The most populous region in the world. Why do 700 million people live in northern India? What feeds them? (6 photos)

At the end of 2022, India overtook China in terms of population. It is the fastest growing nation on the planet, with more than 1.42 billion people today. It is all the more surprising that most regions of the country are experiencing population decline. Only 5 northern provinces provide incredible growth.





What kind of region is this, and where does this fertility and birth rate come from?

Unknown Asia

For many centuries, the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire were recognized as the largest nation in the world. Today this status is hopelessly lost. The difference in population growth rates was already visible in the 1980s.

Since 1982, the number of Chinese citizens has increased by 400 million. During the same time, the number of Indian residents increased by 700 million. In fact, the situation in China is so depressing that by 2050 the country will not only stop growing, but will also naturally begin to lose 30 million people a year!

Everything is clear with the Celestial Empire. The country has undergone a second demographic transition - residents have moved to a model of self-reproduction, joining the ranks of the United States, Europe and other developed countries. In addition, the CCP's "One Family, One Child" policy has greatly undermined the Chinese people's desire to have large families.



Although the transition is not yet complete in India, essentially the same thing is happening there. The fertility rate required to keep the population at the same level should be 2.1. However, in 31 out of 36 regions this indicator is lower than or equal to 2.

What about other regions? If you draw a conventional line from the city of Cuttack to Agra, running from east to west and separating the north of India from the rest of the country, it will become noticeable that it is in the north that the population density and birth rate are the highest.





Half of India's citizens are located here on this relatively small landmass. The north of the country, the “heartland of Hindi,” improves all all-India statistics. Due to this region, India will grow by another 200 million people in 2050.

The most fertile region

It's all about geography and its influence on the climate of the Indian subcontinent. The north of the subcontinent is framed by the Himalayan mountains, and the west by the Hindu Kush mountain range. These are the highest and youngest mountain systems on the planet, emerging only 20 million years ago.

The mountains act as walls: they block the cold and dry polar winds blowing from Siberia through Central Asia. Warm monsoon winds coming from the Indian Ocean deep into the continent also cannot cross these mountains.



Monsoon moisture concentrated in the clouds rains down on the local plains. As a result, the area north of the Himalayas turned into a cold and dry desert. The area south of the mountains became a tropical paradise.

Northern India is significantly warmer and wetter than the rest of the country. This difference is especially noticeable in the winter months. This means native plants have extra time to grow and go through multiple reproductive cycles.

Indo-Gangetic Plain

However, local agricultural enterprises do not depend on the rainy season. The basis of local rural well-being are numerous mountain rivers carrying melt water from the same mountain system.



Thanks to its rivers, this fertile region got its name - the Indo-Gangetic Plain. The area of ​​local arable land is larger than the entire territory of France.

The Plain has the second largest amount of contiguous arable land, second only to the Mississippi Basin in the United States. However, India's advantage is that mountain melt water is more enriched in minerals. All together makes the region one of the most fertile regions of the planet.

Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Manipur are the same 5 northern provinces lying in the Indo-Gangetic plain and are among the leaders in reproduction. Their economy is based on agriculture. There are fewer large cities and the population is almost evenly distributed throughout the territory.



This region was one of the centers of civilization and overall the most developed in Hindustan. The capital of the country, Delhi, is also located here. However, with her exception, the locals live poorly. GDP per capita here is several times lower than that of its neighbors.

The region has enormous potential, because in addition to excellent agriculture, there will be millions of workers for factories and the service sector. But whether the Indians will implement it, only time will tell.