The arithmetic density of population is different from physiological density of population as :
(a) Arithmetic density is the ratio of total population to the total area of the country or a part thereof.
For example, the total population of India according to 2001 census is 1028.7 million living on a total area of 3.17 million square kilometres (excluding the area of Jammu and Kashmir illegally occupied by Pakistan and China) thus, the arithmetic density of India, according to 2011 census is 372 persons/km2 .
The arithmetic density of population of India in 2001 is :
= 325 persons per sq.km.
It is most simple and widely used all over the world but it is a ‘crude measure’.
(b) Physiological Density is different to Arithmetic density as physiological density is the ratio of total population to the cultivated area of the country.
For example: The physiological density of India, according to 2011 census is 1594 persons/km2. According to 2001 census, the total population of India is 1,02,87,37,436 and the total cultivated area in the country is 14(28,190 sq km, therefore, the physiological density is :
= 720 person per sq km.
This is a very useful measure for an agricultural country like India.
