India People - 1986

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Population: 783,940,000, including Sikkim and the Indian-held part of disputed Jammu and Kashmir (July 1986); average annual growth rate 2.1%

Nationality: noun—Indian(s); adjective— Indian

Ethnic divisions: 72% Indo-Aryan, 25% Dravidian, 3% Mongoloid and other

Religion: 83.5% Hindu, 11.0% Muslim, 2.6% Christian, 2.0-2.5% Sikh, 0.7% Buddhist, 0.2% other

Language- Hindi, English, and 14 other official languages; 24 languages spoken by a million or more persons each numerous

other languages and dialects, for the most part mutually unintelligible; Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 30 percent of the people; English enjoys “associate" status but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication; Hindustani, a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu, is spoken widely throughout northern India

Infant mortality rate: 116/1,000(1984 est.)

Life expectancy: 54.9

Literacy: 36%

Labor force: (84/85) about 284.4 million. 67% agriculture; more than 10% unemployed and underemployed

Organized labor: less than 5% of total labor force

NOTE: The information regarding India on this page is re-published from the 1986 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of India 1986 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about India 1986 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.