Population Distribution Density Growth Class 12 NCERT Solutions

The NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Geography Chapter 1 Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition cover all 3 textbook exercise questions, aligned to the 2026-27 CBSE syllabus. Every answer is written in plain English so a Class 12 student can read it directly, with Census 2011 data, state-level examples and the exact detail the CBSE examiner rewards.

• 3 NCERT exercise questions covering MCQs, 30-word short answers and 150-word long answers, each with a plain-language solution plus an Expert's Solution from a subject specialist.
• Full coverage of population distribution patterns, density bands across states, the four phases of population growth, and the occupational and linguistic composition of India's population.
• Free downloadable PDF, ready to print, paired with chapter notes and handwritten notes on the same topic.

Every answer here is written by Geography subject experts, mapped to the 2026-27 NCERT India - People and Economy textbook, and cross-checked against the last five years of CBSE and CUET Geography papers.

What the NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Geography Chapter 1 Cover

This chapter answers where India's 1.21 billion people live, and why. The NCERT India - People and Economy textbook splits it across four thematic blocks, and these solutions follow that structure exactly.

• Distribution: why the Ganga plain and coasts are densely packed while the north-east, Thar and Himalayan zones are thin.
• Density: what the 382 per sq km average hides (Bihar 1,102 to Arunachal 17), plus physiological and agricultural density.
• Growth: the four phases from 1901 to 2011, and what birth rate, death rate and migration each contribute.
• Composition: rural-urban split, sex ratio, literacy, linguistic families and occupational structure, from Census 2011.

Exercise-wise Breakdown of Population Class 12 NCERT Solutions

Chapter 1 has 3 end-of-chapter exercise questions covering MCQs, short answers and long-answer descriptions. The table below maps each to its topic, the answer style CBSE rewards, and the typical marks.

Questions Q3(i) and Q3(ii) carry the most marks and are the two most frequently tested long-answer topics for this chapter.

Population Distribution and Density in India: Key Concepts Explained

India's population is deeply uneven: about 76 per cent lives in just ten states, while large states like Arunachal Pradesh (0.11%) hold tiny shares despite their size. The drivers are physical factors (terrain, climate, water) and socio-economic factors (agriculture, transport, industry). Moderate climate and monsoon rain make the Ganga plain and coastal lowlands attractive, while extreme heat in the Thar and cold in Ladakh push people away.

• North Indian Plains (Punjab to West Bengal): flat alluvial land, good monsoon, long farming history = very high density.
• Coastal plains and deltas (Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra coast): fertile land, fishing and trade = high density.
• Thar Desert, Himalayan states, north-east: extreme climate, difficult terrain, limited cultivable land = low density.
• Industrial cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru): industry and services pull rural-urban migrants, creating dense urban clusters.

Population Density: National Average and State Variations

India's overall density in 2011 was 382 persons per sq km, up from 117 in 1951, but this hides a huge range: Bihar leads at 1,102, followed by West Bengal (1,029), Kerala (859) and UP (828), while Arunachal Pradesh sits at just 17, the lowest of any state. The chapter also uses two finer measures: physiological density (population per net cultivated area) and agricultural density (agricultural population per net cultivable area), both more meaningful than crude density where half the people still farm.

Population Growth in India: Four Phases from 1901 to 2011

India's population did not always grow fast. The NCERT chapter identifies four clear phases, and the start-year, end-year and key feature of each is the most-tested short-answer pattern for this chapter.

The annual growth rate in 2011 was 1.64 per cent (doubling time about 42 years). Growth has two parts: natural growth (birth rate minus death rate) and induced growth (net migration); for India, natural growth dominates.

Population Composition: Language, Religion, Occupation and Urban-Rural Split

Composition is the "who" question, covering four dimensions all tested in the board paper.

Rural-Urban, Sex Ratio and Literacy

Census 2011 counted about 31.2% urban and 68.8% rural, with Goa the most urban state (about 62%). The sex ratio was 943 females per 1,000 males (Kerala highest at 1,084), and literacy was 74.04% (male 82.1%, female 65.5%). India's urbanisation is rising but lags its industrialisation, which is why agriculture still employs so many people.

Linguistic Composition

India has four main linguistic families: Indo-Aryan (Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Odia; about 73%, the largest), Dravidian (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam; about 20%, in the south), and the much smaller Austric and Sino-Tibetan families, found mainly in tribal and north-eastern areas.

Occupational Structure

The workforce splits into three sectors: the primary sector (farming, mining, fishing) at about 54.6%, the secondary sector (manufacturing, construction) at about 24%, and the fast-growing tertiary sector (trade, transport, banking, IT, education, health) at around 21-27%. The primary share has fallen from 64% in 1991, reflecting the service-sector boom in cities like Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

Common Mistakes Students Make in Population Geography

Previous Year Question Trends from Population Chapter 1

This chapter is a reliable source of marks in the CBSE board paper. The table below shows the question types asked in recent years.

