figures on India's population

- total population: 1.06 billion people (mar 2004)  - daily population increase: about 50,000 people  - one baby born in India: every 1.25 seconds  - India's working age population (15-60 years): 610 million (estimate 2003)  - population dependent on agriculture for livelihood: 65 %  - population living in approx 600,000 villages countrywide: 722.8 million people [2001]  - population living in cities: 277.8 million people [2001]  - population living a significant distance from a road: nearly 40 percent    [Sahara Time, Mar 2004]  - population growth per year (1991 - 2001): India: 1.9 % -- Rajasthan: 2.5 %    -- Kerala: 0.9 %  - population growth in India within decade 1991-2001: 21.4 % [HT Mar 04]  - population growth in Kerala within decade 1991-2001: 9.42 % [HT Mar 04]  - population density in Kerala: 819 people per sq km (3rd highest in India, after    West Bengal and Bihar) [HT Mar 04]  - population density in Ladakh: 1.3 people per sq km  - Delhi population: 1981: 6.2 million -- 2003: 13.5 million  - population of Bangalore approx 2 decades ago: approx 2 million [BBC, Jan 2006]  - current population of Bangalore: approx 8 million [BBC, Jan 2006]  - population of different religions (acc to figures by census commissioner, census    of 2001): 80.5% Hindu, 13.4% Muslim, 2.3% Christian, 1.9% Sikh, 0.8% Buddhist,    0.4% Jain, 0.01% Zoroastrian, 1.3% other  - loss of female births within past 2 decades caused by abortion and sex selection:    estimate of more than 10 million [BBC, Jan 2006]  - annual 'girl deficit' due to prenatal sex selection and selective abortion: 500,000    according to researchers for the Lancet Journal [BBC, Jan 2006]  - child sex ratio of 0-6 year olds acc to census data 2001 (numbers of females per    1000 males): Himachal: 1991:951, 2001: 897 -- Spiti Valley in HP: 2001: 1009 --    Punjab: 1991: 875, 2001: 793 -- Haryana: 2001: 820 -- Sikkim: 2001: 986

some statistics on education

- expenditure on education in 2000-2001: 778.5 billion Rupees,    equiv. to 4.11 % of the GDP of that year  - number of universities: 1950-51: 27 -- 2000-01: 254  - number of colleges: 1950-51: 578 -- 2000-01: over 10,000 (some estimate over 13,000)  - * number of college graduates per year: 20 lakh (2 million) [BBC Jan 07]  - number of teachers in higher education: 1961: 62,000 (estimate)    -- 1997: over 320,000 -- 2003: over 330,000 (estimate)  - number of students enrolled: 1961:17.9 million -- 1991: 72.4 million  - average number of students per teacher: 220  - people partaking of higher education: 1 person out of every 14,000  - number of pupils at the City Montessori school in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, 2002:    26,312 pupils (world record) [GBoWR]  - number of Indians going as students to Britain: 17,000 per year  - number of Indians going as students to the US: 14,000 per year

data on agriculture

- number of cows globally: 1.5 billion [NATURE oct 04]  - number of cows in India: 200 million [Times of India aug 04]  - number of buffaloes in India: 90 million [Times of India aug 04]  - annual number of cattle smuggled from India into Bangladesh: 6 million  - milk production 2001-2002: 84.6 million tonnes  - people who are farmers: almost 550 million [Sahara Time, Mar 04]  - number of agricultural labourers: about 200 million (many with daily wages    below 10 Rs per day) [Sahara Time, Mar 04]  - cultivation which is rain-dependent: nearly 60 percent [Sahara Time, Mar 04]  - area in which pesticides are used: 1980: 6 million hectare -- 1990: 125 million hectare  - people in Andhra Pradesh who depend on agriculture: 60 % (of population of    76 million) [HT May 04]  - number of farmers in Andhra Pradesh: 12 million [HT May 04]  - number of small/marginal farmers in Andhra Pradesh who depend on rain for    irrigation: 10 million [HT May 04]  - number of debt-ridden farmers committing suicide every day in AP: 5-7 [HT May 04]  - * number of farmer suicides due to bad debt in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra    within the past 3 years (2006): 1,500 according to revenue records --    930 since 2001 according to Maharashtra state Government [DNA Jun 06]  - interest rates charged by "moneylenders" and local "businessmen" for a small    agricultural loan: 100 to 450 % [Sahara Time, Mar 04]  - GDP from agriculture: 24 % of total gross domestic product [BBC Jul 04]  - government spending for the agricultural sector: 8 percent of the annual budget    [Sahara Time, Mar 04]  - total of arable land which is not irrigated: nearly 63 percent [Sahara Time, Mar 04]  - bank credit allocated for agriculture: 12% of total bank credit in India [Sahara Time,    Mar 2004]  - money allocated for various irrigation policies by the government: 620 million Rs    for the 2003-2004 budget [Sahara Time, Mar 2004]  - disparity in average income between farmers and non-farmers: 5 times    (non-farmers earn 5 times more than farmers) [Sahara Time, Mar 2004]  - production of fruit and vegetables by India: 14% of world wide production [BBC Sep 04]  - India's export of fruit and vegetables: 1 % of world's fruit/veg exports [BBC Sep 04]  - India's tea production in 2003: 856 million kg [BBC Sep 04]  - tea produced in Assam: 55 % of India's total tea production [BBC Sep 04]  - daily tea production in Assam in high picking season: 2 million kg [BBC Sep 04]  - decrease of Assam's best quality tea prices within 5 years: 10 % [BBC Sep 04]

