The numbers the Census gives us to understand who India's population actually is.
Population density (persons per sq. km) varies enormously across India — highest in states like Bihar and West Bengal, lowest in Arunachal Pradesh and other sparsely populated hill states. India's decadal population growth rate has been steadily declining since the 1990s, reflecting falling fertility rates, though it remains positive and India recently became the world's most populous country.
The sex ratio (females per 1,000 males) has historically been unfavourable to women in India, though it has improved over successive Censuses. The child sex ratio (0-6 years) is tracked separately and has been a particular policy concern, given evidence of sex-selective practices in some states — addressed through schemes like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao.
Literacy rate has risen substantially since Independence, but a persistent gender gap (male literacy exceeding female literacy) and rural-urban gap remain, though both have been narrowing.
Occupational structure classifies the workforce into primary (agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining), secondary (manufacturing, construction), and tertiary (services) sectors. India's occupational structure is often described as imbalanced relative to its GDP composition — a large share of the workforce remains in low-productivity primary sector (agriculture) even as services now dominate GDP, reflecting the incomplete "structural transformation" typical of many developing economies.
Census data also tracks the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) population share and distribution — SC population is more evenly spread but concentrated in states like Punjab and West Bengal (as a % of state population), while ST population is concentrated in central India (Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand) and the North-East.
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