Also Check: The downloadable PDF above includes detailed chapter notes and a Census 2011 quick-reference table covering all states, updated to the 2026-27 syllabus.

Other Resources for Class 12 Geography Chapter 1 Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition

Pair this NCERT Solutions PDF with the matching notes, handwritten notes and official NCERT book chapter, all linked below.

India - People and Economy: All Chapters NCERT Solutions

Related Links: NCERT Solutions for the other chapters of Class 12 India - People and Economy are linked below.

All NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Geography Chapter 1 Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition with Step-by-Step Solutions

Q 1.1

Choose the right answers of the followings from the given options.

Check SolutionExpert Solution

Each MCQ anchors on a single Census 2011 fact. (i) the total population of India in 2011 is approximately 1,210 million; (ii) Bihar has the highest state density at 1,102 persons per sq km; (iii) Goa has the largest urban share among states at approximately 62%; (iv) the Indo-Aryan family covers about 73% of Indians.

• (i) India's 2011 population. Census 2011 recorded approximately 1,210 million persons. Options (a) 1028 million and (b) 3182 million and (c) 3287 million are all wrong. Answer: (d) 1210 million.
• (ii) Highest density state. Bihar tops the density table at 1,102 persons per sq km, ahead of West Bengal (1,029), Kerala (859) and Uttar Pradesh (828). Answer: (d) Bihar.
• (iii) Highest urban proportion. Among states, Goa's urban share is approximately 62%, the highest in India. Tamil Nadu is around 48%, Maharashtra 45% and Kerala 47.7%. Answer: (d) Goa.
• (iv) Largest linguistic group. The Indo-Aryan family covers roughly 73% of Indians, including Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Punjabi, Gujarati and Odia. Dravidian comes next at around 20%. Answer: (b) Indo-Aryan.

Answers: (i) (d) 1210 million; (ii) (d) Bihar; (iii) (d) Goa; (iv) (b) Indo-Aryan.

DS

Dr. Sumita Roy

M.A. Population Studies, IIPS Mumbai

Verified Expert

Census MCQs need three things: the number, the ranking (which state, which group) and the source year (always 2011 unless the question says otherwise). Anchor on those three and the four sub-parts settle in two minutes.

• (i) The total figure. The 2011 Census put India at 1,210,569,573 persons, or approximately 1,210 million. The 1028-million figure is for 2001; the thousands-of-millions options are impossible. Answer: (d).
• (ii) The density league. Bihar surged past West Bengal in 2011 to claim the top spot at 1,102 per sq km. WB sits at 1,029, Kerala at 859 and UP at 828. High birth rates and small area drive Bihar's lead. Answer: (d).
• (iii) The urban-share league. Goa is the chapter's textbook answer for highest urban share among states (approximately 62%). Among UTs, Delhi and Chandigarh are higher, but the MCQ restricts to states. Answer: (d).
• (iv) The language league. The Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European family is by far the largest in India (73%), covering Hindi belt languages and western and eastern Indo-Aryan tongues. Dravidian (approximately 20%) is second. Answer: (b).

Maintain a Census-2011 cheat-sheet in your head: total, density rank, urban-share rank, sex ratio, literacy, linguistic share. Every MCQ in this chapter is a query on one row of that sheet.

Answers: (i) (d); (ii) (d); (iii) (d); (iv) (b).

Q 1.2

Answer the following questions in about 30 words.

Check SolutionExpert Solution

• (i) Role of climate on population distribution. Extreme climates repel settlement. Hot deserts like the Thar in Rajasthan face severe summer heat and very low rainfall, making farming very difficult. Cold high-altitude areas like Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh have long winters and short growing seasons. Both extremes hold low population densities. The Ganga plain, by contrast, has moderate temperatures, monsoon rain and fertile alluvium, so it is densely populated.
• (ii) States with large rural populations. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh have the largest absolute rural populations. The reason is that agriculture is still the leading occupation, industrial and service jobs have grown more slowly than the population, and migration to cities is uneven across these states.
• (iii) Why some states have higher work participation rates. Work participation varies because of three factors: economic structure (states with diversified non-farm sectors like Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu draw more workers into employment), cultural norms (female work participation is higher in the south and north-east than in the Hindi belt), and age structure (states with a higher share of working-age population show higher participation).
• (iv) Agriculture's largest share of Indian workers. About 54.6% of Indian workers are still in agriculture, as recorded by Census 2011. India's rural population is very large, landholdings are small but numerous, non-farm jobs in rural areas remain limited, and tradition keeps farming families on the land. The share has been falling slowly as manufacturing and services expand.

PA

Prof. Anjali Iyer

Ph.D. Demography, JNU

Verified Expert

Each 30-word answer benefits from one chapter phrase plus one named state or number. For (i) name the two climate extremes and one fertile contrast. For (ii) name three states and one reason. For (iii) name three drivers. For (iv) cite the approximately 55% figure.

