In which one of the following periods did India experience a negative population growth?

India experienced a negative population growth rate during the decade 1911-1921. According to census data, the population declined from 252.1 million in 1911 to 251.3 million in 1921, resulting in a negative decadal growth rate of -0.31%. This period is characterized as a stagnant phase where high birth rates were offset by exceptionally high death rates [1]. The primary causes for this decline were severe food shortages, droughts, and the devastating impact of the 1918 influenza pandemic, alongside other epidemics like plague and malaria [2]. Additionally, the loss of Indian soldiers during World War I contributed to the mortality crisis [2]. Because this was the only census decade in India's history to record an absolute decline in population, the year 1921 is famously termed the 'Year of the Great Divide' in Indian demography [2].

Sources

1. [1] INDIA PEOPLE AND ECONOMY, TEXTBOOK IN GEOGRAPHY FOR CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 1: Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition > Growth of owth of Population > p. 7
2. [2] Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 13: Cultural Setting > 1. Period of Stagnant Population > p. 66