Demographic Profile of West Bengal

Demographics of West Bengal

Demographics not only help plan future investments and services but also reveals that where resource allocation and assistance programs are targeted. An aggregate picture of a population can be obtained from Demographics.

West Bengal Profile

Located along the Bay of Bengal the population size of the State is 91276115 (as of Census 2011) and 91347736 (as of world population review data). With 7.4% of India’s total population, it is the fourth most populous state in India.

• The total geographical area of the State is 34,267 square miles, making it 14^th largest by area in the nation.
• West Bengal’s population grew by almost 14% over the last ten years. This is down from nearly 18% in the previous decade. Though the growth of the state has slowed, there is no indication that it will significantly drop or stop, leaving the future bright for continued population growth.
• As per Census 2011, North24 Parganas has the highest population of 1,00,09,781whereas South Dinajpur has the least population of 16,27,276.

Districts with the highest population

District	Population
North 24 Parganas	1,00,09,781
South 24 Parganas	81,61,961
Bardhaman	77,17,563

Districts with low population

Districts	Population
South Dinajpur	16,76,276
Darjeeling	18,46,823
Cooch Behar	28,19,086

Urban population

31.87% of the total population of West Bengal is s living in an urban area, which is higher than the national average of 31.15%.

Districts with High Percentage

Districts	Population (%)
Kolkata	100
Howrah	63.39
North 24 Parganas	57.27

 

Districts with a Low Percentage of Urban Population

Districts	Population (%)
Bankura	8.34
Cooch Behar	10.27
East Midnapore	11.63

• The district with the highest percentage of urban Population is Kolkata (100%), and the lowest percentage of urban population is Bankura (8.34%).

Rural Population

68.13% of the total population of West Bengal is living in rural areas which are slightly lower than the national average of 68.85%.

Districts with High Percentage in Rural Population

District	Population (%)
Bankura	91.66
Cooch Behar	89.73
East Midnapore	88.37

Districts with a low percentage in Rural population

District	Population (%)
Kolkata	0
Howrah	36.61
North 24 Parganas	42.73

• The district with the highest percentage of the rural population is Bankura (91.66%), and the lowest percentage of the rural population is Kolkata (0%).

Population Density

After Bihar, West Bengal is the second-largest population density in India.

Districts with a high population density

Districts	Population Density (%)
Kolkata	24,306
Howrah	3,306
North 24 Parganas	2,445

• Kolkata has the highest population density of 24, 306. Purulia district of West Bengal has the lowest population density of 468.

Districts with a low population density

Districts	Population Density (%)
Purulia	468
Bankura	523
Darjeeling	586

• Kolkata has the highest population density of 24, 306. Purulia district of West Bengal has the lowest population density of 468.

Sex Ratio

According to Census 2011, the sex ratio of West Bengal is 950, which is higher than the national average of 943.

Districts with High Sex ratio

Districts	Sex Ratio
Darjeeling	970
West Midnapore	966
Hooghly	961

• The district with the highest sex ratio in the state is Darjeeling, i.e. 970. The district of Kolkata has the lowest sex ratio of 908.

Some other sex ratios specific to the State:

• Sex ratio (females per 1000) – 950
• Sex ratio (Rural) – 953
• Sex ratio (urban) – 944
• Sex ratio, 0-6 yrs (females per 1000 females) -956
• Sex ratio, 0-6yrs (urban) – 959
• Sex ratio, 0-6 yrs (urban) – 947

Districts with Low Sex ratio

Districts	Sex Ratio
Kolkata	908
East Midnapore	938
Howrah	939

 

Child Population

The children between the age group of 0-6 yrs comprise the child population. The total population of West Bengal is 1,05,81,466, which is 11.59% of the total population of the State.

Districts with High Child Population

Districts	Child Population
South 24 Parganas	10,25,679
Murshidabad	10,13,392
North 24 Parganas	9,57,973

Districts with Low Child Population

Districts	Child Population
South Dinajpur	1,88,135
Darjeeling	1,93,169
Kolkata	3,39,323

• South 24 Parganas is the district with the highest child population, and South Dinajpur is with the lowest child population.

Child Sex Ratio

The child sex ratio of West Bengal is 956, which is higher than the national average of 919.

Districts	Child Sex Ratio
Murshidabad	968
West Midnapur	963
South 24 Parganas	963

• Murshidabad district of West Bengal has the highest child sex ratio of 968. The district of Kolkata has the least child sex ratio of 933.

Literacy and Poverty in West Bengal

• West Bengal’s literacy rate is over 77%, falling well above the national rate of 74.04%.
• Nearly 20% of people in West Bengal live below the federal poverty line, but this has declined from almost 32% just ten years ago.

 Religions in West Bengal

Hinduism is the largest religious tradition in West Bengal with 70.54% of the population identifying themselves as Hindus (as per Census 2011). The Hindus in West Bengal mostly belong to the Vaishnavite and Shakta denominations.

Religion	Percentage
Hinduism	70.54%
Islam	27.01%
Christianity	0.72%
Sikhism	0.07%
Buddhism	0.31%
Jainism	0.07%
Other	1.03%
Not stated	0.25%

 

Languages in the State

West Bengal has multiple official languages including but not limited to Bengali, Hindi, Odia, and Urdu, but Bengali is the primary language spoken throughout the State. The State is known for being religiously diverse. Hence, the majority of the population demographics is made up of Bengalis, including Bengali Muslims and Bengali Hindus.

• Minority groups such as the Maithil, Bhojpuri and Marwari are also located throughout the region.
• In some areas of the state, there are Buddhist communities and Nepali immigrants, as well as indigenous tribes.
• Nearly 70% of the inhabitants practise Hinduism and more than one-quarter practice, Islam.
• Some also practise Christianity and Buddhism.

As per the Census 2011, the conclusion regarding the emerging trends and patterns in decadal growth rate,  literacy variation, sex ratio and urbanisation in the state of West Bengal, can be made as:

• The decadal growth rate has declined across the districts, and in Kolkata district, the growth rate was found as unfavourable.
• Moving on literacy rate is high in rural areas and compared to an urban one, and it is among female, may be added as a good sign of improving the status of women, but it can’t be generalised.
• Sex ratio in the state shows a drastic decline over the periods, but in post-independence it is continuous on the increase.
• It is observed that there is a rather low and negative correlation, i.e. r = -0.16 between the literacy and sex ratio in West Bengal.
• It means a high literacy rate, low sex ratio. It is observed that West Bengal have a lower than national average urban sex ratio.

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