1.6      DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS

1.6.1    By the very concept of the town as a Universal Township focused on spiritual and material researches and development, only those who aspire to be 'willing servitors of the Divine Consciousness', are attracted to become its citizens. Therefore, the normal demographic process of growth does not apply to Auroville. It is in this background that the demographic characteristics of the township need to be seen.

1.6.2    The present population of Auroville consists of:
>   Resident Aurovilians
>   Researchers and students, who come for short duration to learn and contribute to the efforts of development.
> Day-workers from neighbouring villages working in Auroville's economic and service activities.
>   Short-term, including casual visitors coming to see the experience of Auroville's work in diverse fields.

Note: The population listed under the last two categories falls under the category of "floating population" in the township.

1.6.3       The population of Auroville consisting of resident Aurovilians has increased from 320 in 1972 to 676 in 1980; presently it is 1519, showing a five-fold increase during the last thirty years.

Note: There is an increase of about 12% over the previous year.

1.6.4       Resident Aurovilians: There are at present 1519 Aurovilians from various nationalities, including a substantial number of Indians. Table 2 indicates the nationalities constituting the Auroville population. The population growth till now has been rather slow. However, it may be observed that since a critical mass has already been formed and the development activities are picking up, Auroville will attract a large number of people from various countries in the years to come. In this context, it may also be mentioned that a number of international centres have been set up in different countries, and it is proposed to set up similar centres in the different states of India. These centres will disseminate information about Auroville, thereby raising awareness and attracting resource persons in larger numbers for the expansion of the present activities of Auroville.

1.6.5       Students and Researchers: Nearly 100 students and researchers are in Auroville at any given point of time. As Auroville grows, the number of students and researchers will also grow. These students come from all over the world and are committed youth, who want to learn and use their knowledge in various fields in which they are interested. Their interest ranges from art and architecture to various other disciplines and their application to sustainable development. The estimated number of researchers is 1,200 annually.

1.6.6    Day-workers: Auroville provides work opportunities to about 5,000 persons residing in its neighbourhood in both manufacturing units and services. These workers have their own houses in the surrounding villages and as such return in the evening to their homes. The break up of day-workers engaged in manufacturing and services is given in Table 3. Nearly 48% of the day-workers in manufacturing and services are female workers, indicating a higher participation ratio of women in the workforce.

1.6.7    Casual Visitors: Matrimandir is the main attraction to visitors from outside and, on an average, 1,000 persons visit it every day. Sundays and holidays are special days when the number of visitors go up to 2,000 persons. Basic facilities such as parking of vehicles and information centres are available for their use. Apart from such visitors, students and professionals come to Auroville to learn about its activities, and attend workshops and seminars. The number of visitors for such purposes on an average varies from 50 to 75 persons at any given point of time and this is bound to increase in the future. Guesthouse facilities are available for the visitors. The number of casual visitors is estimated at 2.5 lakh/year.

1.6.8    The age and sex composition of the Resident Aurovilian population indicates that about 70% of the resident population is in the active age group. About 20% of population is comprised of school going children. Although 6% of the resident population is above 60 years of age, they are also considered to be active workers in their respective fields. The ratio of women to men is 881 to 1,000, but varies from time to time. Table 4 indicates the age composition of Aurovilians.

1.6.9    In the absence of specific data on occupational structure it may not be possible to indicate the detailed employment pattern in the township. However, the majority of the resident population is engaged in farming, services, professional skills and entrepreneurial activities as given in Table 5.