District of Bihar

Araria District Population 2026

Q: What is the population of Araria district in 2026?

Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈36,73,000 (36.73 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Araria's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Bihar projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 28,11,569.

Q: What was the population of Araria district in Census 2011?

28,11,569: 14,63,333 males and 13,48,236 females, of whom 1,68,777 lived in towns and 26,42,792 in villages.

Population · 1 March 2026

≈ 36.73 lakh Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection 1 March 2026 How this is made →

36,73,000 3.67 million 1 March 2026

Araria district's population is estimated at ≈36.73 lakh (36,73,000) on 1 March 2026. This is our estimate, tied to the official Bihar projection; Census 2011, the last count, recorded 28,11,569.

Estimate: method M1, constrained to the RGI projection for Bihar. Census: ORGI.

Which number do you mean?

District totals include villages. Here is how the 2011 population splits between towns and villages.

District

Araria district

Census 2011: 28,11,569
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →: ≈ 36.73 lakh

Urban population

Towns (urban)

Census 2011: 1,68,777

Rural

Villages (rural)

Census 2011: 26,42,792

Key figures

Population 2026: ≈ 36.73 lakh 36,73,000 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
Census 2011: 28.12 lakh 28,11,569 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
Density: 993per km² 2011
Sex ratio: 921 Bihar: 918
Child sex ratio (0–6): 957 Bihar: 935
Literacy rate: 53.5% Male 62.3% · Female 43.9%
Urban share: 6.0% Bihar: 11.3%
Growth 2001–11: +30.3% Bihar: +25.4%
Area: 2,830km² Census 2011
Households: 5.68 lakh 5.0 people per household
Villages: 742 Census 2011
Towns: 3 Census 2011

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Density · Bihar

Population over time

Census counts on 2011 boundaries, then our estimate to 2036.

Census
Estimate

42 L 2026

› Show the numbers as a table

Year	Population
1951	5,37,600
1961	7,79,578
1971	9,94,586
1981	12,72,151
1991	16,11,638
2001	21,58,608
2011	28,11,569
2016 *	31,13,000
2021 *	33,87,000
2026 *	36,73,000
2031 *	39,53,000
2036 *	42,02,000

* Estimate

How Araria's 2011 population was spread

Sub-districts (tehsils, talukas, mandals or blocks) as they were in Census 2011. “Part” means only some of it now lies in this district.

How Araria's 2011 population was spread
#
1	Forbesganj	4,86,120	17.3%	918	56.3%	18.5%
2	Araria	4,65,529	16.6%	919	53.8%	17.0%
3	Raniganj	3,98,977	14.2%	927	49.7%	0.0%
4	Narpatganj	3,51,773	12.5%	918	53.7%	0.0%
5	Jokihat	3,22,192	11.5%	919	53.0%	0.0%
6	Palasi	2,48,369	8.8%	928	52.8%	0.0%
7	Bhargama	2,30,835	8.2%	916	50.5%	0.0%
8	Sikti	1,58,543	5.6%	942	56.8%	0.0%
9	Kursakatta	1,49,231	5.3%	913	56.9%	0.0%

Largest towns in Araria (Census 2011)

Araria 79,021
Forbesganj 50,475
Jogabani 39,281

How people in Araria worked (Census 2011)

Cultivators

20.8%

Agricultural labourers

64.7%

Household industry

2.3%

Other work

12.2%

Share of all workers, main and marginal. Work participation: 38.1%.

Age structure of Araria

Population in five-year age groups, Census 2011. Men on the left, women on the right. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

MenWomen

80+
75-79
70-74
65-69
60-64
55-59
50-54
45-49
40-44
35-39
30-34
25-29
20-24
15-19
10-14
5-9
0-4

› Show the numbers as a table

Age	Men	Women
0-4	1,98,661	1,91,803
5-9	2,27,253	2,15,283
10-14	2,01,419	1,83,368
15-19	1,37,282	1,04,769
20-24	1,05,196	1,02,978
25-29	1,02,392	1,02,539
30-34	91,592	93,959
35-39	90,574	83,760
40-44	73,353	64,509
45-49	60,601	53,664
50-54	47,209	39,371
55-59	33,965	34,957
60-64	36,761	33,090
65-69	26,184	21,656
70-74	16,404	11,608
75-79	5,935	4,463
80+	7,096	5,392

