Growth of Muslim Population in Medieval India, A.D. 1000–1800 c11.133

c11.133

Moreland’s low estimate of the population arrived at on the basis of areas under cultivation⁹⁵ has not been found acceptable either to Beni Prasad or Kingsley Davis. We have quoted Beni Prasad at some length. Davis also remarks that the population attributed by Moreland to some parts of northern India seems to be too small. Assam, Bengal, and Gujarat contained well over one-fifth of the whole population of India in 1911. If they had represented the same proportion in 1600, and if the total population would have been only 100 million, they would have had 20 million only. This seems too small a number for the ever thickly populated parts like Bengal and Gujarat. Davis adds, "the best policy seems to be to revise Moreland’s figure for 1600 upward to 125 million..."⁹⁶