Heart Sounds International

home > projects > asia > india > vital stats flag

india : vital stats

The following information is used with permission. Operation World, Authentic Paternoster.

geography

: Land Mass : 3,166,000 sq.km. (1,222,399 sq.mi.) A further 121,000 sq.km. (46,718 sq.mi.) of Kashmir is administered by Pakistan and China.
: Population : (2000) 1,013,661,777 +1.66% AGR
: Capital : Delhi 11.3 million.

peoples

: Literacy : 62% (44% in 1981) Functional literacy much lower. No longer the world’s least literate country.
: Official Language : Hindi (language of Union, 66% speak it); English (legislative and judicial language and language of wider communication, 19% speak it)
: Schedule Languages : 18
: Total Languages : 1,652 (1971 census). The SIL Ethnologue lists 407 living Languages.
: Languages with Scriptures : 53 - Bible; 42 - New Testament; 40 - portions; 68 - work in progress

Castes	Forward castes	15.4%
	Backward castse	56.6%
	Scheduled castse / Dalit	18.1%
	Tribal or Adivasi	9.5%
	Other	0.4%
Races	Indo-Aryan	75.3%
	Dravidian	22.5%
	Austro-Asiatic	1.13%
	Sino-Tibetan	0.97%
	Other	0.1%

economy

Predominantly agricultural with 64% of the labour force, but rapid industrialization and urbanization is taking place. Public Debt 22% of GNP go to Human Development Index.

politics

Independent from Britain in 1947.

religion

India’s constitution provides for full religious freedom of worship and witness for all religions.

Religions	Population %	Adherents	Annual Growth
Hindu / other	79.83%	792,075,313	+1.6%
Muslim	12.50%	1 26,707,722	+2.1%
Christian	2.40%	25,000,000est.	n.a.
Sikh	1.92%	19,462,306	+1.7%
Traditional ethnic	1.40%	14,191,265	+1.0%
Buddhist	0.80%	8,109,294	+3.0%
Jain	0.35%	3,500,000	+2.0%
non-religious	0.55%	5,575,000	+1.7%
Baha'i	0.23%	2,331,422	+3.1%
Parsee	0.02%	150,000	+2.2%