A Peep Into AP’s Population Estimation Challenges on World Population Day

Visakhapatnam: Bustling port city Visakhapatnam celebrated World Population Day on Thursday with a series of events aimed at raising awareness about population issues and the dynamics of population change.

While the current world’s population is 8.12 billion, India accounts for 1.44 billion to this number.

Professor Muni Swamy, a demographer, shared his insights in a conversation with Deccan Chronicle.

He highlighted the complexities of population estimation in Andhra Pradesh, a state that has undergone multiple bifurcations, making it challenging to maintain precise population records. The last official census was conducted in 2011 when AP included Telangana.

Professor Swamy pointed out that the population of Andhra Pradesh is witnessing an upward trend, leading to significant challenges. "Increased population pressures can strain education systems, economic activities, food production, water resources, healthcare, power, and fossil fuels," he explained.

He pointed out that India is already facing a water crisis, with cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Vadodara, Srinagar, and Rajkot experiencing severe shortages in 2024. If the population continues to grow unchecked, more cities will face similar problems, he stated.

The demographer underlined that Visakhapatnam is the smallest district of AP. In terms of area at 1,048 km², it is the most densely populated in the state with 1,670 people per km². In contrast, Alluri Sitharama Raju district has a density of 77 people per km².

Andhra Pradesh also boasts of varying literacy rates. West Godavari leads with 74.63 per cent literacy, while Vizianagaram trails at 58.89 per cent. Vizianagaram has the highest male-female sex ratio (1019), while Anantapur has the lowest (977).

Prakasam district, covering 14,322 km², is the largest district in Andhra Pradesh, while Potti Sriramulu Nellore District is the most populated, with 2.469 million residents as per the 2011 census. Parvathipuram Manyam, with a population of 925,000, is the least populated district, followed closely by Alluri Sitharama Raju (953,960) and Bapatla (1,586,918).

With regard to Visakhapatnam, Professor Swamy said the population within the metro area of Visakhapatnam in 2024 is 2,385,000, reflecting a 2.32 per cent increase compared to the 2023 population of 2,331,000. This, in turn, marks a 2.33 per cent rise over the 2022 population of 2,278,000, a 2.34 per cent increase over the 2021 population of 2,226,000, a 2.34 per cent increase from 2020.