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{{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 = 
| population = 361,088,090
| percent_change = 13.32%
| annual_percent_change =
| region_type = 
| most_populous =
| least_populous =
| previous_census = Census of India prior to independence
| previous_year = Pre-independence
| next_census = 1961 Census of India
| next_year = 1961
}}
The 1951 '''Census of India''' was the 9th 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 |format=PDF |title=Planning for the 2001 Census of India Based on the 1991 Census |author=Dr. 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 is 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 population of India was counted as 361,088,090 (1:0.946 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 |format=PDF}}</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 |format=PDF |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=http://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==

Separate figures for Hindi, Urdu, and Punjabi were not issued, due to the fact the returns were intentionally recorded incorrect in states such as [[East Punjab]], [[Himachal Pradesh]], [[Delhi]], [[PEPSU]], and [[Kahlur|Bilaspur]].<ref name="langs1951" />
{| class ="wikitable sortable"
|+ '''''Table: Ordered by number of native speakers '''''
|-
!Rank || Language
!colspan=2 class="unsortable"| 1951 [[Census of India]]<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}}</ref>
|-
! || || Speakers || Percentage
|-
| 1 || '''[[Hindi]], [[Urdu]], [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]'''|| 149,944,311 || 42.01%
|-
| 2 || '''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''' || 32,999,916 || 9.24%
|-
| 3 || '''[[Marathi language|Marathi]]''' || 27,049,522 || 7.57%
|-
| 4 || '''[[Tamil language|Tamil]]''' || 26,546,764 || 7.43%
|-
| 5 || '''[[Bengali language|Bengali]]''' || 25,121,674 || 7.03%
|-
| 6 || '''[[Gujarati language|Gujarati]]''' || 16,310,771 || 4.57%
|-
| 7 || '''[[Kannada language|Kannada]]''' || 14,471,764 || 4.05%
|-
| 8 || '''[[Malayalam language|Malayalam]]''' || 13,380,109 || 3.69%
|-
| 9 ||''' [[Odia language|Odia]]''' || 13,153,909 || 3.21%
|-
| 10 || '''[[Assamese language|Assamese]]''' || 4,988,226 || 1.39%
|}

==Religious demographics==
Hindus comprised 305 million (84.1%), Sikhs were 6.86 million (1.9%) and Muslims were 35.4 million (9.8%) in the 1951 census.<ref name="The Hindu religions"/><ref name="indiadawn1951">
{{cite news |title=Muslims in Indian army |newspaper=Dawn |date=15 March 2010 |url=http://www.dawn.com/news/842925/muslims-in-indian-army}}
</ref><ref>More citations:
* {{cite news |title=Muslim population growth slows |newspaper=The Hindu |date=25 August 2015 |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/census-2011-data-on-population-by-religious-communities/article7579161.ece?homepage=true}}
* {{cite news |title= Census: Hindu share dips below 80%, Muslim share grows but slower |author1=Abantika Ghosh |author2=Vijaita Singh |newspaper=Indian Express |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/census-hindu-share-dips-below-80-muslim-share-grows-but-slower/ |date= 24 January 2015 }}
* {{cite news |title= Demographic Dividend and Indian Muslims - i |author= Aariz Mohammed |newspaper=Milli Gazette |date=1–15 May 2013 |url=http://www.milligazette.com/news/6953-demographic-dividend-and-indian-muslims-i}}
</ref>{{efn|Chennai-based Centre for Policy Studies states that the number of Muslims was 37.7 million (10.4%).<ref>{{citation |last1=Joshi |first1=A. P. |last2=Srinivas |first2=M. D. |last3=Bajaj |first3=J. K. |chapter=Religious Demography of India |title=Religious Demography of India |publisher=Centre for Policy Studies |year=2003 |chapter-url=https://www.cpsindia.org/dl/religious/summary3c.pdf |page=9}}</ref>}}
1951 Indian census showed that there were 8.3 million Christians.<ref name="indiadawn1951"/> Hindus comprised about 73 per cent of the population of [[British India|India before partition]] and just after independence, Independent India in (1947) have roughly around 85 per cent Hindus.
;Population trends for major religious groups in India (1951)
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto;"
|- style="text-align: center;"
! Religious group
! Population % '''1951'''
|-
! style="background:#e5bca6;"| [[Hinduism]]
| 84.1%
|-
! style="background:#bdbf97;"| [[Islam]]
| 9.8%
|-
! style="background:#a69a8e;"| [[Christianity]]
| 2.3%
|-
! | [[Sikhism]]
| 1.89%
|-
! style="background:#f6e4a0;"| [[Buddhism]]
| 0.74%
|-
! style="background:#b4a28e;"| [[Animism]], others
| 0.43%
|-
! | [[Jainism]]
| 0.46%
|}
{{Clear}}

==See also==

* [[Census of India prior to independence]]
* [[1891 Census of India]]
* [[Demographics of India]]

{{Clear}}

==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|http://censusindia.gov.in/}}
* [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}}

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

1951 Census of India - Revision history

CleanupBot II at 16:54, 13 August 2023