Population trends in the world

1.4 billion Indians have begun to be counted – ready in 2027

During the coming year, three million people will knock on doors across India in a gigantic attempt to count the country’s – estimated – 1.4 billion inhabitants. This is reported by several media outlets.

The idea is that the country’s inhabitants will be counted once a decade, but it has now been delayed since 2011. The corona pandemic and the extensive administration connected to the project have slowed down the process.

According to the last census, India’s population was 1.2 billion. It is now assumed to be 1.4 billion, which would mean that the country has overtaken China and for the first time in almost 100 years, the caste affiliation of its citizens will also be documented. According to estimates, over 40 percent of the population is younger than 25 years.

Castes to be counted – “could cement contradictions”

The decision to document the caste affiliation of the Indian population in connection with the large-scale census is controversial. Al-Jazeera reports that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has been opposed to that part of the census.

The caste system has been formally abolished in law but remains in practice and has an impact on social norms in the country. Political pressure from the opposition is behind the fact that the size of the castes should now be documented. The castes that prove to be more widespread could then argue for higher quotas for jobs and education.

– Those in favor say that otherwise we cannot assess how resources, opportunities and shortcomings are actually distributed across the caste hierarchy, nor design or evaluate policy measures with any precision. Those against say that contradictions will be cemented and the caste system will be given greater weight, says Ashwini Deshpande, economist at Ashoka University, to Al-Jazeera.