi, 11,297 persons per sq km.
5.About what share of India's population lives in ten states led by U.P.?Show answer
About 76 per cent.

Distribution and Density of Population in India: frequently asked questions

Which Indian states have moderate density of population?

Assam, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand and Odisha (Census 2011).

Can human effort change where people live in India?

Yes. NCERT notes that irrigation (Rajasthan), mineral and energy resources (Jharkhand) and transport networks (Peninsular states) have raised population in areas that were once very thinly populated.

Why does India need physiological and agricultural densities?

Simple density is a crude measure of the human-land relationship; these two show the pressure of population on cultivable land, which matters for a country with a large agricultural population.

Which parts of India have low density?

The hill states of the Himalayan region and the north-eastern states (excluding Assam).