India occupies the seventh position in the world in terms of area and is second in terms of population. The current population of India is 1.27 billion, according to the latest census data. India is expected to overtake China and become the most populated country in the world. India is made up of 29 states and 7 union territories. The largest share of the population lives in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar. The top ten most populated states contribute about 76.56% of the total population of the country. This is the list of the top ten least populated states in India.
10. Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in the year 2000. Uttarakhand is also known as the land of gods because the main pilgrimage sites are located in this state. Uttarakhand comprises of 13 districts with a total population of 10,116,752. The rural population accounts for 69.45%, while the urban population accounts for 30.55% of the total population. The state has a total area of 53,483 square kilometers. This is a Himalayan state with more than 85% mountainous areas. The population density of the state is 189/sqm.
9. Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is also a Himalayan state. The total population of the state is 6,864,602. The population density of the state is 123/sqm. The area occupied by the state is 55,673 square Kilometers. The state has been divided into 12 districts. 89.96% of the population lives in the rural areas while 10.04% of the population lives in the urban areas.
8. Tripura
Tripura has a total population of 3,671,032 with an area of 10,486 square kilometres. The population density is 350/sqm. Tribals make up about 30% of the population. 73.82% of the population is rural while 26.18% is urbanized. Tripura is bordered by the states of Assam, Mizoram and the neighbouring country of Bangladesh. The state initially consisted of four districts before four new districts were carved out of them in 2011.
7. Meghalaya
Meghalaya was initially a part of Assam before it was, made it into a separate state. Meghalaya has a total population of 2,964,007 with an area of 22,429 km2. The population density of the state is 132/sqm. The rural population makes up about 79.92% of the total population, while 20.08% of the population reside in the urban centres. The Meghalaya’s population is mainly made up of tribal people with Khasis as the largest tribal group.
6. Manipur
Manipur is sixth in this list with a population of 2,721,756. The state has a total area of 22,327 square kilometres with a population density of 122/sqm. The rural and urban population accounts for 79.79% and 20.21% respectively. Tribals account for about 30% of the population. The state of Manipur has nine districts.
5. Nagaland
Nagaland is a mountainous north-eastern state which became a part of the Indian union in the year 1963. The total population of Nagaland is 1,980,602 in an area of 16,579 square Kilometers. The population density is 119/sqm. The rural population accounts for 71.03% of the total population, while it is 28.97% for the urban population. Nagaland is composed of 11 districts. Pheak is the least populated district. 16 major tribes reside in the state, each having its own language, culture and tradition. A unique feature of the state is that 36 different languages are spoken in the state.
4. Goa
The population of the state is 1,457,723. The state occupies an area of 3702 square kilometers with a population density of 394/sqm. This is an urbanized state with 62.17% of the population residing in the urban areas as compared to 37.83% residing in the rural areas. The state is a famous tourist destination and a major attraction for foreign tourists. Goa is also one of the richest states in India. Goa was annexed into the Indian union from the Portuguese in the year 1961 through military action.
3. Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh is third in this list. The population of the state is 1,382,611. The total area occupied by the state is 83,743 square kilometers. The population density is very low at 17/sqm. 77.33% of the population is rural while 22.67% of the population lives in the urban centers. The state was established in the year 1987 and is a popular tourist destination by virtue of its natural beauty. There are about 30 languages spoken in the state.
2. Mizoram
Mizoram comes second in the list. The population of the state is 1,091,014. The total area occupied the state is 21,081 square kilometers with a population density of 52/sqm. People living in urban areas make up 51.51% of the total population, while the rural population is 48.49% of the total number. Mizoram is one of the states with the largest forest cover with more than 90% of the area under forest cover. Tribal people make up about 95% population of the state. The state has eight districts.
1. Sikkim
Sikkim is the least populated state in the country with a population of 607,688. The share of rural and urban population is 75.03% and 24.97% respectively. Sikkim occupies an area of 7,096 square kilometers and has a population density of 86/sqm. Sikkim became an Indian state in the year 1975 and is bordered by West Bengal, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet.
The above list is based on the 2011 census carried out by the Government of India.
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