Decadal growth rate
The percentage change in population between two censuses ten years apart.
Decadal growth compares a population with its count at the previous census. A negative figure means the population fell over the decade, which happens in areas with heavy out migration or where a boundary changed. India's decadal growth between 2001 and 2011 was 17.7 per cent, the lowest since Independence at the time.
Where you will see this on the site
This term appears in the census tables reproduced across state, district, tehsil and village pages. How we source and handle those figures is set out on the about the data page.
Related terms
- Tehsil · The administrative unit between a district and a vi…
- Revenue village · The smallest unit with its own land records, which …
- Sex ratio · The number of females for every 1000 males.
- Child sex ratio · Females per 1000 males counting only children aged …
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- Rural and urban · How the census decides whether a place counts as a …
Page last reviewed: August 2026. Back to the glossary