Odisha Census 2011 – Population, Sex Ratio & Literacy Data

Quick Overview of Odisha State (Census 2021 projection)

• Estimated (2025) Population: 4.68–4.86 Crore (46,766,640–48,580,000)
• Estimated Male Population (2025): 2.35–2.38 Crore
• Estimated Female Population (2025): 2.33–2.34 Crore
• Area: 1,55,707 km²
• Density (2025): 270 persons/km²
• Districts: 30
• Largest City (Capital): Bhubaneswar
• Main Language: Odia
• ISOCODE: OR

Historic Population: Census Decadal & Annual Projections

Census Year	Population	Variation	Variation %	Male	Female
1901	1.03 Cr	---	---	50.58 Lac	52.45 Lac
1911	1.14 Cr	10.76 Lac	10.44	55.36 Lac	58.43 Lac
1921	1.12 Cr	-2.20 Lac	-1.94	53.50 Lac	58.08 Lac
1931	1.25 Cr	13.32 Lac	11.94	60.42 Lac	64.49 Lac
1941	1.38 Cr	12.77 Lac	10.22	67.06 Lac	70.62 Lac
1951	1.46 Cr	8.78 Lac	6.37	72.43 Lac	74.03 Lac
1961	1.75 Cr	29.03 Lac	19.82	87.71 Lac	87.78 Lac
1971	2.19 Cr	43.96 Lac	25.05	1.10 Cr	1.09 Cr
1981	2.64 Cr	44.26 Lac	20.17	1.33 Cr	1.31 Cr
1991	3.17 Cr	52.89 Lac	20.06	1.61 Cr	1.56 Cr
2001	3.68 Cr	51.45 Lac	16.25	1.87 Cr	1.81 Cr
2011	4.20 Cr	51.70 Lac	14.05	2.12 Cr	2.08 Cr

Year	Estimated Population	Total Growth Since 2011	Annual Growth
2025	4.68 Cr (46,766,640)	11.42%	↑
2026	4.70 Cr (47,016,256)	12.01%	0.59 % ↑
2027	4.72 Cr (47,237,032)	12.54%	0.53 % ↑
2028	4.75 Cr (47,458,802)	13.07%	0.53 % ↑
2029	4.77 Cr (47,679,578)	13.59%	0.52 % ↑
2030	4.79 Cr (47,901,347)	14.12%	0.53 % ↑
2035	4.87 Cr (48,691,963)	16%	0.36 % ↑
2036	4.88 Cr (48,844,119)	16.37%	0.37 % ↑

District-wise Population (2011 and 2025 Estimates)

S.No.	District Name	2011 Census	2025 Estimate
1.	Anugul	1,273,821	1,429,355
2.	Balangir	1,648,997	1,850,340
3.	Balasore	2,320,529	2,603,866
4.	Bargarh	1,481,255	1,662,116
5.	Baudh	441,162	495,028
6.	Bhadrak	1,506,337	1,690,261
7.	Cuttack	2,624,470	2,944,918
8.	Debagarh	312,520	350,679
9.	Dhenkanal	1,192,811	1,338,453
10.	Gajapati	577,817	648,368
11.	Ganjam	3,529,031	3,959,926
12.	Jagatsinghapur	1,136,971	1,275,795
13.	Jajapur	1,827,192	2,050,292
14.	Jharsuguda	579,505	650,263
15.	Kalahandi	1,576,869	1,769,405
16.	Kandhamal	733,110	822,623
17.	Kendrapara	1,440,361	1,616,229
18.	Kendujhar	1,801,733	2,021,725
19.	Khordha	2,251,673	2,526,602
20.	Koraput	1,379,647	1,548,102
21.	Malkangiri	613,192	688,063
22.	Mayurbhanj	2,519,738	2,827,398
23.	Nabarangapur	1,220,946	1,370,024
24.	Nayagarh	962,789	1,080,346
25.	Nuapada	610,382	684,910
26.	Puri	1,698,730	1,906,145
27.	Rayagada	967,911	1,086,093
28.	Sambalpur	1,041,099	1,168,217
29.	Subarnapur	610,183	684,686
30.	Sundargarh	2,093,437	2,349,046

City-wise Population (2011 and 2025 Estimate)

