Demographic Attributes of India's Population: ISC Class 12 Geography

What Demographic Attributes is about

Weightage: CISCE publishes no chapter or unit weightage for ISC Geography. Demographic Attributes is part of 2. Population and Human settlements (v) of the 2027 syllabus and can be asked anywhere in the 70-mark Paper I (Section A one-mark and map items, Section B 4-mark short answers, Section C 7-mark long answers).Source: CISCE ISC Geography (853) syllabus, examination year 2027; ISC 2027 specimen question paper

Key concepts

Rural-urban composition

Census 2011: urban population 377 million (31.1 per cent; 31.2 in the provisional totals); rural 834 million (68.9 per cent). Urban share has risen steadily: about 11 per cent in 1901, 17 per cent in 1951, 23 per cent in 1981, 28 per cent in 2001 and 31 per cent in 2011. In 2001-2011, for the first time since Independence, the absolute increase in urban population was greater than in rural population.

Highest and lowest (states, 2011):
1. Highest level of urbanisation: Goa (about 62 per cent), followed by Mizoram, Tamil Nadu and Kerala (each about 47-52 per cent).
2. Lowest: Himachal Pradesh (about 10 per cent), followed by Bihar (about 11 per cent) and Assam (about 14 per cent).
(Among UTs, Delhi is about 97.5 per cent urban.)

Causes of urbanisation: rural-urban migration for jobs; natural increase in towns; reclassification of villages as census towns as they acquire urban characteristics; industrialisation and growth of services.

Implications: cities drive economic growth but face slums, congestion and pressure on services; rural areas still hold most people, so agricultural and rural development remain essential.

Worked example

[2] Name the most and least urbanised states of India according to the 2011 Census and give one reason for each. (Recall)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Goa, most urbanised (about 62 per cent): tourism, mining, port and services; small state with towns along the coast - 1 mark.
2. Himachal Pradesh, least urbanised (about 10 per cent): mountainous terrain, scattered villages, agriculture and horticulture - 1 mark.

Answer: Goa is the most urbanised state (about 62 per cent), because of tourism, trade, a port, mining and services; Himachal Pradesh is the least urbanised (about 10 per cent), because its mountainous terrain supports scattered villages based on farming and horticulture.

Sex composition

Sex ratio (as defined in India): number of females per 1,000 males.

National trend: 972 in 1901, falling to 946 in 1951 and 927 in 1991, then rising to 933 in 2001 and 943 in 2011 (940 provisional). The child sex ratio (0-6 years) fell from 927 in 2001 to 918 in 2011 (final; 914 in the provisional totals), which is a serious concern.

Highest and lowest (states, 2011): highest Kerala (1,084); lowest Haryana (879). Among UTs, Puducherry was highest (1,037) and Daman and Diu lowest (618).

Causes of the low sex ratio:
1. Preference for sons rooted in social and economic customs (inheritance, old-age security, dowry).
2. Sex-determination tests and sex-selective abortion, although banned by law.
3. Female infanticide and neglect of girl children in nutrition and health care, raising female child mortality.
4. Maternal deaths during pregnancy and childbirth.
5. Male-dominated in-migration in some urban and industrial areas (for example Delhi, Daman and Diu).

Why Kerala is high: high female literacy and status, better health care, and male out-migration to the Gulf and other states.

Implications: a low sex ratio reflects gender discrimination; it leads to social problems and shows the need for girls' education, enforcement of laws against sex selection, and schemes such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (2015).

Worked example

[4] The sex ratio in India is below 1,000. Evaluate four reasons for this. (Evaluate)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Son preference: sons seen as support and heirs; daughters as a burden because of dowry - 1 mark.
2. Sex-determination tests and sex-selective abortion, despite the ban - 1 mark.
3. Female infanticide and neglect of girls' health and nutrition - 1 mark.
4. Maternal deaths in childbirth; low status of women - 1 mark.

Answer: India's sex ratio is below 1,000 mainly because of son preference: sons are valued as heirs and old-age support while daughters are seen as a burden because of dowry. This leads to illegal sex-determination tests and sex-selective abortions, and in some areas female infanticide and neglect of girls' nutrition and health care. Many women also die during pregnancy and childbirth, reflecting their low status and poor health care.

