The correct answer is: C) Average annual growth of population.
The decennial growth rate is the average annual growth rate of a population over a period of ten years. It is calculated by dividing the change in population by the number of years in the period. For example, the decennial growth rate of Karnataka’s population from 2001 to 2011 was 14.9%. This means that the population of Karnataka grew by an average of 1.49% per year over the ten-year period.
Option A is incorrect because the decennial growth rate is not the change in population over a year. The change in population over a year is called the annual growth rate.
Option B is incorrect because the decennial growth rate is not the change in population over ten years. The change in population over ten years is the total population increase over the ten-year period.
Option D is incorrect because the decennial growth rate is not the total population increase since independence. The total population increase since independence is the total number of people who have been added to the population of Karnataka since independence.