According to the 2011 census of India, Uttarakhand has a population of 10,116,7

52, making it the 19th most populous state in India

Uttarakhand is the only state in India with Sanskrit as one of its official lang
uages
Uttarakhand has a total area of 53,484 km,[26] of which 93% is mountainous and 6
5% is covered by forest.
The gender ratio is 963 females per 1000 males
The Uttarakhand state has been one of the fastest growing economies in India. It
s gross state domestic product (GSDP) (at constant prices) more than doubled fro
m ?24,786 crore in FY2005 to ?60,898 crore in FY2012. The real GSDP grew at 13.7
% (CAGR) during the FY2005FY2012 period. The contribution of the services sector
to the GSDP of Uttarakhand was just over 50% during FY 2012. Per capita income i
n Uttarakhand is ?82,193 (FY 2012) which is higher than the national average of
?60,603 (FY2012).
Like most of India, agriculture is one of the most significant sectors of the ec
onomy of Uttarakhand. Basmati rice, wheat, soybeans, groundnuts, coarse cereals,
pulses, and oil seeds are the most widely grown crops. Fruits like apples, oran
ges, pears, peaches, litchis, and plums are widely grown and important to the la
rge food processing industry. Agricultural export zones have been set up in the
state for leechi, horticulture, herbs, medicinal plants, and basmati rice. Durin
g 2010, wheat production was 831 thousand tonnes and rice production was 610 tho
usand tonnes, while the main cash crop of the state, sugarcane, had a production
of 5058 thousand tonnes. As 90% of the state consists of hills, the yield per h
ectare is not very high. 86% of all croplands are in the plains while the remain
ing is from the hills.[49]
Uttarakhand Economy at a Glance[50]
figures in crores of Indian Rupees
Economy at a Glance (FY-2012) In Indian Rupees
GSDP (current) ?95,201
Per capita income ?82,193
Other key industries include tourism and hydropower, and there is prospective de
velopment in IT, ITES, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and automobile industries.
The service sector of Uttarakhand mainly includes tourism, information technolo
gy, higher education, and banking.[49]
During 20052006, the state successfully developed three Integrated Industrial Est
ates (IIEs) at Haridwar, Pantnagar, and Sitarganj; Pharma City at Salequi; Infor
mation Technology Park at Sahastradhara (Dehradun); and a growth centre at Sigga
di (Kotdwar). Also in 2006, 20 industrial sectors in public private partnership
mode were developed in the state.
Uttarakhand economy mainly relies on tourism industry. Uttarakhand, being situat
ed on the foothills of Himalayas, comprises of numerous hill stations which attr
act tourists from all across the globe thereby bringing money to the state. Apar
t from the hill stations, the wildlife have also been a major attraction for tou
rism as tourists come to visit the wildlife sanctuaries such as Corbett National
Park and the famous Tiger Reserve
The next most important contributor to the economy of Uttarakhand is the agricul
tural sector. As per the census of 2002-03, around 5671704 hectares of land was
cultivated. Cereals, pulses, oil seeds, sugar cane and onion are the major crops
grown here. Since majority of the population of
Another important component on which the economy of Uttarakhand depends is its m
ineral resources. The state consists of large resources of minerals such as lime
stone rock phosphate, dolomite, magnesite, copper graphite, soap stone, gypsum
Uttarakhand economy also relies upon its small scale industries though they don'
t offer high revenues.
Industries of Uttarakhand form the basis of the economic set up of Uttarakhand.
The State Industrial Corporation of Uttarakhand has developed seven industrial e
states; and thus it is helping the industries of Uttarakhand to develop further.

Real estates have become a happening sector in Uttarakhand, as well as in India,
after the real estate boom in 2005. All the three segments of real estate, name
ly residential, commercial and retail, are working wonders in the economy of Utt
arakhand.
Since the year 2005, India has seen a considerable hike in the demand for real e
states in Uttarakhand. With the infiltration of the NRIs, the real estate busine
ss in India has taken a tremendous up swing; due to the increase in Indian real
estate market, Uttarakhand real estate market is soaring upwards.
This boom in the real estates of Uttarakhand have led the builders like Unitech,
and the others to buy huge lands in northern India, including Uttarakhand, to d
evelop residential and commercial properties there.
Opportunities for foreign investments have increased in Uttarakhand with the gro
wth of its industries. With the growth of the industries, foreign investment in
Uttarakhand has become an active domain. Foreign investment is defined as the in
vestment made to acquire lasting interest in enterprises outside one's own econo
my. In this context, it can be said that with growth of the economy of Uttarakha
nd, NRIs are taking a keen interest in the Uttarakhand's foreign investment.
The Himalayan region of Uttarakhand is a popular tourism destination which posse
sses Alpine conditions represented by cold winters with prolonged snowfall, cons
iderable rainfall in the monsoon and pleasant summers. This climate is the most
significant factor in providing the state with its only livelihood, that is tour
ism.
The scope of tourism is considerable in this state, whether it is nature, wildli
fe, adventure or pilgrimage. The most popular destinations in Uttarakhand are:
Haridwar
Rishikesh
Dehradun
Mussoorie
Almora
Kedarnath
Badrinath
Yamunotri
Gangotri
Nainital
Ranikhet
Pithoragarh
If you are adventurous and prefer to face a few thrills, you can opt for high- a
nd low-altitude trekking, river rafting, pa
gliding, hang-gliding, mountaineering, skiing and similar other alternatives.
Conventional Himalayan agriculture is being destroyed by market stresses, introd
ucing both economic and cultural modifications in Uttarakhand. Ancient self-suff
iciency has been replaced by dependency on imports from the plains, with their p
esticide or chemical fertilizer-enhanced products. Cultural domination from the
plains also poses a threat to the usual foods as an increasing preference for mi
ll-polished rice is triumphing over mountain crops. Activists in the hills have
responded with a 'Save the Seeds' campaign and are generating awareness about th
e necessity for biodiversity in agriculture.
One of the most backward states of northern India, Uttarakhand, despite being ri
ch in natural resources, has one of the country's lowest per capita incomes- nea
rly 70% of the population lives below the poverty line. Uttarakhand depends larg
ely upon agriculture for its income; manufacturing industries are virtually non-
existent in the state. The bulk of the state's population is rural and survives
by cultivating food grains - Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar, the Doon Valley and Na
inital district being the important agricultural areas. Horticulture may be a mo
re lucrative option in areas where growing grain is not economically viable. The
re's a lot of scope for growing apple, pear, plum, apricot, litchi, grape, and m
ore- provided agricultural research, storage and distribution systems are improv
ed. Another potential contributor to the economy could be the cultivation of med
icinal plants and herbs for the pharmaceutical industry- an activity fairly smal
l at the moment.
Uttarakhand boasts of one of the fastest growing economy on the country. The sta
te has achieved a 9.31 per cent growth in its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) - thi
rd after Gujarat and Bihar as per the data released by the Central Statistical O
rganization.
The size of Uttarakhand`s economy as measured by its Gross State Domestic Produc
t (GSDP) for 2011 is pegged at Rs 775.8 billion. Born out of the division of Utt
ar Pradesh, Uttarakhand produces about 12% of the output of the undivided Uttar
Pradesh. The state reported a gross income of Rs 137 million.