Rural Goa facing negative growth: Census

Goa is rapidly going urban and people living in the state's "sucegado rurales (contented rural folk)" are rapidly making a beeline for the cities, according to the 2011 census data.

"The rural areas are facing a negative growth of 18.51 per cent in Goa," Census Director A.K. Wasnik told reporters at a press conference here Tuesday.

He added that the rising real estate prices and dearth of employment opportunities plague rural Goa.

Wasnik said the migration from villages has resulted in a higher growth rate in the state's urban centres.

"The urban population has increased by 35.23 percent from 2001 to 2011," he said.

Goa, he said, ranked first in the country in terms of urbanisation.

While the state, India's smallest as far as geographical area is concerned, was urbanised to the extent of 49 percent as per the 2001 census, in 2011 the urbanisation levels touched 62.7 percent, Wasnik said.

"Of the total population of 14,58,545, people living in urban areas are 9,06,814," he said.

As for overall population growth, Goa ranked way below the national average of 17.64 at 8.23 percent, Wasnik said.

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has already warned that Goa's population would be ageing in 15 years as the state's population replacement ratio has dropped from 2.13 percent to 1.7 percent.