A district has a population of 5,00,000 and a worker-population ratio of 42. Its urban areas have a population of 2,00,000 and a worker-population ratio of 35. What is the worker-population ratio of the rural areas of the district?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → 46.7
The rural ratio needs rural workers and rural population. So first find the workers, then split them.
Given:
Population of the district = 5,00,000
Worker-population ratio of the district = 42
Urban population = 2,00,000
Urban worker-population ratio = 35
Workers = population × ratio / 100.
\( \text{All workers} = 5{,}00{,}000 \times \frac{42}{100} = 2{,}10{,}000 \)
\( \text{Urban workers} = 2{,}00{,}000 \times \frac{35}{100} = 70{,}000 \)
\( \text{Rural workers} = 2{,}10{,}000 - 70{,}000 = 1{,}40{,}000 \)
\( \text{Rural population} = 5{,}00{,}000 - 2{,}00{,}000 = 3{,}00{,}000 \)
\( \displaystyle \text{Rural ratio} = \frac{1{,}40{,}000}{3{,}00{,}000} \times 100 = 46.7 \)
Option (1) 28.0 — Incorrect. Rural workers are divided by the whole district’s population.
Option (3) 49.0 — Incorrect. It puts the rural ratio as far above 42 as the urban ratio is below it. That needs equal populations.
Option (4) 66.7 — Incorrect. This is rural workers as a share of all workers.
NCERT (2026-27): Glossary: “Worker-Population Ratio – Total number of workers divided by the population. It is expressed in percentage.” “… Population is defined as the total number of people who reside in a particular locality at a particular point of time. If you want to know the worker-population ratio for India, divide the total number of workers in India by the population in India and multiply it by 100, you will get the worker-population ratio for India. If you look at Table 6.1, it shows the different levels of participation of people in economic activities. For every 100 persons, about 41 (by rounding off 41.1) are workers in India. In urban areas, the proportion is about 38, whereas in rural India, the ratio is about 42. …” |