Population of Rajasthan

Rajasthan is India's largest state by area, but it is not the most crowded. Its 6.85 crore people (Census 2011) are spread very unevenly across its deserts, hills and plains: the district of Jaipur has more people than several small states, while Jaisalmer has vast stretches with only a handful of villages. Understanding these patterns — of density, gender, literacy and urbanisation — is essential for RAS geography and for Mains answers on development.

Census 2011 at a glance

District extremes (Census 2011)

Regional patterns

Density. Population is densest in the eastern plains (Jaipur, Bharatpur, Alwar, Dausa), where water and fertile soils support agriculture and cities. It is sparsest in the western desert (Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bikaner), where scarce water limits settlement — though the Thar is still one of the most densely populated deserts in the world.

Sex ratio. The ratio is higher in the tribal south (Dungarpur, Banswara, Pratapgarh, Udaipur), where women's status is traditionally stronger, and lower in the east (Dholpur, Karauli, Bharatpur) and in Jaisalmer in the far west. The low child sex ratio (888) reflects son preference and, in the past, sex-selective practices.

Literacy. Rajasthan's literacy has risen dramatically — from very low levels at independence — but remains below the national average. The gender gap is among the widest in India: female literacy (about 52%) lagged male literacy by about 27 percentage points in 2011.

Urbanisation. About a quarter of the population lives in towns and cities. Jaipur is by far the largest city, followed by Jodhpur, Kota, Bikaner, Ajmer and Udaipur.

Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes

• Scheduled Castes — about 17.8%; highest share in Sri Ganganagar.
• Scheduled Tribes — about 13.5%; concentrated in the south (Banswara, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh, Udaipur) and the east (Meenas in Dausa, Karauli, Sawai Madhopur). Banswara has the highest ST share. See our post on tribes.

Demographic trends since 2011

Recent National Family Health Surveys (NFHS-5, 2019–21) show:

• fertility falling towards replacement level;
• improved institutional deliveries;
• continuing challenges in child nutrition (stunting, anaemia) and child marriage in some districts.

Migration

• Out-migration from the desert and the tribal south to Gujarat, Maharashtra and other states for work; historically, Marwari traders migrated across India and abroad.
• In-migration to Jaipur and other cities.
• Seasonal migration in drought years.

Population and development

Rajasthan adopted a State Population Policy (first in 1999, revised later) focusing on reducing fertility, improving maternal and child health and empowering women.

Practice

Prelims-style:

1. What was Rajasthan's population in Census 2011?
2. What was Rajasthan's sex ratio in 2011?
3. Which district had the lowest population density in 2011?
4. Which district had the highest sex ratio in 2011?
5. What share of Rajasthan's population was Scheduled Tribe in 2011?

Mains-style (50 words): Why is population density low in western Rajasthan?

Mains-style (100 words): Discuss the challenges posed by Rajasthan's gender gap in literacy and sex ratio.