Puducherry Population 2011 – Religion | Literacy | Density | Sex Ratio

Quick Overview of Puducherry (2021/2025 Projection)

• Estimated Population (2025): 1,646,050 – 1,717,168
• 2011 Census Population: 1,247,953
• Estimated Male Population (2025): 808,076 – 813,000
• Estimated Female Population (2025): 837,974 – 905,000
• Area: 490 km²
• Density (2025): 2,547/km²
• Urban Population: 852,753 (68.33%)
• Rural Population: 395,200 (31.67%)
• Capital and Largest City: Puducherry
• Main Languages: Tamil, French, Telugu, Malayalam
• ISOCODE: PY

Historic Population & Decadal Trends

Census Year	Population	Variation	Variation %	Male	Female
1901	246,354	–	–	N.A	N.A
1911	257,184	10,830	4.39	125,000	132,000
1921	244,162	-13,022	-5.06	119,000	125,000
1931	258,609	14,447	5.93	N.A	N.A
1941	285,047	26,438	10.20	N.A	N.A
1948	317,286	32,239	11.31	156,000	161,000
1961	369,118	51,832	16.34	183,000	186,000
1971	472,341	103,223	27.81	237,000	235,000
1981	604,074	131,733	28.15	305,000	300,000
1991	808,678	204,604	33.64	408,000	400,000
2001	974,345	165,667	20.62	486,961	487,384
2011	1,247,953	273,608	28.08	612,511	635,442

Year	Estimated Population	Total Growth Since 2011	Annual Growth
2025	1,717,168	37.6%	↑
2030	1,916,289	53.55%	3.23%
2036	2,178,497	74.57%	3.56%

District-wise Population (2011 Census & 2025 Estimate)

S.No.	District Name	2011 Census	2025 Estimate
1	Karaikal	200,222	264,093
2	Mahe	41,816	55,155
3	Puducherry	950,289	1,253,431
4	Yanam	55,626	73,371

City-wise Population (2011 Census & 2025 Estimate)

S.No.	City Name	2011 Census	2025 Estimate
1	Ozhukarai	300,104	395,837
2	Puducherry	244,377	322,333

Large Metropolitan Region	Population	Male	Female
Puducherry	657,209	323,489	333,720

Religion-wise Population

Religion	2011 Census	%	2025 Estimate
Hindu	1,089,409	87.30%	1,436,930
Christian	78,550	6.29%	103,607
Muslim	75,556	6.05%	99,658
Sikh	297	0.02%	392
Buddhist	451	0.04%	595
Jain	1,400	0.11%	1,847
Not Stated	2,122	0.17%	2,799
Others	168	0.01%	222

Sex Ratio

• Overall Sex Ratio (2011): 1,037 females per 1000 males
• Child Sex Ratio: 967–968
• Urban Sex Ratio: 1,043
• Rural Sex Ratio: 1,028
• District Highest Sex Ratio: Mahe 1,184
• District Lowest Sex Ratio: Puducherry 1,029

Religion	Sex Ratio
Hindu	1,030
Christian	1,115
Muslim	1,073
Religion not stated	1,108

Literacy Rate

• Total Literacy Rate: 85.85%
• Male Literacy Rate: 91.26%
• Female Literacy Rate: 80.67%
• Urban Literacy Rate: 88.49%
• Rural Literacy Rate: 80.1%

Category	Average Literacy Rate	Male	Female
Total Population	85.85	91.26	80.67
Urban Area	88.49	93.03	84.17
Rural Area	80.1	87.44	73.02

Religion	Average Literacy Rate	Male	Female
Hindu	85.09	90.77	79.61
Christian	90.64	94.15	87.54
Muslim	91.65	95.46	88.15
Religion not stated	86.63	92.91	81.07

SC/ST Population

• Scheduled Castes (SC): 196,325 (15.73%); SC Sex Ratio: 1,056
• Scheduled Tribes (ST): 0 (No ST population)

Socio-Economic and Household Facts

• Total Households: 302,450
• Total Towns: 10
• Total Villages: 90
• Ownership Trend: 64.93% owned; 31.14% rented
• Couples in Single Family: 75.1%
• Banking/Finance Access: 63.96%
• Families Owning Car: 5.6%; two-wheelers: 46.59%
• Internet Penetration (2011): 6.00%
• Growing insurance interest with rising literacy

Urban vs Rural Population

• Urban Population: 852,753 (68.33%)
• Rural Population: 395,200 (31.67%)
• Urban Literacy Rate: 88.49%
• Rural Literacy Rate: 80.1%
• Urban Sex Ratio: 1,043
• Rural Sex Ratio: 1,028

Child & Slum Population

• Child Population (0-6): 132,858 (10.65%)
• Child Sex Ratio: 967–968
• Slum Population: 144,573 (11.58%)
• Slum Households: 34,839
• Slum Sex Ratio: 1,051

Workforce (Worker Profile)

• Total Workers: 444,968 (35.66% overall)
• Male Workers: 332,931
• Female Workers: 112,037

District Highlights

Description	District	2011	2025 Est.	Sex Ratio	Literacy Rate	Density
Most Populous	Puducherry	950,289	1,253,431	1,029	85.44%	—
Least Populous	Mahe	41,816	55,155	1,184	97.87%	4,646
Highest Literacy	Mahe	41,816	55,155	1,184	97.87%	4,646
Lowest Literacy	Yanam	55,626	73,371	—	79.47%	—
Lowest Sex Ratio	Puducherry	950,289	1,253,431	1,029	—	—

Key Takeaways - Puducherry Growth

• Consistently high literacy (85.85%), highest in Mahe
• Unique: Female population > Male population
• High urbanization: 68% urban
• Projected population over 2.1 million by 2036
• Fastest district growth: Puducherry