"Population Growth in Himachal Pradesh 2001-2011: A Spatial Analysis"

Population growth is one of the important indicators of the level of socio-economic development because it is the level of socio-economic development that determines the rat e of population at any given time. The analysis of population growth is an important element to the understanding not only of a region’s problems but potentials (providing food, schooling, employment, health facilities, housing etc.) and for future planning . Therefore, it is useful to study the pattern of population growth of any regi on. The present study attempts to study the growth of population in Himachal Pradesh at tehsils/sub-tehsils level during 2001 to 2011. The study is mainly based on the secondary data collected from Directorate of Census Operations. The simple percentage method and choropleth technique have been used to highlight spatio-temporal varia tions in growth of population. The peculiar topographical characteristics of the state resulted into gr eat spatial variation in growth pattern. The study reveal s that about one-third of the tehsils/sub-tehsils witnessed a decadal growth rate, higher than the state average. Ther e is an equal number of tehsils/sub-tehsils, where the decadal grow th rate was below the state average.