Punjab Census 2011 – Population, Sex Ratio & Literacy Data

Quick Overview of Punjab State (2021/2025)

• Estimated (2025) Population: 3.11–3.21 Crore (31,054,922–32,110,000)
• 2011 Census Population: 2.77 Crore (27,743,338)
• Estimated Male Population (2025): 1.63–1.64 Crore
• Estimated Female Population (2025): 1.48–1.49 Crore
• Area: 50,362 km²
• Density (2025): 551/km²
• Districts: 20
• Main Language: Punjabi, Hindi
• ISOCODE: PB
• Capital City: Chandigarh
• Largest City: Ludhiana

Historic Population & Decadal Trends

Census Year	Population	Variation	Variation %	Male	Female
1901	75.45 Lac	-	-	41.18 Lac	34.26 Lac
1911	67.32 Lac	-8.13 Lac	-10.78	37.82 Lac	29.49 Lac
1921	71.53 Lac	4.21 Lac	6.26	39.76 Lac	31.77 Lac
1931	80.12 Lac	8.60 Lac	12.01	44.15 Lac	35.97 Lac
1941	96.00 Lac	15.88 Lac	19.82	52.28 Lac	43.72 Lac
1951	91.61 Lac	-4.40 Lac	-4.58	49.68 Lac	41.92 Lac
1961	1.11 Cr	19.75 Lac	21.56	60.08 Lac	51.28 Lac
1971	1.36 Cr	24.16 Lac	21.70	72.67 Lac	62.85 Lac
1981	1.68 Cr	32.38 Lac	23.89	89.37 Lac	78.52 Lac
1991	2.03 Cr	34.93 Lac	20.80	1.08 Cr	95.04 Lac
2001	2.44 Cr	40.77 Lac	20.10	1.30 Cr	1.14 Cr
2011	2.77 Cr	33.84 Lac	13.89	1.46 Cr	1.31 Cr

Year	Estimated Population	Total Growth Since 2011	Annual Growth
2025	3.11 Cr (31,054,922)	11.94%	—
2026	3.12 Cr (31,224,926)	12.55%	0.61%
2030	3.18 Cr (31,836,341)	14.75%	0.55%
2036	3.25 Cr (32,534,249)	17.27%	0.41%

District-wise Population (2011 vs 2025 Estimate)

S.No.	District Name	2011 Census	2025 Estimate
1	Amritsar	2,490,656	2,738,227
2	Barnala	595,527	654,722
3	Bathinda	1,388,525	1,526,544
4	Faridkot	617,508	678,888
5	Fatehgarh Sahib	600,163	659,819
6	Firozpur	2,029,074	2,230,764
7	Gurdaspur	2,298,323	2,526,776
8	Hoshiarpur	1,586,625	1,744,336
9	Jalandhar	2,193,590	2,411,633
10	Kapurthala	815,168	896,196
11	Ludhiana	3,498,739	3,846,514
12	Mansa	769,751	846,264
13	Moga	995,746	1,094,723
14	Mohali	994,628	1,093,494
15	Muktsar	901,896	991,544
16	Patiala	1,895,686	2,084,117
17	Rupnagar	684,627	752,679
18	Sangrur	1,655,169	1,819,693
19	Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar	612,310	673,174
20	Tarn Taran	1,119,627	1,230,918

City-wise Population (2011 vs 2025 Estimate)

S.No.	City Name	2011 Census	2025 Estimate
1	Abohar	145,302	159,745
2	Amritsar	1,132,383	1,244,942
3	Barnala	116,449	128,024
4	Batala	156,619	172,187
5	Bathinda	285,788	314,195
6	Firozpur	110,313	121,278
7	Hoshiarpur	168,653	185,417
8	Jalandhar	862,886	948,657
9	Kapurthala	98,916	108,748
10	Khanna	128,137	140,874
11	Ludhiana	1,618,879	1,779,796
12	Malerkotla	135,424	148,885
13	Moga	150,411	165,362
14	Mohali	146,213	160,747
15	Muktsar	116,747	128,352
16	Pathankot	148,937	163,741
17	Patiala	406,192	446,567

