NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu was home to the highest percentage of widowed/divorced or separated (WDS) individuals in India in 2010 (8.8%) while Delhi had the lowest (4.1%).

Maharashtra figured in both the top five lists of highest percentage of WDS overall and females. The percentage of WDS females was almost three times that of men (2.9% against 10%).

Altogether, 7% of the population aged 10 and above were either widowed, divorced or separated in 2010 in India, according to the Registrar General of India’s Sample Registration System 2010 data finalized and submitted to the Union health ministry on Saturday.

Some big states like Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka recorded WDS population as high as 8.2%, followed by Odisha (7.2), Himachal Pradesh (7.1%) and Maharashtra (7%).

UP’s WDS men count stood at 3.7%, followed by Punjab (3.4), Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh (3.3). As far as women WDS were concerned, TN again topped the list with 14.5% of its population above the age of 10 belonging to this category, followed by Karnataka (14.2), Kerala (14), Andhra Pradesh (13.6) and Maharashtra (11.7).

In West Bengal, the number of WDS women was almost six times higher than their male counterparts, according to the data.

States record more divorced or widowed women than men

While the percentage of widowed/divorced or separated (WDS) men in West Bengal was as low as 1.9%, it was 11.4% for women in that category, according to the Registrar General of India’s Sample Registration System 2010 data finalized and submitted to the Union health ministry on Saturday.

Several other states recorded a large gap between the WDS men and women. Take for example the case of Andhra Pradesh. The WDS among women were close to 14% as compared to 2.7% among men.

In the case of Assam, WDS among men was 2.3% against 9.6% in women. In Himachal Pradesh, WDS among men and women were 3.2% against 10.8% among females, Kerala 1.8% against 14%, Maharashtra 2.4% against 11.7%, and Odisha 3.1% WDS men against 11.2% women.

The Sample Registration System 2010 also reveals extensive data on the population which was married in 2010 and those who weren’t.

The percentage of married population in 2010 was 57.7% against 35.9%, who were never married. Jammu and Kashmir recorded the highest number of "never married people" at 45.4% against the lowest in Andhra Pradesh at 30.4%.

Assam recorded 42.3%, followed by UP (41.6%), Jharkhand (38.5%), Delhi (38.4%), Maharashtra (35.5%), Karnataka (34.5%) and Maharashtra (32%). Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh recorded the highest percentage of married individuals at 61.4%, followed by Maharashtra (61%), Kerala and West Bengal (60.1%), Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh (59.8%).