Panaji: Goa has been trending towards increased urbanisation with 35.23 per cent rise in population in the cities over the last decade, while that in the rural parts has registered a negative growth of -18.51 per cent, the latest census data has revealed.
Directorate of Census Operations, which released the 2011 decadal census data today, has registered a total population of 14.58 lakh in Goa, as against 13.47 lakh in 2001, infusing a rise of 8.23 per cent.
"There is a rise in urban population by 35.23 per cent, while the growth in the rural population is negative 18.51 per cent," Director of Census operations, A K Wasan, said while releasing the data of decadal census held in the year 2011.
He stated that a total of 62.17 per cent of Goa`s population is living in the urban areas, as against 49 per cent in 2001.
"Goa ranks amongst the top amongst all the smaller states to have such a huge percentage of population living in the urban areas," Wasan said.
The state has 88.70 per cent literate people, while the population in the age group of zero to six is 1.44 lakh, which is 9.97 per cent of the total population.
The females per males ration has gone up in the state during last two census, from 961 females per thousand males in the year 2001 to 973 females to one thousand males in 2010.
There has been exponential growth in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) population in the state.
The 2010 census has registered 1.49 lakh ST people living in Goa as against mere 566 in 2001 census.
"This growth is because of inclusion of three communities Gawda, Kunbi and Velip, in the ST category in the year 2003," he said.
Goa now has 10.23 per cent ST population. The population density per one square kilometre is 394 in the state, the data reveals.
PTI
