India has added to its population over the past ten years to the tune of 181 million people.
A recent census showed that even with population growth slowing down, India’s increase in births was the equivalent of the entire population of Brazil.
India’s population is now nearly equal to the combined populations of the US, Indonesia, Brazil, Japan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
UN projections have shown that India might overtake China and its 1.34 billion people as the world’s most populous nation by 2030.
The census, involving 2.7 million census-takers, was spread out over a year.
The census officials surveyed some 300 million households, noting the living conditions of the people they spoke to.
For the first the Indian administration will be able to determine whether people live in basic huts or concrete houses.
They will be able to determine whether the people have electricity or access to sanitary conveniences and whether they have been to school.