District of Bihar

Kishanganj District Population 2026

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

Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈22,10,000 (22.1 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Kishanganj's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Bihar projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 16,90,400.

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

16,90,400: 8,66,970 males and 8,23,430 females, of whom 1,61,123 lived in towns and 15,29,277 in villages.

Population · 1 March 2026

≈ 22.1 lakh Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection 1 March 2026 How this is made →

22,10,000 2.21 million 1 March 2026

Kishanganj district's population is estimated at ≈22.1 lakh (22,10,000) on 1 March 2026. This is our estimate, tied to the official Bihar projection; Census 2011, the last count, recorded 16,90,400.

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

Kishanganj district

Census 2011: 16,90,400
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →: ≈ 22.1 lakh

Urban population

Towns (urban)

Census 2011: 1,61,123

Rural

Villages (rural)

Census 2011: 15,29,277

Key figures

Population 2026: ≈ 22.1 lakh 22,10,000 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
Census 2011: 16.9 lakh 16,90,400 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
Density: 897per km² 2011
Sex ratio: 950 Bihar: 918
Child sex ratio (0–6): 971 Bihar: 935
Literacy rate: 55.5% Male 63.7% · Female 46.8%
Urban share: 9.5% Bihar: 11.3%
Growth 2001–11: +30.4% Bihar: +25.4%
Area: 1,884km² Census 2011
Households: 3.38 lakh 5.0 people per household
Villages: 771 Census 2011
Towns: 3 Census 2011

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Population over time

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

Census
Estimate

25 L 2026

› Show the numbers as a table

Year	Population
1951	3,36,235
1961	4,59,703
1971	6,18,773
1981	8,05,333
1991	9,84,107
2001	12,96,348
2011	16,90,400
2016 *	18,72,000
2021 *	20,37,000
2026 *	22,10,000
2031 *	23,79,000
2036 *	25,30,000

* Estimate

How Kishanganj'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 Kishanganj's 2011 population was spread
#
1	Kochadhamin	2,92,124	17.3%	930	59.4%	0.0%
2	Thakurganj	2,91,671	17.3%	942	51.6%	6.3%
3	Pothia	2,62,494	15.5%	933	51.3%	0.0%
4	Bahadurganj	2,53,582	15.0%	1016	58.1%	14.6%
5	Kishanganj	2,41,134	14.3%	934	62.8%	43.9%
6	Dighalbank	2,08,356	12.3%	957	49.4%	0.0%
7	Terhagachh	1,41,039	8.3%	939	54.5%	0.0%

Largest towns in Kishanganj (Census 2011)

Kishanganj 1,05,782
Bahadurganj 36,993
Thakurganj 18,348

How people in Kishanganj worked (Census 2011)

Cultivators

20.4%

Agricultural labourers

60.8%

Household industry

2.2%

Other work

16.6%

Share of all workers, main and marginal. Work participation: 31.3%.

Age structure of Kishanganj

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	1,19,038	1,15,981
5-9	1,32,507	1,28,398
10-14	1,19,952	1,15,622
15-19	86,245	78,081
20-24	66,333	59,780
25-29	58,917	58,761
30-34	50,634	52,338
35-39	50,895	50,654
40-44	44,386	40,762
45-49	37,834	33,611
50-54	29,541	24,616
55-59	20,595	19,331
60-64	20,485	18,959
65-69	13,627	12,520
70-74	8,450	7,314
75-79	2,956	2,701
80+	3,874	3,478

Children (0–14): 43.3%; Bihar 40.2%
Working age (15–59): 51.1%; Bihar 52.3%
Older people (60+): 5.6%; Bihar 7.4%
Median age: 18.4years; Bihar 20.4
Dependency ratio: 87.1; children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64; Bihar 81.0

Languages spoken in Kishanganj

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 47 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Hindi 54.1%
Urdu 32.6%
Bengali 6.7%
Santali 3.4%
Maithili 2.6%
Kurukh/Oraon 0.2%
Others 0.1%
Sanskrit 0.1%
All other languages 0.2%

Largest mother tongues

Surjapuri42.6%
Urdu32.6%
Hindi9.1%
Bengali6.6%
Santali3.4%
Maithili2.5%
Bhojpuri1.2%
Kurukh/Oraon0.1%

Housing and amenities in Kishanganj

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

Basic services

Electricity for lighting 17.5%

Bihar 16.4%
Tap water 1.3%

Bihar 4.4%
Water source within premises 42.4%

Bihar 50.1%
Toilet within premises 10.4%

Bihar 23.1%
Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 88.5%

Bihar 75.8%
Bathing area within premises 32.3%

Bihar 37.5%
Closed drainage 1.1%

Bihar 6.7%
Cooking with LPG/PNG 3.5%

Bihar 8.1%
Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 93.3%

Bihar 88.9%

What households own

Mobile phone 37.6%

Bihar 53.2%
Television 8.6%

Bihar 14.5%
Scooter or motorcycle 5.8%

Bihar 8.1%
Computer or laptop 4.2%

Bihar 7.1%
Car, jeep or van 0.7%

Bihar 1.7%
Use banking services 20.3%

Bihar 44.4%
None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 30.9%

Bihar 25.6%

The home itself

Own their home 97.4%

Bihar 96.8%
Rent their home 1.4%

Bihar 2.1%
Permanent (pucca) house 31.0%

Bihar 48.0%
House in good condition 35.3%

Bihar 36.1%
Concrete roof 10.9%

Bihar 23.8%
Cement or tiled floor 10.1%

Bihar 15.2%
One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 69.5%

Bihar 47.7%

Bihar

What the numbers say

Kishanganj district held 1.6% of Bihar's population in 2011, 30th of 38 districts.
Literacy is 55.5%, 6.3 points below the Bihar average of 61.8%.
The gender gap in literacy is wide: 63.7% of men but only 46.8% of women could read and write in 2011.
The sex ratio of 950 females per 1,000 males is higher than the state's 918.
The population grew 30.4% in 2001–11, faster than Bihar's 25.4%.
Our 2026 estimate, ≈22.1 lakh, implies growth of about 31% since 2011; it is tied to the official Bihar projection.
Its largest town, Kishanganj, had 1.06 lakh people in 2011, 6.3% 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 Kishanganj, they will appear on this page, at this address. Census 2027 explained →

Population by religion in Kishanganj (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 Kishanganj (Census 2011)
Religion	Persons	Share	Bihar
Hindu	5,31,236	31.4%	82.7%
Muslim	11,49,095	68.0%	16.9%
Christian	5,783	0.3%	0.1%
Sikh	398	0.0%	0.0%
Buddhist	183	0.0%	0.0%
Jain	1,476	0.1%	0.0%
Other religions and persuasions	28	0.0%	0.0%
Religion not stated	2,201	0.1%	0.2%
Total	16,90,400	100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Kishanganj district in 2026?

Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈22,10,000 (22.1 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Kishanganj's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Bihar projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 16,90,400.

What was the population of Kishanganj district in Census 2011?

16,90,400: 8,66,970 males and 8,23,430 females, of whom 1,61,123 lived in towns and 15,29,277 in villages.

What is the literacy rate and sex ratio of Kishanganj?

Literacy was 55.5% in 2011 (men 63.7%, women 46.8%). The sex ratio was 950 females per 1,000 males, and 971 among children aged 0–6.

Which is the largest town in Kishanganj district?

Kishanganj, with 1,05,782 people in Census 2011.

How many villages and towns are in Kishanganj district?

On today's boundaries the district contains 771 Census 2011 villages and 3 towns.

⤓ Download Bihar district data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: 4 October 2026 · Report a correction