Age composition

Age groups used: 0-14 years (children, dependent), 15-59 years (working age), 60 years and above (elderly, dependent).

Census 2011 (approximately): 0-14 years about 31 per cent; 15-59 years about 60 per cent; 60 and above about 8.6 per cent.

Trend: the share of children is falling as the birth rate declines (it was over 40 per cent in 1971), while the shares of working-age adults and of the elderly are rising as life expectancy increases.

Age pyramid: India's pyramid has a broad base that is now narrowing at the bottom and widening in the middle, typical of a country in the later stage of demographic transition.

Implications:
1. Demographic dividend: a large working-age population can raise savings and growth if employed and skilled.
2. Dependency ratio: still significant child dependency; old-age dependency will rise, requiring pensions and health care for the elderly.
3. Needs: schools for children, jobs and skills for youth, health care and social security for the elderly.

Worked example

[4] Describe India's age composition in 2011 and explain two implications for development. (Analyse)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. 0-14 years about 31 per cent; 15-59 about 60 per cent; 60+ about 8.6 per cent - 1 mark.
2. Trend: children's share falling, working-age and elderly shares rising - 1 mark.
3. Implication: demographic dividend if the working-age group is educated and employed - 1 mark.
4. Implication: need for schools now, and rising old-age care and pensions later - 1 mark.

Answer: In 2011 about 31 per cent of Indians were aged 0-14, about 60 per cent 15-59 and about 8.6 per cent 60 or above; the share of children is falling while working-age and elderly shares rise. This gives India a demographic dividend if the large working-age group is educated, skilled and employed, while it must still provide schools for many children and increasingly plan for pensions and health care for a growing elderly population.

Literacy levels

Literacy (census definition): a person aged 7 years and above who can both read and write with understanding in any language is literate. Literacy rate = literates / population aged 7 and above x 100.

Trend: about 18 per cent in 1951, 43.6 per cent in 1981, 52.2 per cent in 1991, 64.8 per cent in 2001 and 74.04 per cent in 2011 (provisional; the final figure is 72.98 per cent). Male literacy about 82 per cent and female about 65 per cent in 2011 (provisional; final 80.9 and 64.6); the gender gap is narrowing. Female literacy grew faster than male in 2001-2011.

Highest and lowest (states, 2011): highest Kerala (about 94 per cent); lowest Bihar (61.8 per cent final; 63.8 provisional). Among UTs, Lakshadweep is highest and Dadra and Nagar Haveli lowest.

Causes of variation: poverty and child labour; social barriers to girls' schooling; lack of schools in remote and tribal areas; historical investment in education (Kerala, Mizoram high); rural-urban differences.

Implications: literacy, especially female literacy, lowers birth and infant mortality rates, raises productivity and incomes, and strengthens democracy. Efforts: Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the Right to Education Act (2009), the mid-day meal scheme.

Worked example

[4] Explain why literacy is high in Kerala and low in Bihar. (Analyse)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Figures: Kerala about 94 per cent, highest; Bihar about 62 per cent (61.8 final), lowest (2011) - 1 mark.
2. Kerala: long history of investment in schools by the state, missionaries and social reformers - 1 mark.
3. Kerala: high female status, urban-rural continuum and good access to schools - 1 mark.
4. Bihar: poverty, child labour, gender barriers, high population growth and fewer schools and teachers - 1 mark.

Answer: In 2011 Kerala had the highest literacy (about 94 per cent) and Bihar the lowest (61.8 per cent final; 63.8 provisional). Kerala has a long tradition of public, missionary and community investment in schools, high status of women and easy access to schools throughout its settled landscape. Bihar's literacy is held back by widespread poverty, child labour, social barriers to girls' education, rapid population growth and a shortage of schools and teachers.

Working and non-working population

Census categories:
1. Main workers: worked for 6 months (183 days) or more in the year.
2. Marginal workers: worked for less than 6 months.
3. Non-workers: did not work at all (students, home-makers, dependants, retired, unemployed).

Work participation rate (WPR) = total workers / total population x 100. India 2011: about 39.8 per cent (male about 53 per cent, female about 26 per cent). So about 60 per cent of Indians are non-workers, a high dependency burden.

