Rural-urban composition
Topic: Population of India: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 1 "Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition"
Meaning
Rural-urban composition means splitting a population by where people live: in villages (rural) or in towns and cities (urban). It is a key sign of a region's social and economic life, because people in towns mostly work outside farming. Census 2011 found 68.8% of Indians living in villages and 31.16% in towns. Towns hold a smaller share of people but grow faster, because of economic growth, migration from villages, and better health and hygiene.
Example
Himachal Pradesh and Bihar are the most rural states. Goa is the most urban state: Census 2011 shows only about 38% of its people in villages, and Mizoram about 48%. NCERT's line that Goa and Mizoram have "a little over half" of their people in villages is out of date.
Don't confuse with
- Urbanisation: this is the process by which the urban share grows over time (now about 36%, verify current). Rural-urban composition is the split at one point in time.