The correct answer is 83.3 crore. Explanation & Key Takeaways: • The population of rural India as per Census 2011 is 83.3 crore. • Nearly 70 percent of the country’s population lives in rural areas where, for the first time since independence, the overall growth rate of the population has sharply declined, according to the latest Census. • Of the 121 crore Indians, 83.3 crores live in rural areas while 37.7 crore stay in urban areas, said the Census of India’s 2011 Provisional Population Totals of Rural-Urban Distribution in the country, released by Union Home Secretary R.K. Singh. Related Concepts: • For the first time since independence, the absolute increase in population is more in urban areas than in rural areas. • The rural-urban distribution is 68.84 percent and 31.16 percent respectively. • The level of urbanization increased from 27.81 percent in the 2001 Census to 31.16 percent in the 2011 Census, while the proportion of the rural population declined from 72.19 percent to 68.84 percent.