Strange times: a review of the Auroville population 2022

In January 2014 (AV Today issue 294), Alan sarcastically concluded his population review “And so the long, tense wait for next year’s population figures begins,” little suspecting that, some nine years later, our slow growth rate would be chosen as the defining metric used by some to declare the whole adventure of Auroville a ‘failure.’

Since 2012 we grew by around a hundred people a year until 2016-19 when the growth was closer to two hundred per annum, or roughly 8%.

But the last two years have been unusual in the decline in this rate of growth, notably in European nations. This can provisionally be attributed to two main reasons, Covid and our current crisis. The first lockdown in 2020 resulted in the community and Entry Board being closed for months, resulting in a growth in population by the end of 2020 of only 89 souls. In 2021 the population increased by even less, only 24 people, to a total of 3286 people, mainly due to a spillover from the quarantine time and the delay it took in reopening Auroville to Newcomers.

This year we have only 22 new Aurovilians, Newcomers, pre-Newcomers and their families.

We are being told that we need to grow to 15,000 people by 2025. Ironically, our decline in population growth can most likely be attributed to the current turmoil – the divisions in the community and uncertainties surrounding visa guarantees etc. – which makes many Aurovilians, particularly non-Indian residents, feel insecure.

Regarding the latest figures, there are a few areas of unclarity. One is whether those abroad who have been waiting months for their visas have been included. Also, it is not clear what these numbers will total once the Register of Residents is finalized.

In terms of the statistics, India continues to be the fastest increasing population, now totalling 47.5% of residents, adding 79 residents this year to make a total of 1583. Previously the percentage of Indians in Auroville had remained notably consistent, being 43.2% in 1972 and 44.4% in 2018, but of late it appears the growth rate is around 1% per annum.

Auroville lost 57 non-Indian nationals last year, some through death, but others left the community.

In order of the next highest total of nationals, the French and Germans both declined by eleven, the Italians, British and Dutch by four each, the Russians by ten to 117, whilst the USA bucked the trend and grew by three to 117. Other foreign increases included three for the South Koreans to 55, and Japan by one to 14. Austria also gained one to 13 whilst Chile more than doubled, but only from only 2 to 5 residents. Other nations either stayed the same or lost one or two of their population. We returned to 60 nations from our high of 61 with the loss of our polar climactic opposite Icelandic resident.

As recently as 2019, the total of Europeans (EU plus UK, Norway, Switzerland, Former USSR {not Kazakhstan}) was just ahead of Indians, 1340 to 1336. But this year Europeans total 1347, two hundred and forty people less than India, and comprise just over 40% of Auroville’s population, an insignificant increase over three years. The rest of the world – the Americas, Africans, Australia and Asia – have a combined total of 378 residents, an eighth of our population, which represents a measured growth from 330 in 2019.

As to gender, for an alternative community to have more males than females, as was the case before, is unusual, but this year there is a small majority of females: 1661 to 1647.

This year has been an extraordinary one for Auroville, and next year could be equally significant. We await it with great interest.