Population of Bihar - 2 | BPSC Preparation: All subjects - BPSC (Bihar) PDF Download

Population of Bihar

• Bihar, a prominent Indian state located in the northern part of the country, is home to approximately 100 million people. It ranks second in population density among Indian states, with about 1100 individuals per square kilometer, following the union territory of New Delhi. Despite various efforts to manage its rapidly growing population, results have been less than optimal.
• The 2011 Census revealed that Bihar had the third-largest population in India, with a growth rate of 25%, surpassing the national average of around 17%. As of 2022, the state's population reached 124,919, reflecting an average annual growth rate of 1.62% from 108,130 in 2013 to 124,919 in 2022.

Bihar Sex Ratio 

• In Bihar, the most recent census from 2011 shows that there are 918 women for every 1000 men, which is below the national average of 940. In contrast, the 2001 census recorded 919 more females than males in the state.

Bihar Literacy Rate 

• The latest population census indicates that Bihar's literacy rate has risen to 61.80 percent. Among this, 71.20 percent of men and 51.50 percent of women are literate. In contrast, the literacy rate was 47.00 percent in 2001, with literacy rates of 59.68 percent for men and 33.12 percent for women.
• Bihar has a total of 52,504,553 literates, comprising 31,608,023 males and 20,896,530 females. Rohtas has the highest literacy rate at 75.59 percent, while Purnia has the lowest at 52.49 percent.

Bihar Religion wise Population 

In Bihar, Hinduism is the predominant religion, practiced by 82.69% of the population. Islam is the second most common religion, with 16.87% adherence. Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism each have a presence of 0.02%, while Christianity is followed by 0.12% of the population.

District-wise population in Bihar

Bihar is presently divided into 38 districts, each with an average population of 2,731,701. Patna is the most populous district with 6,539,081 residents, while Sheikhpura is the least populous with 712,703 residents. Population figures for each district in Bihar are available from the 2011 Census and estimates for 2020.

Languages Spoken in Bihar

In Bihar, Hindi is the primary language spoken by most residents. Maithili is spoken by 12.54% of the population, and Urdu by 8.4%. Hindi remains the official and most widely used language in the state. Additionally, various Hindi dialects such as Bhojpuri, Angika, and Magahi are prevalent in certain districts. Migrant languages like Bengali, Punjabi, and Gujarati are spoken by less than 1% of the population each.
In 1901, during the first census under British rule, Bihar's population was 21.24 million. By 1951, the first census after India gained independence recorded a population of 29 million. The 2001 census showed a significant increase, with Bihar's population nearly tripling to 82 million over the previous 50 years. The most recent census in 2011 recorded a population of 104 million, marking a 25% growth from the previous count. The 2021 census has been postponed to 2024, so current population data will be available next year.