S.No.	City Name	2011 Census	2025 Estimate
1.	Baleshwar	118,162	132,590
2.	Baripada	109,743	123,143
3.	Bhadrak	107,463	120,584
4.	Bhubaneswar	843,402	946,381
5.	Brahmapur Town	356,598	400,139
6.	Cuttack	610,189	684,693
7.	Puri Town	200,564	225,053
8.	Raurkela	272,721	306,020
9.	Raurkela Industrial Township	210,317	235,997
10.	Sambalpur	184,000	206,466

Religion-wise Population Distribution

Religion	2011 Count	2011 %	2025 Estimate
Hindu	39,300,341	93.63%	44,098,913
Christian	1,161,708	2.77%	1,303,553
Muslim	911,670	2.17%	1,022,985
Other religions/persuasions	478,317	1.14%	536,720
Religion not stated	76,919	0.18%	86,311
Sikh	21,991	0.05%	24,676
Buddhist	13,852	0.03%	15,543
Jain	9,420	0.02%	10,570

Sex Ratio

• Overall Sex Ratio (2011 & recent): 979 females per 1000 males
• Child Sex Ratio: 941 females per 1000 males (age 0–6)
• Urban Sex Ratio: 932
• Rural Sex Ratio: 989

Religion	Sex Ratio
Hindu	978
Christian	1035
Muslim	957
Other religions/persuasions	1031

Literacy Rate (2021 projection, 2011 data)

• Total Literacy Rate: 72.87%
• Male Literacy Rate: 81.59% – 81.60%
• Female Literacy Rate: 64.00% – 64.01%
• Urban Literacy Rate: 85.75%
• Rural Literacy Rate: 70.22%

Category	Average Literacy Rate	Male Literacy Rate	Female Literacy Rate
Total	72.87	81.59	64.01
Urban	85.75	90.72	80.42
Rural	70.22	79.65	60.74

Religion	Avg Literacy Rate	Male	Female
Hindu	73.14	81.87	64.26
Christian	64.47	73.39	55.96
Muslim	79.95	85.4	74.26
Other	54.48	67.49	41.97

SC and ST (Scheduled Castes/Tribes) Population

• Scheduled Castes (SC): 71,88,463 (17.13%), SC sex ratio: 987
• Scheduled Tribes (ST): 95,90,756 (22.85%), ST sex ratio: 1029

Socio-Economic/Household Insights

• Total Households: 96,37,820
• Total Towns: 223
• Total Villages: 51,311
• Ownership Trend: 90.35% houses owned; 6.68% rented
• Couples in Single Family: 75.07%
• Banking/Finance Access: 45.04%
• Internet Penetration (2011): 1.40% (expected major growth after 2021)
• Families Owning Car: 1.79%, two-wheelers: 14.50%
• Increasing insurance interest with literacy

Urban vs Rural Population Stats

• Urban Population: 70,03,656 (16.69%)
• Rural Population: 3,49,70,562 (83.31%)
• Urban Literacy Rate: 85.75%
• Rural Literacy Rate: 70.22%
• Urban Sex Ratio: 932
• Rural Sex Ratio: 989

Child & Slum Population

• Child Population (0-6): 52,73,194 (12.56% of population)
• Child Sex Ratio: 942
• Slum Population: 15,60,303 (3.72% of population)
• Slum households: 3,50,032, Sex ratio: 949

Workforce (Worker Profile)

• Total Workers: 1,75,41,589 (41.79% overall)
• Male Workers: 1,19,02,655
• Female Workers: 56,38,934

District Highlights

Description	District	2011 Census
Most Populous	Ganjam	3,529,031
Least Populous	Debagarh	312,520
Highest Sex Ratio	Rayagada	1051
Lowest Sex Ratio	Nayagarh	915
Highest Literacy Rate	Khordha	86.88%
Lowest Literacy Rate	Nabarangapur	46.43%
Highest Population Density	Khordha	799
Lowest Population Density	Kandhamal	91

Metropolitan Regions Population (2011)

Region	Population	Male	Female
Bhubaneswar	886,397	468,577	417,820
Cuttack	653,149	338,788	314,361
Raurkela	552,239	289,925	262,314

Key Takeaways - Odisha Population Growth

• Transitioned from 1.03 Cr in 1901 to 4.20 Cr in 2011
• Highest decadal growth: 25.05% (1971)
• Unique downturn: negative growth in 1921
• Urban population rising; 16.69% urban in 2011
• 83.31% population still rural as of 2011
• Projected slow but steady increase up to 2036