India's population increases by over 181 million in 10 years

India's population is now pegged at 1.21 billion, an increase of more than 181 million in the last 10 years, according to the provisional 2011 Census report released today. The 15th National Census report claimed that India's population grew by more than 181 million in the past one decade. The growth rate in 2011 is 17.64 percent in comparison to 21.15 percent in 2001.

The country's population, comprising 623.7 million males and 586.5 million females, is almost equal to the combined population of the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Japan, the report said, RTTNews quoted.

"We are now over 17 percent of the world population, and India is 2.4 percent of the world's surface area," said C. Chandramauli, India's census commissioner. "We have added the population of Brazil to India's numbers this time."

The total population grew from 1.02 billion people in 2001 to 1.21 billion this year, according to the preliminary calculations of the massive census exercise that ended in February, costing over $492,000.

But the census' most alarming finding is the continuing preference for sons over daughters in Indian society. In the past decade, girl-boy ratio has plunged to 914 girls for 1,000 boys in the age of 6 and below. It was 927 girls to 1,000 boys in the previous census, Washington Post reports.