According to the 2011 Census, which State had the lowest density of population in the country?
- (a)Meghalaya
- (b)Mizoram
- (c)Arunachal Pradesh
- (d)Manipur
Correct — C, Arunachal Pradesh, with just 17 persons per square kilometre in Census 2011 — the lowest of any State or Union Territory in India. It is the largest State of the north-east by area (about 83,743 sq km) but had a population of only about 13.8 lakh, and most of its territory is steep, forested eastern-Himalayan terrain that supports very sparse settlement.
- (a)Meghalaya — Meghalaya's density in 2011 was about 132 persons per sq km — the highest of the four options, roughly eight times Arunachal Pradesh's.
- (b)Mizoram — Mizoram was the second-lowest State at about 52 persons per sq km — sparse, but still three times Arunachal Pradesh's figure.
- (d)Manipur — Manipur recorded roughly 122 persons per sq km in 2011 — its populated Imphal valley pushes the State average far above Arunachal Pradesh's.
Population density is simply population divided by land area (persons per square kilometre). India's density in Census 2011 was 382 persons per sq km, up from 325 in 2001. The extremes are set by terrain and history: fertile, well-watered plains carry the densest populations, while mountains, forests, deserts and cold deserts carry the thinnest. Among States, Bihar was densest at 1,106 persons per sq km and Arunachal Pradesh sparsest at 17; among Union Territories, the NCT of Delhi topped the list at about 11,320.
All four options here are north-eastern States, so you cannot solve it by region — you must remember the internal order. The mental anchor is terrain and area: Arunachal Pradesh has by far the biggest area in the north-east with the smallest population, so its density has to be lowest. Mizoram is next; Manipur and Meghalaya sit far higher because their populations concentrate in valleys and plateaus.
- Census 2011 density — Arunachal Pradesh 17, Mizoram 52, Manipur about 122, Meghalaya about 132 persons per sq km
- India's average density in 2011 was 382 persons per sq km (325 in 2001)
- Bihar was the densest State (1,106) and NCT of Delhi the densest Union Territory (about 11,320)
- Arunachal Pradesh covers about 83,743 sq km with a 2011 population of only about 13.8 lakh
- Picking Mizoram — it is the second-lowest, and the option set is designed to make you settle for it
- Confusing the lowest-density State (Arunachal Pradesh) with the least-populous State (Sikkim)
- Mixing Union Territories into a question that asks only about States (or vice versa)
MPPSC repeats the Census 2011 extremes almost every cycle — highest/lowest density, sex ratio and literacy, sometimes narrowed to districts of Madhya Pradesh. Learn both ends of each list, not just one.
Which one of the following States of India has the lowest density of population?
- (a) Himachal Pradesh
- (b) Meghalaya
- (c) Arunachal Pradesh
- (d) Sikkim
Answer(c) Arunachal Pradesh
The same question in UPSC Prelims — lowest-density State, same answer, with Meghalaya again used as a distractor.
As per the 1991 Census, which one of the following states has a lower population density than the other three?
- (a) Sikkim
- (b) Nagaland
- (c) Meghalaya
- (d) Manipur
Answer(a) Sikkim
Same drill on an earlier Census, again with an all-north-east option set — it shows how the ranking within the region shifts between Census years, so always note the Census named.
According to the Census year 2011, which of the following States of India had the lowest density of population?
- (a) Tripura
- (b) Arunachal Pradesh
- (c) Mizoram
- (d) Meghalaya
Answer(b) Arunachal Pradesh
A near-verbatim repeat by MPPSC two years earlier — identical fact, identical answer, only the fourth option changed. One of the clearest repeat-question signals in the paper.
As per the 2011 Census of India, which district of Madhya Pradesh has the least population density?
- (a) Dindori
- (b) Alirajpur
- (c) Niwari
- (d) Mandla
Answer(a) Dindori
The Madhya Pradesh district-level version of the same Census 2011 density idea — MPPSC asks this at both the State and the district scale.
- practice — not a real PYQ
According to Census 2011, which State had the highest population density in India?
- (a)Bihar
- (b)West Bengal
- (c)Kerala
- (d)Uttar Pradesh
Answer(a) Bihar — about 1,106 persons per sq km, the densest State (the NCT of Delhi is denser but is a Union Territory).
- practice — not a real PYQ
As per Census 2011, the population density of India was:
- (a)325 persons per sq km
- (b)382 persons per sq km
- (c)401 persons per sq km
- (d)428 persons per sq km
Answer(b) 382 persons per sq km — up from 325 in Census 2001.