Children (0–14): 43.4%; Bihar 40.2%
Working age (15–59): 50.6%; Bihar 52.3%
Older people (60+): 6.0%; Bihar 7.4%
Median age: 18.9years; Bihar 20.4
Dependency ratio: 88.2; children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64; Bihar 81.0

Languages spoken in Araria

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 50 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Hindi 44.9%
Urdu 28.7%
Maithili 20.6%
Bengali 2.2%
Malto 2.1%
Santali 1.0%
Kurukh/Oraon 0.1%
Arabic/Arbi 0.1%
All other languages 0.2%

Largest mother tongues

Urdu28.7%
Hindi25.1%
Maithili17.1%
Thati3.4%
Bengali2.2%
Kulehiya2.1%
Surjapuri1.9%
Santali1.0%

Housing and amenities in Araria

Share of households, Houselisting Census 2011. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Basic services

Electricity for lighting 7.7%

Bihar 16.4%
Tap water 1.5%

Bihar 4.4%
Water source within premises 56.5%

Bihar 50.1%
Toilet within premises 9.4%

Bihar 23.1%
Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 90.0%

Bihar 75.8%
Bathing area within premises 40.1%

Bihar 37.5%
Closed drainage 1.2%

Bihar 6.7%
Cooking with LPG/PNG 3.0%

Bihar 8.1%
Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 95.9%

Bihar 88.9%

What households own

Mobile phone 41.4%

Bihar 53.2%
Television 7.2%

Bihar 14.5%
Scooter or motorcycle 5.7%

Bihar 8.1%
Computer or laptop 5.4%

Bihar 7.1%
Car, jeep or van 0.9%

Bihar 1.7%
Use banking services 20.6%

Bihar 44.4%
None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 30.7%

Bihar 25.6%

The home itself

Own their home 98.0%

Bihar 96.8%
Rent their home 1.1%

Bihar 2.1%
Permanent (pucca) house 15.3%

Bihar 48.0%
House in good condition 32.7%

Bihar 36.1%
Concrete roof 6.9%

Bihar 23.8%
Cement or tiled floor 6.3%

Bihar 15.2%
One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 61.7%

Bihar 47.7%

Bihar

What the numbers say

Araria district held 2.7% of Bihar's population in 2011, 19th of 38 districts.
Literacy is 53.5%, 8.3 points below the Bihar average of 61.8%.
The gender gap in literacy is wide: 62.3% of men but only 43.9% of women could read and write in 2011.
6.0% of residents lived in towns in 2011, more rural than Bihar as a whole (11.3%).
The population grew 30.3% in 2001–11, faster than Bihar's 25.4%.
Our 2026 estimate, ≈36.73 lakh, implies growth of about 31% since 2011; it is tied to the official Bihar projection.
Its largest town, Araria, had 79 thousand people in 2011, 2.8% of the district.

Compare with

All districts of Bihar →

Census 2027 status

Results pending

Phase I: houselisting

Done (2 May 2026 – 31 May 2026)
Phase II: counting people

February 2027 (reference date 1 March 2027)
Results

Not yet released. In 2011, first figures came about a month after counting ended.

When the Registrar General publishes Census 2027 figures for Araria, they will appear on this page, at this address. Census 2027 explained →

Population by religion in Araria (Census 2011)

Official figures as published by the Office of the Registrar General. Shown without commentary. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Population by religion in Araria (Census 2011)
Religion	Persons	Share	Bihar
Hindu	15,93,525	56.7%	82.7%
Muslim	12,07,442	42.9%	16.9%
Christian	4,116	0.1%	0.1%
Sikh	371	0.0%	0.0%
Buddhist	187	0.0%	0.0%
Jain	1,910	0.1%	0.0%
Other religions and persuasions	63	0.0%	0.0%
Religion not stated	3,955	0.1%	0.2%
Total	28,11,569	100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Araria district in 2026?

Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈36,73,000 (36.73 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Araria's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Bihar projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 28,11,569.

What was the population of Araria district in Census 2011?

28,11,569: 14,63,333 males and 13,48,236 females, of whom 1,68,777 lived in towns and 26,42,792 in villages.

What is the literacy rate and sex ratio of Araria?

Literacy was 53.5% in 2011 (men 62.3%, women 43.9%). The sex ratio was 921 females per 1,000 males, and 957 among children aged 0–6.

Which is the largest town in Araria district?

Araria, with 79,021 people in Census 2011.

How many villages and towns are in Araria district?

On today's boundaries the district contains 742 Census 2011 villages and 3 towns.

⤓ Download Bihar district data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: 4 October 2026 · Report a correction