View source for 1951 census of India-260946

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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2016}}
{{Infobox census
| name = 1951 census of India
| logo = 
| logo_size = 
| logo_caption = 
| image = 
| image_size = 
| image_caption = 
| country = [[India]]
| date = <!--{{start date|YYYY|MM|DD|df=y}}-->
| population = 361,088,090
| percent_change = 13.32%
| region_type = state
| most_populous = [[Uttar Pradesh]] (60,274,800)
| least_populous = [[Sikkim]] (138,093)
| previous_census = Census in British India
| previous_year = Pre-independence
| next_census = 1961 census of India
| next_year = 1961
}}
The 1951 '''census of India''' was the ninth in a series of [[census of India|censuses]] held in [[India]] every decade since [[Census of India prior to independence|1872]].<ref name="ancsdaap">{{cite web |url=http://www.ancsdaap.org/cencon98/papers/india/india.pdf |title=Planning for the 2001 Census of India Based on the 1991 Census |author=M. Vijaynunni |work=18th Population Census Conference |date=26–29 August 1998 |location=Honolulu, Hawaii, USA |publisher=Association of National Census and Statistics Directors of America, Asia, and the Pacific |access-date=2013-11-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081119080707/http://www.ancsdaap.org/cencon98/papers/india/india.pdf |archive-date=19 November 2008 }}</ref> It was also the first census after independence and [[Partition of India]].<ref name="The Hindu religions">{{cite news |title=India's religions by numbers |newspaper=The Hindu |date=26 August 2015 |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/religious-communities-census-2011-what-the-numbers-say/article7582284.ece}}</ref> 1951 census was also the first census to be conducted under 1948 Census of India Act. The first census of  the Indian Republic began on February 10, 1951.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/htthis-day-feb-10-1951-first-census-in-indian-republic-begins-101644334090460.html|title=HT This Day: Feb 10, 1951 -- First Census In Indian Republic Begins|date=8 February 2022 }}</ref>

The population of India was counted as 361,088,090 (1000:946 male:female)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/India_at_glance/variation.aspx |title=Census of India: Variation in Population since 1901 |publisher=Censusindia.gov.in |access-date=2018-11-14}}</ref> Total population increased by 42,427,510, 13.31% more than the 318,660,580 people counted during the 1941 census.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.isec.ac.in/List%20of%20Census%20Data%20in%20Microfiche%20(6).pdf |title=Census data |website=www.isec.ac.in }}</ref> No census was done for [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] in 1951 and its figures were interpolated from 1941 and 1961 state census.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://indiabudget.nic.in/es2006-07/chapt2007/tab97.pdf |title=Budget data |website=indiabudget.nic.in |access-date=2014-07-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219073658/http://indiabudget.nic.in/es2006-07/chapt2007/tab97.pdf |archive-date=2008-12-19 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[National Register of Citizens for Assam]] (NRC) was prepared soon after the census.<ref>{{cite news |title=National Register of Citizens in Assam: Issue of illegal foreigners continues to be a major political one |newspaper=The Economic Times |date=14 June 2015 |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/national-register-of-citizens-in-assam-issue-of-illegal-foreigners-continues-to-be-a-major-political-one/articleshow/47657561.cms }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Assam: Overhaul of National Register of Citizens sparks controversy |newspaper=Hindustan Times |date=30 June 2015 |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/assam-overhaul-of-national-register-of-citizens-sparks-controversy/story-O082SAiZUXEc9ZRWfpsvDO.html }}</ref> In 1951, at the time of the first population census, just 18% of Indians were literate while life expectancy was 32 years.<ref>{{cite news |author=Shashi Shekhar |title=Despite stains, democracy has thrived in India |newspaper=livemint |date=13 August 2017 |url=http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/k6IhP0F5uWiOqEOerpwIZN/Despite-stains-democracy-has-thrived-in-India.html }}</ref>  Based on 1951 census of displaced persons, 7,226,000 Muslims went to Pakistan (both [[West Pakistan|West]] and [[East Pakistan|East]] Pakistan) from India, while 7,249,000 Hindus and Sikhs moved to India from Pakistan (both [[West Pakistan|West]] and [[East Pakistan|East]] Pakistan).<ref>{{cite news |author=Vivek Shukla |title=When Muslims left Pakistan for India |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/opinions/2017/aug/14/when-muslims-left-pakistan-for-india-1642817.html |newspaper=The New Indian Express |date=14 August 2017}}</ref>

