Introduction:
Although the Census of 2011 enumerates the total population of Scheduled Tribes at 10,42,81,034 persons, constituting 8.6 per cent of the population of the country, the tribal communities in India are enormously diverse and heterogeneous. There are wide ranging diversities among them in respect of languages spoken, size of population and mode of livelihood. The number of communities that find their
place in the list of the Schedule of the Indian constitution is reflective of this diversity. The Government of India, in its Draft National Tribal Policy, 2006 records 698 Scheduled Tribes in India. As per the Census of India 2011, the number of individual groups notified as Scheduled Tribes is 705. There are many differences between these regions as well as differences from tribe to tribe. For example, while the Northeast is often viewed as a singular and homogeneous entity, the region is highly diverse with over 200 tribes and sub-tribes, each of which have their own language, culture and political structures. Further, the tribes of the Northeast differ from tribes in other parts of India, particularly in terms of their historical relationship with the colonial and Indian State. The tribes of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, comprising 556 islands of which only a few are populated, are also distinct. The Islands are administered as a Union Territory under the Central Government and are home to some of the smallest tribes such as the Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa and the Sentinelese.
The tribes can also be differentiated on the basis of population size since communities like Gonds, Bhils, Santhals, Oraons, Minas, Mundas and so on have a population that ranges from one million to a little over seven million people. As against this, there are communities like the Andamanese Islanders and tribal groups such as the Birjia and Asur in Bihar and the Birhor of Madhya Pradesh who have a population of less than 200 persons.
Scheduled Tribes communities live in about 15% of the country’s area, in various ecological and geo-climatic conditions ranging from plains and forests to hills. A large proportion of Scheduled Tribes are collectors of forest produce, hunter-gatherers, shifting cultivators, pastoralists and nomadic herders, and
artisans. Traditional occupations of tribal groups may range from honeycollection to hunting small animals to engaging in metal-work and rope-making.
A majority of tribal groups work in the primary sector and are heavily dependent on agriculture either as cultivators or as agricultural labourers. At the same time, a number of Scheduled Tribes no longer follow their traditional occupations and work as labourers on plantations or in mines and factories (in many cases, since the nineteenth-century). Displacement and enforced migration has also led to an increasing number of Scheduled Tribes working as contract labourers in the construction industry and as domestic workers in major cities.
Over 80% of Scheduled Tribes work in the primary sector against 53% of the general population, primarily as cultivators. However, the number of STs who were cultivators, declined from over 68% to 45% in 2001 whereas the number of tribal agricultural labourers increased from about 20% to 37%, demonstrating increasing landlessness among tribals. This trend has intensified, as can be seen in data from the 2011 Census. It is further estimated that, in the last decade, about 3.5 million tribal people are leaving agriculture and agriculture-related activities to enter the informal labour market.
Scheduled Tribes comprise 11.3 per cent of the Indian rural population and 2.8 per cent of the Indian urban population. In 2001, the proportion of STs to the total population was 8.2 per cent, while the proportion was 10.4 per cent in rural areas and 2.4 per cent in urban areas. The total male ST population according to the 2011 census is 5,24,09,823 of which 4,71,26,341 are residing in rural areas and 52,83,482 are in urban areas. The total female ST population is 5,18,71,211 with 4,66,92,821 in rural areas and 51,78,390 in urban areas. The sex ratio among the Scheduled Tribes is 991 females to every 1000 males in rural areas and 980 females to every 1000 males in urban areas, the average being 990.
Population of Scheduled Tribes across States
✓ The Himalayan Region comprises 2.03 per cent of STs in the States of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh;
✓ The North-eastern region has 12.41 per cent of STs in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya and Assam;
✓ The Central-east Indian region has the largest proportion of STs, about 52.51 per cent in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and West Bengal;
✓ The Western region of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Maharashtra and Goa have 27.64 per cent of STs;
✓ The Southern region has 5.31 per cent of STs in the states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu;
✓ And finally, 0.11 per cent of STs live in the island region of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.