Occupational composition of workers (2011): cultivators about 24.6 per cent, agricultural labourers about 30 per cent, household industry about 3.8 per cent, other workers (industry, trade, services) about 41.6 per cent. More than half of workers still depend on agriculture, but the number of cultivators fell between 2001 and 2011 while agricultural labourers increased.

Highest and lowest: WPR is highest in Himachal Pradesh (about 52 per cent), where women work widely on farms and orchards, and low in states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar (about 33 per cent), where female work participation is low.

Implications: low female WPR wastes human resources; heavy dependence on agriculture means underemployment and low incomes; creating non-farm jobs and skills is essential.

Worked example

[4] Distinguish between main workers, marginal workers and non-workers, and state India's work participation rate in 2011. (Recall)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Main workers: worked 6 months (183 days) or more in the year - 1 mark.
2. Marginal workers: worked less than 6 months - 1 mark.
3. Non-workers: did not work at all in the year - 1 mark.
4. WPR about 39.8 per cent (male about 53, female about 26) - 1 mark.

Answer: Main workers worked for six months (183 days) or more during the reference year, marginal workers for less than six months, and non-workers did not work at all. In 2011 India's work participation rate was about 39.8 per cent, about 53 per cent for men and about 26 per cent for women.

Demographic Attributes in real life

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

Topics in this chapter

• Literacy Levels and the Working and Non-Working Population of India
• Rural-Urban Composition, Sex Ratio and Age Composition of India

Demographic Attributes: key facts

Sex ratio (India)

$Females/malesx1,000$

2011: 943 (940 provisional). Kerala 1,084; Haryana 879.

Literacy rate

Literates aged 7+ / population aged 7+ x 100

2011: 74.04 per cent (provisional). Kerala highest; Bihar lowest.

Work participation rate

Total workers / total population x 100

2011: about 39.8 per cent.

Level of urbanisation

Urban population / total population x 100

2011: 31.1 per cent (final). Goa highest; Himachal Pradesh lowest.

Age groups

$0-14about31$

Dependants: 0-14 and 60+.

How the board asks Demographic Attributes

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Tricks to remember Demographic Attributes

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

• The six extremes

  Urbanisation: Goa high, Himachal low. Sex ratio: Kerala high, Haryana low. Literacy: Kerala high, Bihar low.

  Use it when: Map list items.

• 943-74-40-31

  Sex ratio 943, literacy 74, workers 40, urban 31 (all 2011).

  Use it when: National figures.

• Census town 5-75-400

  5,000 people, 75 per cent male non-farm workers, 400 per sq km.

  Use it when: Urban definition, linking to urban settlements.

Demographic Attributes: board-level solved questions

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Case-study practice (Section D style)

Read the situation, then answer every part. In the board paper this is a 7-mark question split into 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 marks.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is split into step marks. Show every step: a right final answer alone rarely earns full marks.

Where students lose marks in Demographic Attributes

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

• ✗Mistake: Not knowing the social causes of a low sex ratio

  CISCE examiners' comments, 2025: when asked to evaluate the reasons for India's sex ratio of 940, 'Almost all candidates were unable to answer correctly'; teachers were advised to discuss social customs. The expected points were son preference, sex-determination and abortion, infanticide and dowry deaths, deaths in childbirth and neglect of girls.

  ✓Do this: Learn the five social causes as a set and write each as a full sentence.

  Usually costs: Both marks of the part.

• ✗Mistake: Locating the wrong state on the map

  CISCE examiners' comments, 2025: on identifying the most urbanised state, 'A few named the wrong state for Goa'.

  ✓Do this: Goa is the small coastal state between Maharashtra and Karnataka; practise all six extreme states on a blank map.

  Usually costs: 1 mark.

• ✗Mistake: Writing the sex ratio as males per 1,000 females

  India defines sex ratio as females per 1,000 males.

  Wrong working

  Sex ratio = males / females x 1,000.

  Right working

  Sex ratio = females / males x 1,000 = 943 (2011).

  ✓Do this: Remember: 943 is below 1,000 because there are fewer females.

  Usually costs: 1 mark.

• ✗Mistake: Mixing provisional and final census figures without saying so

  Sex ratio 940 or 943 and literacy 74.04 or about 73 appear in different sources; inconsistent use looks careless.

  ✓Do this: State which you use, for example 'sex ratio 943 (final; 940 provisional)'.