Religion-wise Population (2011 vs Estimate)

Religion	2011 Count	2011 %	2025 Estimate	2025 %
Sikh	16,004,754	57.69%	17,595,627	57.69%
Hindu	10,678,138	38.49%	11,739,545	38.49%
Muslim	535,489	1.93%	588,717	1.93%
Christian	348,230	1.26%	382,844	1.26%
Buddhist	33,237	0.12%	36,541	0.12%
Jain	45,040	0.16%	49,517	0.16%
Not Stated	87,564	0.32%	96,268	0.32%
Others	10,886	0.04%	11,968	0.04%

Sex Ratio

• Overall Sex Ratio (2011 & Recent): 895–896 females per 1000 males
• Child Sex Ratio: 846–847
• Urban Sex Ratio: 876–875
• Rural Sex Ratio: 908–907

Religion	Sex Ratio
Sikh	907
Hindu	879
Muslim	863
Christian	913

Literacy Rate (2021 projection, 2011 data)

• Total Literacy Rate: 75.84%
• Male Literacy Rate: 80.44%
• Female Literacy Rate: 70.73–70.74%
• Urban Literacy Rate: 83.18%
• Rural Literacy Rate: 71.42%

Category	Average Literacy Rate	Male	Female
Total	75.84	80.44	70.73
Urban	83.18	86.67	79.21
Rural	71.42	76.62	65.74

Religion	Avg Literacy Rate	Male	Female
Sikh	73.64	78.17	68.69
Hindu	80.05	84.64	74.83
Muslim	61.88	67.4	55.4
Christian	65.99	71.56	59.91

SC/ST Population

• Scheduled Castes (SC): 88,60,179 (31.94%), SC sex ratio: 910
• Scheduled Tribes (ST): 0

Socio-Economic/Household Facts

• Total Households: 55,13,071
• Total Towns: 217
• Total Villages: 12,581
• Ownership Trend: 88.88% houses owned, 8.77% rented
• Couples in Single Family: 65.66%
• Banking/Finance Access: 65.21%
• Internet Penetration (2011): 5.40%—major growth expected after 2021
• Families Owning Car: 13.12%, two-wheelers: 47.45%
• Increasing insurance interest with literacy

Urban vs Rural Population

• Urban Population: 1,03,99,146 (37.48%)
• Rural Population: 1,73,44,192 (62.52%)
• Urban Literacy Rate: 83.18%
• Rural Literacy Rate: 71.42%
• Urban Sex Ratio: 876
• Rural Sex Ratio: 908

Child and Slum Population

• Child Population (0-6): 30,76,219 (11.09%)
• Child Sex Ratio: 847
• Slum Population: 14,60,518 (5.26%)
• Slum Households: 2,93,928
• Slum Sex Ratio: 882

Workforce (Worker Profile)

• Total Workers: 98,97,362 (35.67% overall)
• Male Workers: 80,74,157
• Female Workers: 18,23,205

Metropolitan Regions (2011)

Region	Population	Male	Female
Amritsar	1,183,549	628,420	555,129
Jalandhar	874,412	463,636	410,776

District Highlights

Description	District	2011	2025 Est.
Most Populous	Ludhiana	3,498,739	3,846,514
Least Populous	Barnala	595,527	654,722
Highest Sex Ratio	Hoshiarpur	961	—
Lowest Sex Ratio	Bathinda	868	—
Highest Literacy Rate	Hoshiarpur	84.59%	—
Lowest Literacy Rate	Mansa	61.83%	—
Highest Population Density	Ludhiana	975	—
Lowest Population Density	Muktsar	348	—

Key Takeaways - Punjab Population Growth

• Transitioned from 75.45 Lac (1901) to 2.77 Cr (2011)
• Highest decadal growth: 23.89% (1981)
• Negative growth in 1911
• Urban population increasing steadily, now 37.48%
• Majority remains rural (62.52%)
• Projected to reach 3.25 Cr by 2036