Published: December 2020 (5 years ago) in issue Nº 377
Keywords: Population statistics, COVID-19 pandemic and Entry Service
Population statistics
I have an ambivalence about writing about population trends. I enjoy the statistics, and what they reveal about which nations are drawn to Auroville, and especially when a country ‘wakes up’ to Auroville. On the other hand, for those of us who grew up with parents of different nationalities and/or as a dual nationals, we’re reduced to one choice of nationality for Auroville’s statistical purposes. For those of us who grew up in a third country to both our parent’s nationalities, our identity is even more complex. For example, the kids who grew up here and returned as adults seem to belong more to Auroville than to their passport.
So maybe we can consider these national identities as broad brush strokes, under which lie unique inheritances and cultures that may not exactly fit these national definitions, but do belong to what the Auroville Charter speaks to:
Auroville belongs to nobody in particular. Auroville belongs to humanity as a whole. But, to live in Auroville, one must be a willing servitor of the Divine Consciousness.
Mother also wrote:
Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities.
This year our population statistics were influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. When the quarantine was started in March, the Entry Group closed for some months, which delayed the entry process for those wishing to become Newcomers. The Yucca programme for aspiring Newcomers has only recently restarted, and the time lag will spill over into 2021 entry numbers. Yet as life is often a mix of fates, it’s also noticeable that there are a number of guests who were stuck here for the lockdown and have ended up joining Auroville.
This year our population by grew by 89 people to 3262, up from last year’s 3173.Of those 89, 60 were from India, with India continuing its growth of Auroville residents from 1415 to 1475. Last year the US and Netherlands were tied in 5th place on 105 nationals each, but there has been a leap in Americans (from 96 two years ago to 112 today) and no change in the number of Dutch. Other minor increases include Iran, from 7 to 9 people, Canada to 29 from 27, Russia increasing to 77 from 74, Korea to 57 from 55 and South Africa growing to 13 from last year’s 11. France keeps its historic second place with 456 nationals (up from 449), with Germany running third with a consistent number of 259 volk. After a somewhat meteoric rise in recent years, Israel stabilised at 52 residents, and China stabilised at 16 after a recent burst. The only noticeable decline was Switzerland, dropping to 41 from 44.
The gender split as last year was almost a statistical tie, with 1301 women to 1290 men and with the children an even closer 333 girls to 338 boys. This total consists of Aurovilians, Newcomers, Pre-Newcomers, and their children. We grew to 59 nations from 57, welcoming residents from Ecuador, Cambodia and Croatia, while losing our Serbian representative.
As countries change politically, these larger shifts slowly filter through to Auroville. Since last year, Macedonia is now North Macedonia (with four residents) after its political agreement with Greece on its nomenclature. The Czech Republic is now known by its short form name of Czechia, with a sole Aurovilian representative currently.
Africa and other Asian nations continue to be relatively low in numbers when compared to the number of Indian and European residents. But countries from South and Central America continue their steady growth; with Brazil (11), Argentina (9), Mexico (6), Columbia (5), Chile (2) and Ecuador (1).
After our last two years of 200 plus increases, this year’s increase is smaller. Yet Auroville continues its population growth, most notably from our host nation, while also becoming more international with the inclusion of more countries. Even COVID-19 has not stopped people wanting to join and live the Dream of Auroville.