India home to 17 percent of all people in the world – census

(April 01, 2011) India has added 181 million people, equivalent to the total in Pakistan, to its population in the past decade, according to the latest national census figures released on Thursday. As of March 1, the country is home to 1.21 billion people or 17 percent of all people in the world, though growth actually slowed for the first time in 90 years. But doubts over the accuracy of the count surfaced when the Catholic Church in Goa alerted the authorities that it ignored many people from the western Indian state who work overseas or offshore. An inaccurate census would deprive Catholics of several government schemes. Those worried about India’s growing population could relax as the latest figures show the growth rate has decreased from 21.15 percent to 17.64 percent over the decade. Of the total population, males account for 623.7 million and females 586.5 million. Now, India has only 914 females for 1,000 males in the 0-6 age group. The census also showed that the literacy rate went up to 74 percent nationwide for people aged 7 and older, from about 65 percent in the last count.