Total population of STs and proportion of STs in each state to the total state and national population
| S. No. | Name of the State/UT | Total Populatio n | ST Populatio n | % of STs in the State to total State populatio n | % of STs in the State to total ST populatio n in India |
| 00 | India | 12105695 73 | 10428103 4 | 8.61 | — |
| 1 | Andaman & Nicobar Islands | 380581 | 28530 | 7.49 | 0.02 |
| 2 | Andhra Pradesh | 84580777 | 5918073 | 6.99 | 5.67 |
| 3 | Arunachal Pradesh | 1383727 | 951821 | 68.78 | 0.91 |
| 4 | Assam | 31205576 | 3884371 | 12.44 | 3.72 |
| 5 | Bihar | 10409945 2 | 1336573 | 1.28 | 1.28 |
| 6 | Chandigarh | 1055450 | 0 | — | — |
| 7 | Chhattisgarh | 25545198 | 7822902 | 30.62 | 7.50 |
| 8 | D & N Haveli | 343709 | 178564 | 51.95 | 0.17 |
| 9 | Daman & Diu | 243247 | 15363 | 6.31 | 0.01 |
| 10 | Goa | 1458545 | 149275 | 10.23 | 0.14 |
| 11 | Gujarat | 60439692 | 8917174 | 14.75 | 8.55 |
| 12 | Haryana | 25351462 | 0 | — | — |
| 13 | Himachal Pradesh | 6864602 | 392126 | 5.71 | 0.37 |
| 14 | Jammu & Kashmir | 12541302 | 1493299 | 11.90 | 1.43 |
| 15 | Jharkhand | 32988134 | 8645042 | 26.20 | 8.29 |
| 16 | Karnataka | 61095297 | 4248987 | 6.95 | 4.07 |
| 17 | Kerala | 33406061 | 484839 | 1.45 | 0.46 |
| 18 | Lakshadweep | 64473 | 61120 | 94.79 | 0.05 |
| 19 | Madhya Pradesh | 72626809 | 15316784 | 21.08 | 14.68 |
| 20 | Maharashtra | 11237433 3 | 10510213 | 9.35 | 10.07 |
| 21 | Manipur | 2570390 | 902740 | 35.12 | 0.86 |
| 22 | Meghalaya | 2966889 | 2555861 | 86.14 | 2.45 |
| 23 | Mizoram | 1097206 | 1036115 | 94.43 | 0.99 |
| 24 | Nagaland | 1978502 | 1710973 | 86.47 | 1.64 |
| 25 | NCT of Delhi | 16787941 | 0 | — | — |
| 26 | Odisha | 41974218 | 9590756 | 22.84 | 9.19 |
| 27 | Puducherry | 1247953 | 0 | — | — |
| 28 | Punjab | 27743338 | 0 | — | — |
| 29 | Rajasthan | 68548437 | 9238534 | 13.47 | 8.85 |
| 30 | Sikkim | 610577 | 206360 | 33.79 | 0.19 |
| 31 | Tamil Nadu | 72147030 | 794697 | 1.10 | 0.76 |
| 32 | Tripura | 3673917 | 1166813 | 31.75 | 1.11 |
| 33 | Uttar Pradesh | 19981234 1 | 1134273 | 0.56 | 1.08 |
| 34 | Uttarakhand | 10086292 | 291903 | 2.89 | 0.27 |
| 35 | West Bengal | 91276115 | 5296953 | 5.80 | 5.07 |
States with highest and lowest proportion of Scheduled Tribes
| Top 5 States/Union Territories | Bottom 5 States/Union Territories | ||
| Lakshadweep | 94.8% | Uttar Pradesh | 0.56% |
| Mizoram | 94.4% | Tamil Nadu | 1.1% |
| Nagaland | 86.5% | Bihar | 1.28% |
| Meghalaya | 86.1% | Kerala | 1.45% |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 68.8% | Uttarakhand | 2.89% |
States and percentage of ST population
| S.No. | State | % of national ST population |
| 1 | Madhya Pradesh | 14.7 |
| 2 | Maharashtra | 10.1 |
| 3 | Odisha | 9.2 |
| 4 | Rajasthan | 8.9 |
| 5 | Gujarat | 8.6 |
| 6 | Jharkhand | 8.3 |
| 7 | Chhattisgarh | 7.5 |
| 8 | Andhra Pradesh | 5.7 |
| 9 | West Bengal | 5.1 |
| 10 | Karnataka | 4.1 |
| 11 | Assam | 3.7 |
| 12 | Meghalaya | 2.5 |
| 13 | Others | 11.6 |
