census — BSSC Static GK

• Thomas Robert Malthus, a British economist and demographer, wrote this essay in 1798.

• He gave the theory of population growth vs food supply growth.

• This is one of the most repeated questions from this topic in recent SSC exams.

• Warren Thompson gave Demographic Transition Theory, not this essay.

• Remember: Malthus = Population Essay; Thompson = Transition Theory.

• His theory forms the base of the entire Malthusian concept.

• Population grows in Geometric Progression (GP) as per Malthus's theory.

• GP means the ratio between successive terms stays the same (e.g., 1,2,4,8).

• Food supply, on the other hand, grows in Arithmetic Progression (AP).

• This mismatch leads to famine, disease, and death according to Malthus.

• Remember: Population = Fast = GP; Food = Slow = AP.

• This exact concept has been directly asked in recent SSC exams.

• Food supply grows in Arithmetic Progression (AP) as per Malthus.

• AP means the difference between successive terms is constant (e.g., 1,2,3,4).

• This slower growth compared to population creates resource scarcity.

• This leads to famine, disease, and war according to the theory.

• Remember the reverse pairing: Food/Resources = AP (slow).

• This is a frequently asked flip-question in exams (population vs food).

• There are three main processes of population change: Birth, Death, and Migration.

• Birth and Death are considered natural causes.

• Migration is considered an artificial/human-driven cause.

• This classification was directly asked in an exam question.

• Remember: 2 Natural (Birth, Death) + 1 Artificial (Migration) = 3 total.

• Migration depends on human choice, unlike birth/death which are natural.

• Migration is NOT a natural cause since it depends on human decision-making.

• Birth and Death are natural because they are not in human control.

• A person chooses to migrate from one place to another based on need.

• This exact reasoning-based question was asked in an SSC exam.

• Remember: Migration = Human Choice = Artificial cause.

• Birth/Death = No human control = Natural causes.

• Population density refers to the number of persons per unit area (per sq. km) of land.

• It reflects the spatial distribution of population in a region.

• It is NOT about the number of people per household.

• This concept was directly tested with the exact wording used in the exam.

• Remember: Density = People ÷ Land Area (sq. km).

• Higher density means more crowding in a smaller land area.

• India's population density in 2011 census was 382 persons per sq. km.

• In 2001 census, it was 325 persons per sq. km.

• In 1951 census, it was only 117 persons per sq. km.

• This upward trend shows steady increase in density with population growth.

• Remember all three: 1951=117, 2001=325, 2011=382.

• This has been directly asked with different years in multiple exams.

• India's population density in 1951 census was only 117 persons per sq. km.

• This was around the time India became independent.

• Density has more than tripled since then, reaching 382 in 2011.

• This oldest data point is often used to confuse students in exams.

• Remember the sequence: 1951 (117) → 2001 (325) → 2011 (382).

• Low density in 1951 reflects lower population and less crowding then.

• Bihar has the highest population density among states, at around 1102 persons per sq. km.

• West Bengal comes second at around 1030 persons per sq. km.

• Kerala comes third at around 859 persons per sq. km.

• Uttar Pradesh has the highest total population but not the highest density due to larger area.

• Remember: Population (highest) = UP; Density (highest) = Bihar.

• Do not confuse total population ranking with density ranking.

• Arunachal Pradesh has the lowest population density in India, at only 17 persons per sq. km.

• Mizoram comes next with 52 persons per sq. km.

• Sikkim comes third in low density with 86 persons per sq. km, despite having the lowest total population.

• Do not confuse lowest population (Sikkim) with lowest density (Arunachal Pradesh).

• Remember: Lowest population = Sikkim; Lowest density = Arunachal Pradesh.

• This distinction has been directly and repeatedly tested in exams.