Previous Year Question
As per the Census of India (2011), which of the following States had the lowest percentage share of child population in rural areas?
Jammu & Kashmir
Kerala
Punjab
Haryana
Correct Answer: B
Detailed Solution
In Census 2011, child population refers to the 0–6 years age group. The percentage asked here represents the share of children aged 0–6 in the total rural population of a State.
For the four States given in the question, the percentage of child population in rural areas was:
Jammu & Kashmir — 17.49%
Kerala — 10.44%
Punjab — 11.22%
Haryana — 13.84%
These figures show that Kerala had the lowest rural child-population proportion among the four States. In 2011, Kerala had 3,472,955 children aged 0–6, of whom 1,823,664 lived in rural areas and 1,649,291 in urban areas. Children aged 0–6 constituted 10.44% of Kerala's rural population.
Child population percentage should not be confused with child sex ratio. Child population percentage measures the proportion of children aged 0–6 in the population, whereas child sex ratio measures the number of girls per 1,000 boys in the 0–6 age group. Kerala's rural child sex ratio in 2011 was 965, but that is not the indicator asked in this question.