The decadal growth of Scheduled Tribes is better than the growth rate of the general population between 1991 and 2001, and 2001 and 2011. Between 1991 and 2001, while the decadal growth rate of the general population was recorded at 22.66, the Scheduled Tribe growth rate was 24.45. Similarly, between 2001 and 2011, when the general population growth rate was 17.64, the growth rate of Scheduled Tribe population in the corresponding period was 23.66. On the whole, the ST population within the total population of India has increased from 8.2 per cent in 2001 to 8.6 percent in 2011. In many States, the STs as a proportion of the population have remained fairly constant between the 2001 and 2011 censuses. However, States/Union Territories such as Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Daman and Diu and Nagaland have recorded small decreases in the relative proportion of STs in the population between 2001 and 2011 (up to about three per cent decrease in Nagaland). The most significant decrease in proportion is in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, which has recorded a decrease of about ten per cent over the decade. Other states have recorded small increases which may be due to population growth as well as State recognition of greater number of tribes. Significant increases in proportion can be noted in Sikkim (about 13 per cent) and Arunachal Pradesh (about four per cent).
State-wise percentage of Scheduled Tribes to total population (rural and urban) and decadal growth-rate (2001-2011)
| State | Total (2001) | Rural | Urban | Total (2011) | Rural | Urban |
| Jammu & Kashmir | 10.9 | 13.8 | 2 | 11.9 | 15.4 | 2.5 |
| Himach al Pradesh | 4 | 4.3 | 1.3 | 5.7 | 6.1 | 2.6 |
| Punjab | No STs | – | – | No STs | – | – |
| Chandig arh | No STs | – | – | No STs | – | – |
| Uttarak hand | 3 | 3.8 | 0.7 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 0.9 |
| Rajastha n | 12.6 | 15.5 | 2.9 | 13.5 | 16.9 | 3.2 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.2 |
| Bihar | 0.9 | 1 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 0.6 |
| Sikkim | 20.6 | 21.2 | 15.9 | 33.8 | 36.6 | 25.5 |
| Arunach al Pradesh | 64.2 | 69.7 | 43.4 | 68.8 | 74.1 | 51 |
| Nagalan d | 89.1 | 93.7 | 67.1 | 86.5 | 92.8 | 70.8 |
| Manipur | 34.2 | 44.4 | 6.1 | 35.1 | 45.6 | 16.4 |
| Mizora m | 94.5 | 96.3 | 92.6 | 94.4 | 96.6 | 92.5 |
| Tripura | 31.1 | 36.5 | 4.7 | 31.8 | 41.2 | 5.1 |
| Meghal aya | 85.9 | 90.2 | 68.3 | 86.1 | 90.1 | 70.4 |
| Assam | 12.4 | 13.6 | 4.5 | 12.4 | 13.7 | 5 |
| West Bengal | 5.5 | 7.2 | 1.2 | 5.8 | 7.8 | 1.5 |
| Jharkha nd | 26.3 | 31 | 9.8 | 26.2 | 31.4 | 9.8 |
| Odisha | 22.1 | 24.6 | 8.1 | 22.8 | 25.7 | 8.5 |
| Chhattis garh | 31.8 | 37.6 | 8.4 | 30.6 | 36.9 | 10 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 20.3 | 25.8 | 4.9 | 21.1 | 27.2 | 5.2 |
| Gujarat | 14.8 | 21.6 | 3.2 | 14.8 | 23.1 | 3.5 |
| Daman & Diu | 11.1 | 4.9 | 6.3 | 12.6 | 4.2 | |
| Dadra & Nagar Haveli | 62.2 | 74.9 | 19.4 | 52 | 82.4 | 17.2 |
| Maharas htra | 8.9 | 13.4 | 2.7 | 9.4 | 14.6 | 3 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 6.6 | 8.4 | 1.8 | 7 | 9.3 | 2.4 |
| Karnata ka | 6.6 | 8.4 | 2.9 | 7 | 9.2 | 3.5 |
| Goa | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 10.2 | 15.9 | 6.8 |
| Lakshad weep | 94.5 | 95.6 | 93.1 | 94.8 | 95.2 | 94.7 |
| Kerala | 1.1 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 0.3 |
| Tamil Nadu | 1 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 0.4 |
