Bihar Population, Census 2011 and Caste Survey Notes
Notes on the population of Bihar for exams: the 2011 census figures, density, sex ratio, literacy, district extremes and the caste survey of 2022 and 2023.
By GK24 Editorial Team· Published · 4 min read
Bihar is the third most populous state of India, the most crowded one by density, and the state where the written record of caste numbers was reopened in our own time. A student of Bihar general knowledge therefore has to hold two sets of figures: the Census of 2011, which is the last full count taken by the Union Government, and the caste-based survey carried out by the state in 2022 and 2023, whose report was published in October 2023. The two are not the same kind of exercise, and the difference itself is examinable.
Who may count, and under which law
The census is a Union subject, placed at entry 69 of the Union List in the Seventh Schedule, and it is taken under the Census Act of 1948 by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, which works under the Ministry of Home Affairs. A state government cannot hold a census of its own. That is why the exercise Bihar carried out was framed as a survey, done by the General Administration Department under the executive power of the state, with its own schedule of questions on caste, occupation and income. The last census of India was that of 2011; no census was held in 2021, and the Union Government has since notified the next one, in which caste is also to be recorded.
Bihar in the Census of 2011
| Item | Figure for Bihar in 2011 |
|---|---|
| Population | 10,40,99,452, that is about 10.41 crore; the third most populous state after Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra |
| Decadal growth, 2001 to 2011 | 25.42 per cent, the highest among the large states and far above the national 17.7 per cent |
| Density of population | 1,106 persons per square kilometre, the highest of any state in India |
| Sex ratio | 918 females per 1,000 males, against 943 for India |
| Child sex ratio, 0 to 6 years | 935 girls per 1,000 boys |
| Literacy rate | 61.80 per cent, the lowest of any state; male 71.20 per cent and female 51.50 per cent |
| Urban population | About 11.3 per cent, among the lowest shares in the country |
| Scheduled Castes | About 15.9 per cent of the state's population |
| Scheduled Tribes | About 1.3 per cent, most of it in the districts bordering Jharkhand and West Bengal |
| Administrative units at the time | 38 districts in nine divisions |
The districts at the extremes
| Measure | Highest in 2011 | Lowest in 2011 |
|---|---|---|
| Population | Patna | Sheikhpura |
| Density | Sheohar | Kaimur, also called Bhabua |
| Literacy | Rohtas | Purnia |
| Sex ratio | Gopalganj | Munger |
Gopalganj and Siwan have high sex ratios for an unhappy reason: so many men of those districts work outside the state that the women left behind outnumber the men who are counted at home. Sheohar, a small district of the north, is the densest because its tiny area is wholly cultivated plain.
The caste-based survey of 2022 and 2023
The state government took the survey in two phases, a house listing early in 2023 and the collection of caste, occupation and income details in April of that year, and released the caste figures on 2 October 2023 and the economic figures the following month. It counted about 13.07 crore people, well above the census figure of 2011, which is explained both by twelve years of growth and by the counting of families whose members live outside the state.
| Group | Share of the population in the survey |
|---|---|
| Extremely Backward Classes | 36.01 per cent, the largest single group |
| Other Backward Classes | 27.12 per cent |
| Scheduled Castes | 19.65 per cent |
| Unreserved castes | 15.52 per cent |
| Scheduled Tribes | 1.68 per cent |
| Largest single caste | Yadav, 14.26 per cent |
On the strength of these figures the state assembly raised reservation in services and education to sixty-five per cent, besides the ten per cent for the economically weaker sections. The amendment was struck down by the Patna High Court in June 2024 and the question then went before the Supreme Court, so a paper will ask what the survey found and what the assembly did, not what the law is at this moment.
The words the paper uses
- Census: the complete count of every person, a Union subject taken every ten years under the Census Act, 1948.
- Survey: an enumeration taken by a government on its own schedule, which a state may hold within its executive power.
- Density of population: persons living on each square kilometre; Bihar leads all states on this measure.
- Decadal growth: the percentage rise in population between two censuses.
- Sex ratio: females per 1,000 males; the child sex ratio counts children of nought to six years only.
Exam Point of View
Bihar is the state of superlatives in this chapter, and the paper asks for them: highest density of any state, highest growth among the large states, lowest literacy of any state. Keep the national figures of 382, 943, 74.04 per cent and 17.7 per cent beside the state figures of 1,106, 918, 61.80 per cent and 25.42 per cent, because the wrong options are taken from the other list. District questions come as extremes, with Patna against Sheikhpura, Sheohar against Kaimur, Rohtas against Purnia and Gopalganj against Munger. From the caste survey learn the five shares, the Yadav figure of 14.26 per cent, the total of about 13.07 crore and the date of 2 October 2023, and remember why it was a survey and not a census.
Important Facts
| Population in 2011 | 10,40,99,452, about 10.41 crore; third most populous state |
|---|---|
| Density | 1,106 persons per square kilometre, the highest among the states |
| Decadal growth 2001 to 2011 | 25.42 per cent, the highest among the large states |
| Sex ratio | 918 females per 1,000 males; child sex ratio 935 |
| Literacy | 61.80 per cent, the lowest of any state; male 71.20 and female 51.50 per cent |
| Urban population | About 11.3 per cent, among the least urbanised states |
| District extremes | Most populous Patna, least Sheikhpura; densest Sheohar, least dense Kaimur |
| Literacy and sex ratio extremes | Highest literacy Rohtas, lowest Purnia; highest sex ratio Gopalganj, lowest Munger |
| Caste survey total | 13,07,25,310 persons; caste figures released on 2 October 2023 |
| Caste survey shares | EBC 36.01, OBC 27.12, SC 19.65, unreserved 15.52 and ST 1.68 per cent; Yadav 14.26 per cent |
Practice MCQs on this topic
According to the Census of 2011, Bihar was which most populous state of India?
