Our Correspondent
Kohima | July 22
The total child population (0 to 6 years) in Nagaland stands at 285,981 with male child population of 147,111 and female child population of 138,870, according to 2011 provisional population totals. Out of the total child population, there are 214,138 living in rural areas of the state and the remaining 71,843 live in the urban areas.
This was stated in Census of India 2011, Provisional Population Totals, Paper 2, Volume II of 2011, Rural-Urban Distribution, Nagaland series 14, which was released recently here by the states’ directorate of census operations.
In comparison of child population of 2001 and 2011 in Nagaland, there is an overall decrease in the total male child population by -0.28% and decrease in female child population by -2.31%. However there is a significant growth in urban child population in both male and female children by 45.17% and 51.41% respectively. There is a decrease in rural population in both male and female children by -9.56% and -12.94% respectively.
The publication said, similar to the world trend of falling growth rate in child population, the growth rate of child population in Nagaland has also shown a negative trend at -1.28% (as against the state population growth rate of -0.47%) as compared to the national growth rate of child population of -3.08%.
The national figures for decadal growth rate of child population by rural and urban areas are -06.32% and 10.59% respectively. Nagaland too shows a similar trend with an increase in urban areas and decrease in rural areas, the corresponding figures of which are 11.22% (Rural areas) and 48.19% (Urban areas). Out of the total of 11 districts, six districts recorded a positive growth in total child population, with Tuensang having the highest growth rate of 18.27% followed by Peren with 11.08%.
In urban areas, the district which recorded the highest positive growth rate is Mon with 86.83%, followed by Mokokchung at 63.19%. The only two districts which showed a negative growth rate in child population in urban areas are Wokha with -26.09% and Zunheboto with -0.96%.
Interestingly ten districts recorded a negative growth rate in child population in rural areas ranging from -2-26% in Phek district to -36.96% in Longleng district. Tuensang district is the only one with a positive growth rate in rural child population with a figure of 17.61%.
According to 2011 provisional population totals, the proportion of children to the total state population is 14.44% with the male child population comprising 14.34% of the state male population and female child population comprising 14.54% of the state female population.
The district with the highest proportion of child population to total state population is Kiphire with 19.42%, followed by Tuensang with 17.75% and Longleng with 17.48 %. District with the lowest proportion of child population to the state population are Mokokchung, Wokha and Dimapur with 10.58%, 11.83% and 13.06% respectively.
Longleng district recorded the highest decadal increase in proportion of child population to its district total population by 7.53%. On the other hand, the district which recorded the highest negative growth rate in proportion of child population is Zunheboto with -2.19%.
