Demographics of Jharkhand

Jharkhand has a population of 26.90 million, consisting of 13.86 million males and 13.04 million females. The sex ratio is 941 females to 1000 males. The population consists of 28% tribals, 12% Scheduled Castes and 60% others. There are 274 persons for each square kilometer of land. However, the population density varies considerably from as low as 148 per square kilometer in Gumla district to as high as 1167 per square kilometer in Dhanbad district.

Jharkhand has remained a home to a number of tribal communities since time immemorial. Infact, in some of the districts of Jharkhand, the tribal population predominates, the non tribal one. Jharkhand has 32 primitive tribal groups.These are the Asur, Baiga, Banjara, Bathudi, Bedia, Binjhia, Birhor, Birjia, Chero, Chick-Baraik, Gond, Gorait, Ho, Karmali, Kharwar, Khond, Kisan, Kora, Korwa, Lohra, Mahli, Mal-Paharia, Munda, Oraon, Parhaiya, Santal, Sauria-Paharia, Savar, Bhumij, Kol and Kanwar.

The geographical area now comprising Jharkhand was previously part of Bihar. The area has witnessed migration of people from the adjoining areas of Bihar and West Bengal for last several decades. Industrial and mining centres like Jamshedpur, Dhanbad and Ranchi have attracted people from all parts of India.

Hinduism, Islam and Christianity are the three religions that came in through emigrants. The Tribal comunities of Jharkhand have their own spiritual beliefs commonly called Sarna. During the colonization process the tribal religious beliefs were looked down upon as pagan and inferior. Really, this was only an attempt to subordinate the tribes, and so now that religous freedom is more commonly recognized throughout not only India but the world at large, this religon of Sarna is becoming a growing phenomena.