• (i) Climate, two extremes one mean. Hot deserts and cold high mountains both repel settlement. The Thar in Rajasthan and the Himalayan cold deserts illustrate the extremes. The Ganga plain (moderate temperature, monsoon rain, alluvial soil) is the densely-populated mean because physical conditions favour intensive farming.
• (ii) Rural-state list and reason. UP, Bihar, MP, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh. Their economies are still farm-dominated. Urban industrial growth has not absorbed their growing labour force, so the rural share remains very high relative to most other states.
• (iii) Three drivers of work participation. Economic structure (diversification raises participation), cultural norms (south India and the north-east have higher female participation rates), and age structure (states with younger working-age populations show higher total participation rates).
• (iv) Why agriculture still dominates. Census 2011 reports about 54.6% of workers in agriculture. Small landholdings keep many farmers on the land, non-farm jobs in villages remain scarce, and India's urbanisation has lagged behind its industrialisation. The share is falling but slowly.

Answering with one named state per question signals geographic awareness. Citing the 54.6% agriculture figure earns credit for census-precision. These two moves separate a strong 30-word answer from a generic one.

Q 1.3

Answer the following questions in about 150 words.

Check SolutionExpert Solution

• (i) Spatial pattern of density of population in India.

  India's mean density in 2011 was 382 persons per sq km. Three density bands stand out across the country.

  The high-density belt (above 500 persons per sq km) runs through the Indo-Gangetic plain from Punjab through Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to West Bengal, and also covers Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the south. Bihar leads all states at 1,102 persons per sq km, followed by West Bengal at 1,029, Kerala at 859 and Uttar Pradesh at 828. The main drivers here are flat alluvial land, reliable monsoon water and a long tradition of intensive farming.

  The medium-density belt (200 to 500) includes Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana and parts of Tamil Nadu's interior. These states mix farming with industry and services.

  The low-density belt (below 200) covers the Himalayan states (Arunachal Pradesh at just 17 per sq km is the lowest of any state), most of the north-east, and Rajasthan's Thar desert. Physical constraints such as cold, heat, steep slopes and dense forests keep settlement sparse in these areas.

• (ii) Occupational structure of India's population.

  The primary sector still dominates with about 54.6% of all Indian workers in 2011, mainly farmers, agricultural labourers, miners and fishermen. This share has been falling (it was 64% in 1991) as some workers shift to industry and services.

  The secondary sector (mining, manufacturing, construction) accounts for about 24% of the workforce. Construction has been the fastest-growing sub-sector within secondary employment.

  The tertiary sector (transport, communication, retail, finance, education, healthcare, IT) accounts for around 21 to 27% of workers depending on the classification used, and it has been growing the fastest. States like Karnataka, Maharashtra and Delhi have shifted sharply towards tertiary employment, while Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha remain primarily agriculture-based. This gap mirrors India's broader regional inequality between industrialised cities and agrarian states.

DK

Dr. Karan Mehra

Ph.D. Economic Geography, IIT Bombay

Verified Expert

Question 3 splits into a spatial question and a sectoral question. Both are answered by the same technique: present three bands or three sectors, name one example state per band and one driver per band or sector.

• (i) Three density bands with drivers and named states.

  High (above 500): the Indo-Gangetic plain. Bihar 1,102, West Bengal 1,029, Uttar Pradesh 828, Punjab 551. Drivers: flat alluvial land, monsoon water, long agricultural history. Kerala (859) is a high-density southern outlier, driven by intensive paddy farming, coconut cultivation and high urbanisation.

  Medium (200 to 500): semi-industrial states. Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat. Drivers: a mix of agriculture, industry and services.

  Low (below 200): physical-constraint regions. Arunachal Pradesh (17), Sikkim (86), Himachal Pradesh (123), Rajasthan (201 but with a vast desert interior much lower). Drivers: cold mountains in Arunachal and Sikkim, hot desert in western Rajasthan, dense forest in the north-east.

• (ii) Three sectors with shares and trends.

  Primary (approximately 54.6%, falling): cultivators, agricultural labourers, livestock keepers, fishers, miners.

  Secondary (approximately 24%, rising slowly): mining, manufacturing, construction, utilities. Construction is the fastest-growing sub-sector inside secondary employment.

  Tertiary (approximately 21 to 27%, rising fastest): retail, transport, communication, hospitality, finance, education, healthcare, IT and IT-enabled services. The IT cluster centred on Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Gurugram accounts for a large share of urban white-collar jobs. State patterns vary sharply: Karnataka, Maharashtra and Delhi tilt strongly to tertiary, while Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha remain primarily dependent on agriculture.

For Q3(i) cite at least one state and one driver per band. For Q3(ii) cite the percentage share and one state per sector. Use the chapter's own labels (primary, secondary, tertiary; Indo-Gangetic plain; north-east). Examiners reward precision over generic adjectives.