Bihar Vehicle Owners: Exploring the Vehicle Ownership Landscape in Bihar
Bihar, a state in India, has recently come into the spotlight due to an extensive Caste-Based Survey, revealing some striking statistics about vehicle ownership in the region. This survey has shed light on the fact that out of Bihar’s 13.07 crore population, a staggering 95.49% of people do not own any type of vehicle. Let’s delve into the details of this report and understand the dynamics of vehicle ownership in Bihar.
Vehicle Ownership in Bihar: An Overview
- The Majority Lacks Vehicles: The survey highlights that a vast majority of Bihar’s population, approximately 12.48 crores, do not possess any type of vehicle.
- Two-Wheelers: A Rarity: Only around 3.8% of the population, which translates to roughly 49.68 lakh people, own two-wheelers.
- Four-Wheelers: A Rarity Within a Rarity: Even fewer people, just 0.11% or about 5.72 lakh individuals, have the luxury of owning a four-wheeler.
- Tractor Ownership: The report also reveals that merely 0.13% of the population, around 1.67 lakh people, own tractors.
- Caste-Based Disparity: In a fascinating observation, the Caste-Based Survey reports that out of the 2.01 crore individuals belonging to the General Category, only 11.99 lakh own two-wheelers.
Vehicle Ownership Across India
- National Perspective: Zooming out to a national scale, data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5 in May 2022 indicates that a mere 8% of Indian families, or 12 out of every 100 households, own cars.
- Preference for Two-Wheelers: Interestingly, the majority of Indian households still rely on two-wheelers, with approximately 55% of households owning bicycles.
- Scooters and Motorcycles: Scooter and motorcycle ownership follows closely behind, with 54% of households possessing these two-wheel wonders.
Bihar’s Struggle with Vehicle Ownership
- Low Car Ownership in Bihar: Bihar, along with Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, ranks among the states with the lowest car ownership. The NFHS-5 Survey reported that only 2% of households in Bihar own cars, while Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal stand at 2.7% and 2.8%, respectively.
- Survey Sample: It’s important to note that the NFHS-5 report was based on a sample of 6,64,972 households, conducted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The Vehicle-Rich States
- Goa and Kerala: In a sharp contrast, Goa and Kerala top the charts in terms of car ownership in Indian states. Approximately 46% of households in Goa and 26% in Kerala own cars.
- Jammu and Kashmir: Jammu and Kashmir aren’t far behind, with 24% of households owning cars.
- Himachal Pradesh: Himachal Pradesh boasts 23.5% of households as car owners.
- Punjab: In Punjab, nearly 23% of households own cars.
- Other States: Nagaland, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Delhi are states and union territories where more than 20% of households own cars.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Bihar stands out with its remarkably low vehicle ownership rates, as highlighted by the recent Caste-Based Survey and the NFHS-5 Survey. The data clearly indicates that a large portion of Bihar’s population is yet to embrace car ownership. This points towards a unique socio-economic and cultural dynamic in the state.