==Language demographics==
{{Pie chart
|caption = Languages of India in 1951<ref name="langs1951">{{cite book |last1=Dasgupta |first1=Jyotirindra |title=Language Conflict and National Development: Group Politics and National Language Policy in India |year=1970 |publisher=University of California, Berkeley. Center for South and Southeast Asia Studies |location=Berkeley |isbn=9780520015906 |page=47}}<!--|access-date=29 December 2015 --></ref>
|label1  = [[Hindi]], [[Urdu]], [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], {{nts|149944311}} |value1  = 42.01|color1 = orange
|label2  = [[Telugu language|Telugu]], {{nts|32999916}}   |value2  = 9.24  |color2 = purple
|label3  = [[Marathi language|Marathi]], {{nts|27049522}} |value3  = 7.57  |color3 = lightgreen
|label4  = [[Tamil Language|Tamil]], {{nts|26546764}}       |value4  = 7.43  |color4 = royalblue
|label5  = [[Bengali language|Bengali]], {{nts|25121674}}  |value5  = 7.03  |color5 = orchid
|label6  = [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], {{nts|16310771}}
|value6  = 4.57  |color6 = deeppink
|label7  = [[Kannada language|Kannada]], {{nts|14471764}} |value7  = 4.05  |color7 = gold
|label8 = [[Malayalam language|Malayalam]], {{nts|13380109}} |value8  = 3.69  |color8 = turquoise
|label9  = [[Odia language|Odia]], {{nts|13153909}} |value9  = 3.21  |color9 = red
|label10 = [[Assamese language|Assamese]], {{nts|4988226}}
 |value10 = 1.39  |color10 =indigo
| other=on| other-label = others | other-color = ghostwhite
|thumb = right
}}
Separate figures for Hindi, Urdu, and Punjabi were not issued, due to the partition 1947 and fact that returns were intentionally recorded incorrectly in states such as [[East Punjab]], [[Himachal Pradesh]], [[Delhi]], [[PEPSU]], and [[Kahlur|Bilaspur]].<ref name="langs1951" />

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==Religious demographics==
{{Pie chart
|caption = Major religious groups in India in 1951
|label1  = [[Hinduism]], {{nts|303675084}} |value1  = 84.1|color1 = orange
|label2  = [[Islam]], {{nts|35386633}}  |value2  = 9.8 |color2 = green
|label3  = [[Christianity]], {{nts|8305026}}|value3  = 2.3  |color3 = blue
|label4  = [[Sikhism]], {{nts|6824565}}|value4  = 1.89  |color4 = gold
|label5  = [[Buddhism]], {{nts|2672051}} |value5  = 0.74  |color5 = orchid
|label6 = [[Animism]], others, {{nts|1552678}}|value6 = 0.46|color6 = red
|label7  = [[Jainism]], {{nts|1661005}}|value7 = 0.43|color7 = purple
|thumb = right
}}
In 1951, India had 305 million Hindus (84.1% of the population), 35.4 million Muslims (9.8%),  8.3 million Christians, (2.3%), and 6.86 million Sikhs, (1.9%).
1951 Indian census showed that there were 8.3 million Christians.<ref name="indiadawn1951">
{{cite news |title=Muslims in Indian army |newspaper=Dawn |date=15 March 2010 |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/842925/muslims-in-indian-army}}
</ref> Hindus had made up about 73% of the population of [[British India]]. Just after independence and the [[partition of India]], the proportion of Hindus rose to around 85%.

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==See also==
{{Portal|India}}
* [[Census of India prior to independence]]
* [[1891 census of India]]
* [[Demographics of India]]

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==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{citation |last1=Ponnapalli |first1=Krishna Murthy |last2=Ram |first2=Faujdar |title=Religious taxonomy of states |url=http://www.iipsindia.org/pdf/IIPS%20Working%20Paper%20No.2.pdf |publisher=International Institute for Population Sciences |date=July 2010 |location=Mumbai |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004022838/http://www.iipsindia.org/pdf/IIPS%20Working%20Paper%20No.2.pdf |archive-date=4 October 2012 |url-status=dead}}
* {{citation |chapter=Table 1.8: Population of India by Religion |publisher=Ministry of Social justice and Empowerment, Government of India |title=Handbook on Social Welfare Statistics 2007 |chapter-url=http://socialjustice.nic.in/pdf/tab18.pdf |url=http://socialjustice.nic.in/pub.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030080006/http://socialjustice.nic.in/pub.php |archive-date=30 October 2012 |url-status=dead}}
* {{citation |title=History of Indian Census |publisher=Office of The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, Government of India |date=2011 |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/Data_Products/Library/Indian_perceptive_link/History_link/censushistory.htm}}

==External links==
* {{official website|https://censusindia.gov.in/census.website/}}
* [https://www.jstor.org/site/SAOA/SouthAsiaOpenArchivesSAOA/CensusReports-1951-26575929/ Census Reports – 1951], South Asia Open Archives, JSTOR.
* [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.36936/page/n1/mode/2up Census of India, 1951, Volume 1, Part 1-A – Report], Registrar General, India and ex-officio Census Commissioner for India, via archive.org.

{{Census of India}}

[[Category:Political history of India]]
[[Category:Censuses in India]]
[[Category:1951 in India]]
[[Category:1951 censuses|India]]