Out of the following during which census decade, sex ratio in India recorded sharpest decline ?
- (a)1931 - 41
- (b)1961 - 71
- (c)1981 - 91
- (d)2001 - 2011
Correct — B, 1961-71. India's sex ratio fell from 941 females per 1,000 males in 1961 to 930 in 1971 — a drop of 11 points, the steepest single-decade decline in the census series. It was sharper than the falls of the 1931-41 or 1981-91 decades, and in 2001-2011 the ratio actually rose (933 to 943), so that decade recorded no decline at all.
- (a)1931 - 41 — The ratio slipped only modestly this decade (about 950 to 945, roughly 5 points) — a much smaller decline than 1961-71.
- (c)1981 - 91 — The ratio fell from 934 to 927 (about 7 points) — a real decline, but gentler than the 11-point fall of 1961-71.
- (d)2001 - 2011 — The sex ratio actually improved this decade (933 to 943, a gain of 10 points), so it was not a decline at all.
Sex ratio in the Indian census is the number of females per 1,000 males. Across the twentieth century the national figure stayed below 950 and generally drifted downward from 1901 to 1991, before recovering in 2001 and 2011. The sharpest single-decade fall came in 1961-71.
Turn each option into a number pair and compare the size of the change. 1961-71 shows the biggest drop (11 points), while 2001-2011 is a distractor because it is a rise, not a decline.
- Census sex ratio: 1961 = 941, 1971 = 930 — an 11-point fall, the sharpest decadal decline.
- The ratio bottomed at 927 in 1991, then recovered to 933 (2001) and 943 (2011).
- Sex ratio = number of females per 1,000 males.
- Kerala has long recorded the highest sex ratio among states; Haryana among the lowest.
- 1951: 946
- 1961: 941
- 1971: 930 (sharpest fall, -11)
- 1981: 934
- 1991: 927 (lowest)
- 2001: 933
- 2011: 943
The steepest drop is 1961 to 1971 (941 to 930); after bottoming at 927 in 1991 the ratio recovered.
- Picking 2001-2011 by reflex — it is actually a rise, not a decline
- Confusing overall sex ratio with the child sex ratio, which has kept falling
MPPSC and UPSC test the direction and magnitude of the sex-ratio trend — 'which decade saw the sharpest fall' or 'the sex ratio in India has been…' (declining until 1991).
According to the latest census figures sex ratio in India is
- (a) declining
- (b) stable
- (c) increasing
- (d) fluctuating
Answer(a) declining
Same theme — the long, downward trend in India's sex ratio that the 1961-71 decade epitomises as its steepest fall.
- practice — not a real PYQ
In which census year did India's sex ratio touch its lowest recorded value?
- (a)1991
- (b)1971
- (c)2011
- (d)1951
Answer(a) 1991 — the ratio bottomed at 927 females per 1,000 males before recovering.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The 'sex ratio' as used in the Indian census is defined as:
- (a)Number of females per 1,000 males
- (b)Number of males per 1,000 females
- (c)Number of females per 100 males
- (d)Ratio of female to total population
Answer(a) Number of females per 1,000 males.