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District of Bihar

Nalanda District Population 2026

Population · 1 March 2026

≈ 35.66 lakh Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection 1 March 2026 How this is made →

35,66,000 3.57 million 1 March 2026

Nalanda district's population is estimated at ≈35.66 lakh (35,66,000) on 1 March 2026. This is our estimate, tied to the official Bihar projection; Census 2011, the last count, recorded 28,77,653.

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

Nalanda district

Census 2011
28,77,653
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 35.66 lakh

Urban population

Towns (urban)

Census 2011
4,57,894

Rural

Villages (rural)

Census 2011
24,19,759

Key figures

Population 2026
≈ 35.66 lakh 35,66,000 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
Census 2011
28.78 lakh 28,77,653 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
Density
1,222per km² 2011
Sex ratio
922 Bihar: 918
Child sex ratio (0–6)
931 Bihar: 935
Literacy rate
64.4% Male 74.9% · Female 53.1%
Urban share
15.9% Bihar: 11.3%
Growth 2001–11
+21.4% Bihar: +25.4%
Area
2,355km² Census 2011
Households
4.78 lakh 6.0 people per household
Villages
1,055 Census 2011
Towns
6 Census 2011

Where it ranks

Population over time

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

Nalanda: Population over time
  • Census
  • Estimate
39 L 2026
› Show the numbers as a table
YearPopulation
19519,26,189
196110,86,972
197113,04,832
198116,39,922
199119,96,257
200123,70,528
201128,77,653
2016 *31,30,000
2021 *33,46,000
2026 *35,66,000
2031 *37,71,000
2036 *39,39,000

* Estimate

How Nalanda'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 Nalanda's 2011 population was spread
#
1 Bihar4,94,48917.2%91969.3%60.1%
2 Islampur2,32,3378.1%92166.1%15.3%
3 Hilsa1,97,3096.9%91166.7%25.9%
4 Harnaut1,76,1406.1%90461.4%0.0%
5 Noorsarai1,72,3516.0%92464.4%0.0%
6 Ekangarsarai1,71,2145.9%91669.2%3.9%
7 Asthawan 1,63,9385.7%93959.7%0.0%
8 Chandi1,52,1565.3%92364.9%0.0%
9 Silao1,51,2495.3%92563.9%17.0%
10 Rahui1,44,0405.0%94861.4%0.0%
11 Rajgir1,30,1834.5%91363.6%31.9%
12 Sarmera97,0833.4%91955.1%0.0%
13 Giriak96,8453.4%93261.0%0.0%
14 Nagar Nausa94,4673.3%91563.7%0.0%
15 Ben87,3873.0%91964.6%0.0%
16 Karai Parsurai73,9512.6%93156.5%0.0%
17 Parbalpur70,3162.4%91770.2%0.0%
18 Tharthari 68,3932.4%91161.0%0.0%
19 Bind61,9842.2%95454.4%0.0%
20 Katrisarai41,8211.5%94364.3%0.0%

Largest towns in Nalanda (Census 2011)

Largest towns in Nalanda (Census 2011)
  1. Biharsharif 2,97,268
  2. Hilsa 51,052
  3. Rajgir 41,587
  4. Islampur 35,641
  5. Silao 25,674
  6. Ekangar Sarai CT 6,672

How people in Nalanda worked (Census 2011)

Cultivators

21.2%

Agricultural labourers

51.1%

Household industry

5.0%

Other work

22.7%

Share of all workers, main and marginal. Work participation: 36.3%.

Age structure of Nalanda

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 →

Age structure of Nalanda
MenWomen
  1. 80+
  2. 75-79
  3. 70-74
  4. 65-69
  5. 60-64
  6. 55-59
  7. 50-54
  8. 45-49
  9. 40-44
  10. 35-39
  11. 30-34
  12. 25-29
  13. 20-24
  14. 15-19
  15. 10-14
  16. 5-9
  17. 0-4
› Show the numbers as a table
AgeMenWomen
0-41,77,9301,67,086
5-92,13,5941,97,076
10-141,98,2001,77,615
15-191,40,4071,18,357
20-241,15,6781,08,599
25-291,07,2961,07,290
30-341,00,20699,349
35-3991,39587,023
40-4478,66867,254
45-4961,44756,855
50-5450,47641,328
55-5937,16441,006
60-6444,18642,942
65-6933,87631,042
70-7424,61618,777
75-799,6678,095
80+10,5229,432
Children (0–14)
39.4%
Bihar 40.2%
Working age (15–59)
52.5%
Bihar 52.3%
Older people (60+)
8.1%
Bihar 7.4%
Median age
21.0years
Bihar 20.4
Dependency ratio
80.0
children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64
Bihar 81.0

