India census shows it has 17% of world population

India became home to 17 per cent of all people in the world as its population rose to 1.21 billion in 2011 - though growth actually slowed for the first time in 90 years, census officials said yesterday.

The population still saw a double-digit jump, adding 181 million people over the past ten years, said census commissioner C Chandramouli.

The 17.6 per cent increase was down from 21.5 in the 2001 count.

The last time India showed slowing in population growth was in the 1921 census.

UN projections still show India could overtake China and its 1.34 billion people as the world's most populous nation by 2030, though Mr Chandramouli said a more rigorous analysis of data would be needed before India made its own projections.

The figures released yesterday are preliminary and official figures and analysis are not expected until next year.

The census, India's 15th since 1872, was a mammoth effort spread out over a year. It involved 2.7 million census- takers, who surveyed 300 million households, noting for the first time whether people live in basic huts or concrete homes, have electricity and access to toilets, and if they have any education.

The questions are expected to help administrators set policies and budgets for a nation where an estimated 800 million people live in poverty.

The numbers show a decline in the number of children under the age of six, down five million since 2001 to 158.8 million. They also indicate a continuing preference for male children.

Almost all residents, regardless of nationality, are included in the count, with prisoners also expected to fill out the official questionnaire.