Population Data in India: A Historical Perspective

The 2011 Census conducted in February 2011 is the 15th census in India started around 1872 during British rule. Census of India has seen a shift in its approach from an instrument of governance to an aid in the development planning despite it continues to be part of the Ministry of Home Affairs unlike British Census controlled by an independent Statistical Authority and US Census working under the Department of Commerce. After independence, new economic questions have been added and older concerns with caste were dropped except the questions on SCs and STs. On the other hand, the rural- urban classification, workforce and migrant and non-migrant composition of population have gone through several definitional changes to capture the emerging realities. Further, since 1991 Census along with population, housing tables were published which provided data on household amenities like electricity, sources of drinking water, toilet facility and household assets like car, television, telephone/mobile phone, refrigerator, motor cycle, bank account etc. This paper discuses the changing nature of the economic and social aspects of population data available from the censuses in India.