IGNOU HISTORY NOTES : India History From 8th to Mid 15th Century - Population in Mughal India

IGNOU HISTORY Study Notes for IAS, UPSC Exams

History India From 8th to Mid 15th Century

Population in Mughal India

Structure

26.0 Objectives
26.1 Introduction
26.2 Estimates of Population of Mughal India
26.2.1 On the Basis of the Extent of Cultivdted Area
26.2.2 Applying Civilian: Soldier Ratio
26.2.3 Using Total and Per Capita Land Revenue
26.3 Average Rate of Population Growth
26.3.1 Comparison with Contemporary Europe
26.3.2 Implications of the Rate of Growth
26.4 Composition of the Population: Rural and Urban
26.5 Let Us Sum Up
26.6 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

26.0 OBJECTIVES

This Unit will enable you to know :
the various estimates of population of Mughal India in 1601;

the different methods of estimating pre-census Indian population;
the average annual rate of population growth during the 17th-18th centuries;
the size of urban population in Mughal India.

26.1 INTRODUCTION

As is well known, the Indian population statistics properly begin only with the census
of 1872. For the Mughal Empire, there is practicallly absolute dearth of demographic
data: Akbar is said to have ordered a detailed account of population, but its result
have not come down to us. Even the Ai'n-i Akbari with all the variety of statistical
information that it contains, offers no estimate of the number of people for the whole
of Akbar's Empire or any part of it.