Bihar is now the second most populous state in India with a population of about 12.5 crores. It overtook Maharashtra as the state with the second highest population. The population growth in Bihar was 19.9 percent followed by Uttar Pradesh with a growth of 19 percent in nine years. The national population growth rate was 13.26 percent. Many states in India had a population growth lower than the national average. Union Territory of Ladakh showed a decline in population by 0.5 percent. UP and Bihar together account for 26.45 percent of Indian population.