Languages spoken in Nalanda

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 22 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Languages spoken in Nalanda
  1. Hindi 93.6%
  2. Urdu 5.7%
  3. Others 0.7%
  4. Arabic/Arbi 0.0%
  5. Maithili 0.0%
  6. English 0.0%
  7. Bengali 0.0%
  8. Tamil 0.0%

Largest mother tongues

  1. Magadhi/Magahi56.3%
  2. Hindi37.3%
  3. Urdu5.7%
  4. Bhojpuri0.0%
  5. Arabic/Arbi0.0%
  6. Maithili0.0%
  7. Bishnoi0.0%
  8. English0.0%

Housing and amenities in Nalanda

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

Basic services

  • Electricity for lighting 20.8%

    Bihar 16.4%

  • Tap water 7.9%

    Bihar 4.4%

  • Water source within premises 45.9%

    Bihar 50.1%

  • Toilet within premises 30.7%

    Bihar 23.1%

  • Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 67.9%

    Bihar 75.8%

  • Bathing area within premises 37.0%

    Bihar 37.5%

  • Closed drainage 11.6%

    Bihar 6.7%

  • Cooking with LPG/PNG 9.0%

    Bihar 8.1%

  • Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 85.4%

    Bihar 88.9%

What households own

  • Mobile phone 53.5%

    Bihar 53.2%

  • Television 17.9%

    Bihar 14.5%

  • Scooter or motorcycle 6.0%

    Bihar 8.1%

  • Computer or laptop 9.0%

    Bihar 7.1%

  • Car, jeep or van 1.6%

    Bihar 1.7%

  • Use banking services 47.9%

    Bihar 44.4%

  • None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 33.4%

    Bihar 25.6%

The home itself

  • Own their home 95.3%

    Bihar 96.8%

  • Rent their home 3.6%

    Bihar 2.1%

  • Permanent (pucca) house 62.1%

    Bihar 48.0%

  • House in good condition 34.0%

    Bihar 36.1%

  • Concrete roof 14.6%

    Bihar 23.8%

  • Cement or tiled floor 21.0%

    Bihar 15.2%

  • One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 31.0%

    Bihar 47.7%

Bihar

What the numbers say

  • Nalanda district held 2.8% of Bihar's population in 2011, 18th of 38 districts.
  • Literacy is 64.4%, 2.6 points above the Bihar average of 61.8%.
  • The gender gap in literacy is wide: 74.9% of men but only 53.1% of women could read and write in 2011.
  • The population grew 21.4% in 2001–11, slower than Bihar's 25.4%.
  • Our 2026 estimate, ≈35.66 lakh, implies growth of about 24% since 2011; it is tied to the official Bihar projection.
  • Its largest town, Biharsharif, had 2.97 lakh people in 2011, 10.3% of the district.

Compare with

All districts of Bihar →

Census 2027 status

Results pending

  1. Phase I: houselisting

    Done (2 May 2026 – 31 May 2026)

  2. Phase II: counting people

    February 2027 (reference date 1 March 2027)

  3. Results

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

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

Population by religion in Nalanda (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 Nalanda (Census 2011)
ReligionPersonsShareBihar
Hindu 26,69,775 92.8% 82.7%
Muslim 1,98,033 6.9% 16.9%
Christian 1,978 0.1% 0.1%
Sikh 393 0.0% 0.0%
Buddhist 414 0.0% 0.0%
Jain 561 0.0% 0.0%
Other religions and persuasions 64 0.0% 0.0%
Religion not stated 6,435 0.2% 0.2%
Total28,77,653100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Nalanda district in 2026?
Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈35,66,000 (35.66 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Nalanda's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Bihar projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 28,77,653.

What was the population of Nalanda district in Census 2011?
28,77,653: 14,97,060 males and 13,80,593 females, of whom 4,57,894 lived in towns and 24,19,759 in villages.

What is the literacy rate and sex ratio of Nalanda?
Literacy was 64.4% in 2011 (men 74.9%, women 53.1%). The sex ratio was 922 females per 1,000 males, and 931 among children aged 0–6.

Which is the largest town in Nalanda district?
Biharsharif, with 2,97,268 people in Census 2011.

How many villages and towns are in Nalanda district?
On today's boundaries the district contains 1,055 Census 2011 villages and 6 towns.

⤓ Download Bihar district data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: · Report a correction