Uttara Kannada District Census 2021–2025: Population, Literacy, Sex Ratio, ST/SC, Urban/Rural, Religion, City/Taluka

Uttara Kannada District Karnataka Census 2025/2011 – Population, Growth, Religion, Sex Ratio, Literacy, SC/ST, Rural/Urban, Language, Tehsil/Taluk

Quick Overview of Uttara Kannada District Census 2021 & Projections

• District Name: Uttara Kannada (North Canara)
• State: Karnataka
• Area: 10,277 sq.km
• 2021 Projected Population: 1,510,000
• 2025 Projected Population: 1,608,430
• 2026 Projected Population: 1,617,175
• 2036 Projected Population: 1,685,922
• 2011 Census Population: 1,437,169
• Population Growth Rate (2001-2011): 6.17%
• Sex Ratio (2011): 979 females/1000 males
• Child Sex Ratio (0-6): 955 girls/1000 boys
• Density (2011): 140 persons/sq.km
• Urban Population (2011): 29.15% (418,981)
• Rural Population (2011): 70.85% (1,018,188)
• Total Households (2011): 324,530

Historic Population, Decadal Growth (1901–2011)

Year	Population	Growth %	Male	Female
1901	454,722	–	236,000	219,000
1911	430,755	-5.3%	220,000	211,000
1921	401,928	-6.7%	204,000	198,000
1931	418,048	4.0%	214,000	204,000
1941	441,388	5.6%	225,000	217,000
1951	518,062	17.4%	263,000	255,000
1961	689,862	33.2%	355,000	335,000
1971	849,453	23.1%	434,000	415,000
1981	1,073,561	26.4%	548,000	525,000
1991	1,220,260	13.7%	621,000	600,000
2001	1,353,644	10.9%	686,876	666,768
2011	1,437,169	6.2%	726,256	710,913

Population Projections (2025–2036)

Year	Projected Population	Growth Since 2011	Annual Growth
2025	1,608,430	11.92%	↑
2026	1,617,175	12.53%	0.61% ↑
2036	1,685,922	17.31%	0.42% ↑

Religion-Wise Population (2011)

Religion	Population	Percent
Hindu	1,187,306	82.61%
Muslim	187,974	13.08%
Christian	44,530	3.10%
Buddhist	12,804	0.89%
Jain	3,624	0.25%
Sikh	305	0.02%
Other/Not Stated	626	0.04%

Urban & Rural Detailed (2011)

Area	Population	Male	Female	Sex Ratio	Child Sex Ratio	Child (0-6)	Literacy Rate
Urban	418,981	211,346	207,635	982	950	43,374	90.73%
Rural	1,018,188	514,910	503,278	978	957	106,741	81.31%

Literacy Rate (2011, by Gender, Area, Religion)

Category	Avg Literacy	Male Literacy	Female Literacy
Total	84.06%	89.63%	78.39%
Urban	90.73%	94.49%	86.91%
Rural	81.31%	87.63%	74.87%
Hindu	83.04%	89.05%	76.97%
Muslim	89.58%	92.43%	86.75%
Christian	86.84%	91.44%	82.34%
Buddhist	90.23%	94.53%	75.16%

SC/ST & Child Population (2011)

• Scheduled Castes (SC): 116,431 (8.10%)—Sex Ratio: 1013
• Scheduled Tribes (ST): 34,239 (2.38%)—Sex Ratio: 1003
• Child Population (0-6): 150,115 (10.45%)
• Child Sex Ratio (0-6): 955 girls/1000 boys

Sex Ratio by Area/Religion (2011)

Category	Sex Ratio
Total Population	979
Urban	983
Rural	978
Hindu	986
Muslim	1000
Christian	1020

Language Data (2011)

• Kannada: 55.34%
• Konkani: 18.21%
• Urdu: 11.83%
• Marathi: 9.52%
• Telugu: 1.36%

Workforce & Households

• Total Workers: 608,526 (42.34%)
• Male Workers: 430,565
• Female Workers: 177,961
• Total Households: 324,530
• Houseless: 1,325

Taluks/Subdistrict List

Taluk Name
Karwar
Ankola
Kumta
Honnavar
Bhatkal
Sirsi
Siddapur
Yellapur
Haliyal
Joida (Supa)
Mundgod
Dandeli

• Total Towns: 18
• Total Villages: 1,289

Major Cities

• Karwar (district HQ), Sirsi (largest city & economic/cultural capital), Bhatkal, Kumta, Ankola, Honnavar, Dandeli, Yellapur, Mundgod, Siddapur, Haliyal, Joida, Supa

Geography, Ecology, Economy & Culture (Key)

• Main geographic zones: coastal & Malenadu (Western Ghats)
• Major rivers: Kali, Gangawali, Aghanashini, Sharavati
• Forested: ~70%; several national parks—Anshi, Dandeli, Attiveri bird sanctuary
• Major crops: rice, arecanut, coconut, sugarcane, cocoa, spices, cashew, mango, banana, jackfruit, vegetables
• Major industries: Kaiga Atomic Power, INS Kadamba (naval base), Supa Dam, West Coast Paper, fishing & trade ports
• Languages/dialects: Kannada, Konkani, Urdu, Marathi, Telugu; many local dialects; Nawayathi spoken by Bhatkal Muslims
• Cultural highlights: Yakshagana drama, unique coastal/Malenadu cuisines, folk arts, festivals (Karwar festival, Kumta Holi, Sirsi Marikamba Jathra, etc.)
• Transport: good road/rail connectivity, inland ports, several beaches, waterfalls, reserves, robust bus services

Notable People

• Ramakrishna Hegde, Anant Nag, Shankar Nag, Jayant Kaikini, Radhika Pandit, Nandan Nilekani, Chittani Ramachandra Hegde, S.R. Nayak, Major R R Rane (PVC), Jayshree Gadkar, Leena Chandavarkar, Keremane Shivarama Hegde, and others

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• Q: What is Uttara Kannada’s population (2011/2021/2025/2036)?
  A: 2011: 1,437,169; 2021: 1,510,000; 2025: 1,608,430; 2036: 1,685,922
• Q: Urban/rural & sex ratio split?
  A: Urban: 29.15% (982), Rural: 70.85% (978), Child: 955
• Q: Religion & language share?
  A: Hindu: 82.61%; Muslim: 13.08%; Christian: 3.10%; Buddhist: 0.89%; Kannada: 55.34%; Konkani: 18.21%; Urdu: 11.83%; Marathi: 9.52%
• Q: SC/ST counts/rates?
  A: SC: 8.10% (116,431); ST: 2.38% (34,239)
• Q: Literacy rate/area/gender/religion?
  A: Total: 84.06%; urban: 90.73%; rural: 81.31%; male: 89.63%; female: 78.39%
• Q: Largest taluks/cities?
  A: Sirsi, Karwar, Kumta, Bhatkal, Honnavar, Dandeli
• Q: What are the district’s ecological/cultural features?
  A: Lush evergreen forests, Western Ghats, festivals, Yakshagana, Karwar beaches, unique cuisine, tribal cultures
• Q: Administrative, economy, transport?
A: 12 taluks, major highways/rail/ports, agriculture, fishing, Navy/atomic power, paper industry, busiest bus station: Sirsi
• Q: What is the Sirsi district movement?
  A: Strong regional campaign for Sirsi-centric district, focused on Malenadu taluks, highlights cultural/admin gap with Karwar HQ