<P> India is a union of 29 states and 7 union territories . As of 2011 , with an estimated population of 1.2 billion , India is the world 's second most populous country after the People 's Republic of China . India occupies 2.4 % of the world 's land surface area and is home to 17.5 % of the world 's population . After the Indo - Gangetic Plain , the eastern and western coastal regions of the Deccan Plateau are the most densely populated regions of India . The Thar Desert in western Rajasthan is one of the most densely populated deserts in the world . The northern and north - eastern states along the Himalayas contain cold arid deserts with fertile valleys . </P>
state the position of india in terms of population size
the world 's second most populous country