Seventeen Per Cent of the World Is Indian

The country’s latest census shows the population has increased by 181 million in the past 10 years.

If you’re reading this, there is nearly a one in five chance that you are Indian. While the country’s population growth is slowing, the results of the latest census show the nation has added 181 million people since last count 10 years ago, roughly equivalent to the entire population of Brazil. At 1.21 billion, India's population is second only to China's, which is at 1.32 billion. The census was conducted by 2.3 million enumerators, who also tallied details like literacy rates, car ownership, and internet access. The good news is that literacy has risen to 74 per cent, but, troublingly, there are only 914 girls born for every 1,000 boys. Male children are still preferred and infanticide is far too common.