numbers on the Kumbh Mela

- * size of population in Allahabad: 2 million [BBC Jan 07]  - * number of visitors to Allahabad during the Maha Kumbh Mela: 1989: 15 million --    2001: 50-70 million [DI Jan 07]  - * expected number of visitors to Allahabad during the Ardh Kumbh Mela 2007:    about 60 million [BBC Jan 07]  - * area covered by the festival ground in Allahabad: 1,620 hectares (6.2 square    miles) [BBC Jan 07]  - * number of tents erected as temporary accommodation on the Kumbh Mela    ground (2007): 50,000 [BBC Jan 07]  - * number of temporary toilets on the Kumbh Mela ground in Allahabad (2007):    25,000 [BBC Jan 07]  - * number of police patrolling the festival grounds (2007): 20,000 [BBC Jan 07]

various Delhi statistics

- * number of weddings in Delhi on the auspicious day of 10 Dec 2006:    around 36,000 [IND Dec 06]  - * cost of 2-3 bedroom middle-class luxury apartment in tier II or tier III town:    around 20 lakh Rs (approx 25,000 GBP); tier II and tier III towns are about    2-3 hours drive from Delhi, for example Kundli, Sonepat, Panipat in Haryana and    Rudrapur in Uttaranchal [TH Jan 07]  - * cost of equivalent apartment in Delhi: 60-70 lakh Rs (approx 75,000 - 87,000 GBP)    [TH Jan 07]  - * cost of studio apartments (1 bedroom) in Rishikesh: up to 30-40 lakh Rs    (37,000 - 50,000 GBP) [TH Jan 07]  - bottles of beer sold in financial year 2002-2003: 27.5 million  - Delhi's annual per capita consumption of alcohol: 5.7 litres (compared to    9.25 litres in the UK, 14.02 litres in France) [HT Jul 04]  - average age a Delhiite loses his/her virginity (according to a survey 2003): 18 years  - number of female births per 1000 male births: 1992:862 -- 1994: 840 -- 1995: 744    -- 1998: 899 -- 2000: 820  - abandoned babies per year: 2002: 90 (about 60 % female) -- 2000: 100  - estimated number of cattle / cows on Delhi's streets: 40,000 [NATURE oct 04]  - number of "cowboys" hired by Delhi municipality to catch stray, free    roaming cows to be transported to special reserves outside the city perimeter:    100 [NATURE oct 04]  - estimated number of stray dogs in Delhi: 200,000  - estimated number of monkeys in Delhi: 5,000 (with annual growth rate of 20 %)  - monthly salary of monkey catcher (government rate): 3000 Rupees  - number of fixed telephone lines in Delhi: 2.3 million (2002 or 2003)  - number of mobile telephone connections in Delhi: 3.4 million (2002 or 2003)  - reduction of pollution level in Delhi since 1996: down by up to 73 %    (base is year with highest pollution levels 1996)  - number of security personnel deployed Republic Day 2004: 23,000  - amount of explosives seized by Delhi police in the run-up to Republic day 2004:    6.5 kg of high explosives, rocket propelled grenade, detonators and timers  - tube wells running dry in Delhi: about 20 % of the Delhi Jal Board's (water board)    total of 2,800 tube wells [HT Jun 04]education   more facts and figures about Delhi in quick reference stats popup

miscellaneous stats about Indian states or places

- beef consumption in Kerala: 40 % of meat consumed in the state  - Haryana cost of buffalo: 18,000 - 24,000 Rupees  - Haryana cost of girl (human trafficking): 4000 Rupees  - Uttaranchal hydropower theoretical potential: 20,000 MW  - Uttaranchal hydropower potential actually used: 8 %  - number of diesel engine tube wells in Uttar Pradesh: 2.7 million [BBC sep 04]  - number of electric motor tube wells in Uttar Pradesh: 600,000 [BBC sep 04]  - installation of solar pumps in Uttar Pradesh in 2003: 109 [BBC sep 04]  - number of guests invited to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha's foster son's    wedding: over 150,000 people at a cost of 2 crore for security, paid by the state [GBoWR]  - * number of buses owned by APSRTC in 1999: 18,397 (APSRTC = Andhra    Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation) - a world record [GBoWR]  - * casualties in 2003 in Andhra Pradesh due to Naxalite insurgency:    Naxals: 172 -- civilians: 137 -- police: 14  - * number of personnel (police and para-military forces) involved in anti-Naxalite    operations in Andhra Pradesh: 20,000  - * number of years with uninterrupted Communist rule in the state of West Bengal:    27 (since 1977 CPI-M in power) [BBC Oct 04]  - * number of vehicles on Bangalore's road: 5 million [BBC Jan 07]