- A.Second
- B.Third
- C.Fourth
- D.Fifth
Show answer
Bihar had 10,40,99,452 people in 2011, about 10.41 crore, which placed it third after Uttar Pradesh with about 19.98 crore and Maharashtra with about 11.24 crore.
Read the full explanation →Which state had the highest density of population in the Census of 2011?
- A.West Bengal
- B.Bihar
- C.Kerala
- D.Uttar Pradesh
Show answer
Bihar recorded 1,106 persons per square kilometre in 2011, the highest of any state, because the alluvial plain of the Ganga is fertile, level and watered, and the state has very little forest or hill to thin the settlement.
Read the full explanation →Which state recorded the lowest literacy rate in the Census of 2011?
- A.Jharkhand
- B.Bihar
- C.Arunachal Pradesh
- D.Rajasthan
Show answer
Bihar had a literacy rate of 61.80 per cent in 2011, the lowest of any state, with male literacy at 71.20 per cent and female literacy at 51.50 per cent, so barely half the women of the state were counted as literate.
Read the full explanation →The decadal growth of population of Bihar between 2001 and 2011 was:
- A.17.7 per cent
- B.25.42 per cent
- C.20.23 per cent
- D.13.4 per cent
Show answer
Bihar grew by 25.42 per cent between the censuses of 2001 and 2011, the fastest among the large states of India, which is why its share in the population of the country keeps rising.
Read the full explanation →What was the sex ratio of Bihar in the Census of 2011?
- A.943
- B.918
- C.912
- D.933
Show answer
Bihar had 918 females for every 1,000 males in 2011, below the national figure, while its child sex ratio for ages nought to six was 935, which is better than the national child sex ratio.
Read the full explanation →Which was the least populous district of Bihar according to the Census of 2011?
- A.Sheohar
- B.Sheikhpura
- C.Arwal
- D.Kaimur
Show answer
Sheikhpura, a small district carved out of Munger, had the smallest population of all the districts of Bihar in 2011, while Patna had the largest.
Read the full explanation →Which district of Bihar had the highest density of population in 2011?
- A.Patna
- B.Sheohar
- C.Darbhanga
- D.Vaishali
Show answer
Sheohar in north Bihar is the smallest district of the state by area, and almost all of that area is cultivated plain with closely spaced villages, so it recorded the highest number of persons per square kilometre in 2011, above the state figure of 1,106.
Read the full explanation →Which district of Bihar had the highest literacy rate in the Census of 2011?
- A.Patna
- B.Rohtas
- C.Munger
- D.Bhagalpur
Show answer
Rohtas district, with its headquarters at Sasaram, recorded the highest literacy rate among the districts of Bihar in 2011, a little above Patna, helped by its canal irrigated agriculture, its old towns and its schools.
Read the full explanation →According to the Bihar caste-based survey whose report was released in October 2023, which is the largest group in the population of the state?
- A.Other Backward Classes
- B.Extremely Backward Classes
- C.Scheduled Castes
- D.Unreserved castes
Show answer
The survey put the Extremely Backward Classes at 36.01 per cent of the population, the largest single group, followed by the Other Backward Classes at 27.12 per cent, the Scheduled Castes at 19.65 per cent, the unreserved castes at 15.52 per cent and the Scheduled Tribes at 1.68 per cent.
Read the full explanation →The Bihar caste-based survey of 2022 and 2023 put the population of the state at about:
- A.10.41 crore
- B.13.07 crore
- C.12.50 crore
- D.11.80 crore
Show answer
The survey counted 13,07,25,310 people, a figure higher than the census count of 2011 both because of twelve years of growth and because families whose members live and work outside Bihar were recorded.
Read the full explanation →Frequently Asked Questions
What was the population of Bihar in the Census of 2011?
It was 10,40,99,452 persons, about 10.41 crore, which made Bihar the third most populous state of India after Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Why is Bihar called the most densely populated state?
Because the Census of 2011 recorded 1,106 persons per square kilometre there, the highest figure for any state. The level, fertile and well watered plain of the Ganga supports close settlement, and the state has very little forest or hill.
What were the literacy rate and sex ratio of Bihar in 2011?
The literacy rate was 61.80 per cent, the lowest of any state, with 71.20 per cent among men and 51.50 per cent among women. The sex ratio was 918 females per 1,000 males and the child sex ratio was 935.
What did the Bihar caste-based survey find?
It counted about 13.07 crore people and reported Extremely Backward Classes at 36.01 per cent, Other Backward Classes at 27.12 per cent, Scheduled Castes at 19.65 per cent, unreserved castes at 15.52 per cent and Scheduled Tribes at 1.68 per cent, with Yadav the largest single caste at 14.26 per cent.
Why was the Bihar exercise called a survey and not a census?
Because census is a Union subject at entry 69 of the Union List and is taken under the Census Act of 1948 by the Registrar General of India. A state cannot hold a census, so Bihar carried out a survey under its executive power, through the General Administration Department.
Sources
- Census of India 2011, Primary Census Abstract and district handbooks for Bihar — Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India
- The Census Act, 1948 — Government of India
- Bihar Jati Adharit Ganana 2022-23, report placed before the state legislature — General Administration Department, Government of Bihar
