Himachal most youthful: Report

Tribune News Service

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Shimla, January 6

With a bustling young population of 35.25 per cent, Himachal has a clear advantage over other states as the literacy rate in this section is 95 per cent, among the highest in the country.

The youth population of Himachal has grown at 129 per cent in the last 40 years as compared to 85 per cent growth rate of the general population. As per Census, the total youth population increased from 10.56 lakh in 1971 to 24.20 lakh in 2011. The figures have been released by the Economic and Statistics Department in its document “Youth in Himachal Pradesh-2018.”

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said the document would serve as a tool to frame policies for human resource. “It is the right time to reap demographic dividends and fulfil the aspirations of the youth,” he said. The share of the youth population is 35.25 per cent which is more than the national level of 34.80 per cent, revealed Pradeep Chauhan, Economic Adviser.

However, the sex ratio among the youth population stands at 972 female against per 1,000 male in the age group of 15-34. The fertility rate is falling significantly and the total fertility rate in urban areas has fallen below two children per woman. The rate has come down from 2.2 in 2005 to 1.7 in 2015. It is below by 0.4 points from the population - stabilising “replacement level” of 2.1.

The percentage share of married women in the age group 15-19 has come down to 9.02 per cent showing a welcome shift. The unemployment rate for men and women is about 1.8 per cent in rural areas during 2011-12. In urban areas, the rate for women is 11 per cent compared to 2.1 per cent for men.