| Andama n & Nicobar Islands | 8.3 | 11.9 | 0.9 | 7.5 | 11.3 | 1.3 |
State-wise Number of Scheduled Tribes
| S.No. | State/UT | No. of Tribes |
| 1 | Andhra Pradesh | 25 |
| 2 | Arunachala Pradesh | 16 |
| 3 | Assam | 29 |
| 4 | Bihar | 33 |
| 5 | Chhattisgarh | 42 |
| 6 | Goa | 08 |
| 7 | Gujarat | 29 |
| 8 | Himachal Pradesh | 10 |
| 9 | Jammu & Kashmir | 12 |
| 10 | Jharkhand | 32 |
| 11 | Karnataka | 50 |
| 12 | Kerala | 36 |
| 13 | Madhya Pradesh | 43 |
| 14 | Maharashtra | 45 |
| 15 | Manipur | 34 |
| 16 | Meghalaya | 17 |
| 17 | Mizoram | 15 |
| 18 | Nagaland | 05 |
| 19 | Odisha | 62 |
| 20 | Rajasthan | 12 |
| 21 | Sikkim | 04 |
| 22 | Tamil Nadu | 36 |
| 23 | Tripura | 19 |
| 24 | Uttarakhand | 05 |
| 25 | Uttar Pradesh | 15 |
| 26 | West Bengal | 40 |
| 27 | Andaman & Nicobar Islands | 06 |
| 28 | Dadra and Nagar Haveli | 07 |
| 29 | Daman and Diu | 05 |
| 30 | Lakshadweep | 01 |
| Total | 693 |
As per the 2001 census, the tribe with the largest population is the Bhil (12689952) followed by the Gond (10859422), the Santal (5838016) and the Mina (3800002). Most of the large tribes have populations spread across several States and in some cases, over the entire breadth of the country. Many of these tribes have been integrated into the larger political economy for centuries and some of them have benefitted from State policies to a relatively greater extent as compared to smaller tribal groups. Fifteen most populous tribes in India
| Name of Tribe | Population | States in which members are residing |
| Bhil | 12689952 | Tripura, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka |
| Gond | 10859422 | Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka |
| Santhal | 5838016 | Bihar, Tripura, West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand |
| Mina | 3800002 | Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh |
| Naikda | 3344954 | Karnataka, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Daman & Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Maharashtra, Goa |
| Oraon | 3142145 | Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra |
| Sugalis | 2077947 | Andhra Pradesh |
| Munda | 1918218 | Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Odisha |
| Nagas | 1820965 | Nagaland |
| Khond | 1397384 | Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha |
| Boro | 1352771 | Assam |
| Koli Mahadev | 1227562 | Maharashtra |
| Khasi | 1138356 | Mizoram, Meghalaya, Assam |
| Kol | 991400 | Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra |
| Varli | 974916 | Gujarat, Daman & Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa |
PVTGs with a population of less than 1000 persons
| PVTG | Population |
| Birjia (Bihar) | 17 |
| Sentinelese | 39 |
| Great Andamanese | 43 |
| Onge | 96 |
| Birhor (Madhya Pradesh) | 143 |
| Asur (Bihar) | 181 |
| Mankidias (Odisha) | 205 |
| Jarawa | 240 |
| Cholanaicken (Kerala) | 326 |
| Shompen | 398 |
| Birhor (Bihar) | 406 |
| Savar (Bihar) | 420 |
| Raji (Uttarakhand) | 517 |
| Sauria Paharia (Bihar) | 585 |
| Birhor (Odisha) | 702 |
| Korwa (Bihar) | 703 |
| Todas (Tamil Nadu) | 875 |
| Kota (Tamil Nadu) | 925 |
| Raji (Uttar Pradesh) | 998 |