  Usually costs: Can cost credibility in data questions.

• ✗Mistake: Giving trends without implications

  The syllabus asks for implications for development for each attribute.

  ✓Do this: After every trend, add 'This means...' with an economic or social consequence.

  Usually costs: 1-2 marks in 7-mark answers.

Practice questions on Demographic Attributes

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

1. Q1 · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level

   Which state had the lowest level of urbanisation in 2011?

   Hint

   Mountain state.

   Answer

   Himachal Pradesh (about 10 per cent).

2. Q2 · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level

   State the literacy rate of India in 2011.

   Hint

   Provisional figure.

   Answer

   74.04 per cent (provisional).

3. Q3 · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level

   Who is a marginal worker?

   Hint

   Less than 6 months.

   Answer

   A person who worked for less than six months (183 days) in the reference year.

4. Q4 · 1 mark · Very short answerHarder board level

   Why is the child sex ratio a more worrying indicator than the overall sex ratio?

   Hint

   Recent discrimination.

   Answer

   It reflects recent sex selection and neglect of girls, and it fell (927 to 918) in 2001-2011 even as the overall sex ratio rose.

5. Q5 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level

   [2] Give two reasons for the rising share of urban population in India.

   Hint

   Migration and reclassification.

   Answer

   Rural-urban migration for jobs and amenities; reclassification of large villages as census towns (also natural increase in towns).

6. Q6 · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

   [4] Explain the implications of India's age composition for development.

   Hint

   Children, working age, elderly.

   Answer

   (1) A large working-age population offers a demographic dividend if educated and employed. (2) Unemployed youth can become a burden and cause unrest. (3) A still-large child population needs schools, nutrition and health care. (4) The growing elderly population will need pensions, health care and social security.

7. Q7 · 4 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

   [4] Female work participation in India is low. Analyse the reasons and suggest two remedies.

   Hint

   Social norms, unpaid work, safety.

   Answer

   Reasons: social norms that confine women to unpaid household work, which the census does not count as work; lack of safe, suitable jobs near home; and lower education and skills. Remedies: skill training and education for women; creating safe local jobs, self-help groups and childcare support.

8. Q8 · 7 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

   [7] (a) Name the states with the highest and lowest literacy and highest and lowest urbanisation in 2011. [2]
   (b) Explain how urbanisation and literacy are related to development. [5]

   Hint

   (a) Kerala, Bihar; Goa, Himachal Pradesh.

   Answer

   (a) Literacy: highest Kerala, lowest Bihar. Urbanisation: highest Goa, lowest Himachal Pradesh. (b) Urban areas concentrate industry, trade and services, offering higher incomes, so urbanisation usually accompanies economic development. Cities provide more schools and colleges, so urban literacy is higher. Literate people have better access to non-farm jobs, which encourages migration to towns. Literacy lowers birth rates and improves health, reinforcing development. But the relation is not exact: Himachal Pradesh is little urbanised yet highly literate, showing that rural development and public investment in education matter too.

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. 1.Urban share of India in 2011?Show answer

   About 31 per cent.

2. 2.Highest and lowest sex ratio states?Show answer

   Kerala (1,084); Haryana (879).

3. 3.Highest and lowest literacy states?Show answer

   Kerala; Bihar.

4. 4.Most and least urbanised states?Show answer

   Goa; Himachal Pradesh.

5. 5.Work participation rate 2011?Show answer

   About 39.8 per cent.

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

• ☐Rural 69 per cent, urban 31 per cent (2011); Goa highest, Himachal Pradesh lowest urbanisation.
• ☐Sex ratio 943 (940 provisional); Kerala 1,084 highest, Haryana 879 lowest; child sex ratio 918 (final).
• ☐Ages: 0-14 about 31 per cent, 15-59 about 60 per cent, 60+ about 8.6 per cent.
• ☐Literacy 74 per cent (male 82, female 65); Kerala highest, Bihar lowest.
• ☐WPR about 39.8 per cent; main (6 months+), marginal (under 6 months), non-workers.
• ☐Over half of workers in agriculture; labourers rising, cultivators falling.
• ☐Implications: demographic dividend, gender equity, need for skills, jobs and urban planning.

Demographic Attributes: frequently asked questions