District of Bihar

Purnia District Population 2026

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

Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈42,18,000 (42.18 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Purnia's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Bihar projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 32,64,619.

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

32,64,619: 16,99,370 males and 15,65,249 females, of whom 3,43,005 lived in towns and 29,21,614 in villages.

Population · 1 March 2026

≈ 42.18 lakh Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection 1 March 2026 How this is made →

42,18,000 4.22 million 1 March 2026

Purnia district's population is estimated at ≈42.18 lakh (42,18,000) on 1 March 2026. This is our estimate, tied to the official Bihar projection; Census 2011, the last count, recorded 32,64,619.

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

Purnia district

Census 2011: 32,64,619
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →: ≈ 42.18 lakh

Urban population

Towns (urban)

Census 2011: 3,43,005

Rural

Villages (rural)

Census 2011: 29,21,614

Key figures

Population 2026: ≈ 42.18 lakh 42,18,000 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
Census 2011: 32.65 lakh 32,64,619 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
Density: 1,011per km² 2011
Sex ratio: 921 Bihar: 918
Child sex ratio (0–6): 954 Bihar: 935
Literacy rate: 51.1% Male 59.1% · Female 42.3%
Urban share: 10.5% Bihar: 11.3%
Growth 2001–11: +28.3% Bihar: +25.4%
Area: 3,229km² Census 2011
Households: 6.48 lakh 5.0 people per household
Villages: 1,273 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

48 L 2026

› Show the numbers as a table

Year	Population
1951	6,85,744
1961	9,38,810
1971	11,91,510
1981	15,18,223
1991	18,78,885
2001	25,43,942
2011	32,64,619
2016 *	36,01,000
2021 *	39,03,000
2026 *	42,18,000
2031 *	45,22,000
2036 *	47,90,000

* Estimate

How Purnia'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 Purnia's 2011 population was spread
#
1	Purnia East	4,45,326	13.6%	916	64.8%	63.4%
2	Banmankhi	3,51,415	10.8%	912	52.3%	8.6%
3	Amour	2,90,559	8.9%	917	45.2%	0.0%
4	Dhamdaha	2,88,084	8.8%	916	53.4%	0.0%
5	Rupauli	2,34,686	7.2%	914	50.3%	0.0%
6	Krityanand Nagar	2,30,504	7.1%	929	51.8%	0.0%
7	Baisi	2,27,706	7.0%	935	41.4%	0.0%
8	Dagarua	2,21,142	6.8%	924	45.6%	0.0%
9	Barhara	2,09,000	6.4%	912	55.3%	0.0%
10	Baisa	1,93,127	5.9%	928	43.3%	0.0%
11	Kasba	1,88,341	5.8%	932	50.4%	16.2%
12	Bhawanipur	1,61,720	5.0%	923	47.7%	0.0%
13	Jalalgarh	1,12,951	3.5%	932	47.2%	0.0%
14	Srinagar	1,10,058	3.4%	928	44.9%	0.0%

Largest towns in Purnia (Census 2011)

Purnia 2,82,248
Kasba 30,421
Banmankhi Bazar 30,336

How people in Purnia worked (Census 2011)

Cultivators

17.3%

Agricultural labourers

65.2%

Household industry

2.5%

Other work

15.0%

Share of all workers, main and marginal. Work participation: 35.0%.

Age structure of Purnia

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	2,27,968	2,18,134
5-9	2,53,884	2,41,347
10-14	2,30,529	2,09,162
15-19	1,61,677	1,28,970
20-24	1,27,770	1,22,717
25-29	1,16,778	1,16,576
30-34	1,05,052	1,05,573
35-39	1,01,605	94,755
40-44	84,082	74,363
45-49	69,165	61,961
50-54	54,938	45,673
55-59	40,235	40,241
60-64	42,415	38,177
65-69	29,349	23,944
70-74	17,955	12,934
75-79	6,225	5,043
80+	8,534	7,029

Children (0–14): 42.8%; Bihar 40.2%
Working age (15–59): 51.2%; Bihar 52.3%
Older people (60+): 5.9%; Bihar 7.4%
Median age: 19.0years; Bihar 20.4
Dependency ratio: 86.1; children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64; Bihar 81.0

Languages spoken in Purnia

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 40 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Hindi 62.2%
Urdu 18.6%
Maithili 10.7%
Bengali 4.5%
Santali 2.6%
Kurukh/Oraon 0.5%
Malto 0.5%
Others 0.1%
All other languages 0.3%

Largest mother tongues

Hindi33.7%
Urdu18.6%
Maithili10.0%
Surjapuri8.7%
Bengali4.5%
Santali2.5%
Thati0.7%
Bhojpuri0.6%

Housing and amenities in Purnia

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

Basic services

Electricity for lighting 13.4%

Bihar 16.4%
Tap water 2.0%

Bihar 4.4%
Water source within premises 49.1%

Bihar 50.1%
Toilet within premises 13.7%

Bihar 23.1%
Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 85.4%

Bihar 75.8%
Bathing area within premises 36.5%

Bihar 37.5%
Closed drainage 2.0%

Bihar 6.7%
Cooking with LPG/PNG 5.3%

Bihar 8.1%
Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 93.4%

Bihar 88.9%

What households own

Mobile phone 38.8%

Bihar 53.2%
Television 9.9%

Bihar 14.5%
Scooter or motorcycle 6.3%

Bihar 8.1%
Computer or laptop 5.3%

Bihar 7.1%
Car, jeep or van 1.3%

Bihar 1.7%
Use banking services 25.7%

Bihar 44.4%
None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 33.8%

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 21.2%

Bihar 48.0%
House in good condition 31.2%

Bihar 36.1%
Concrete roof 10.4%

Bihar 23.8%
Cement or tiled floor 8.2%

Bihar 15.2%
One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 63.9%

Bihar 47.7%

Bihar

What the numbers say

Purnia district held 3.1% of Bihar's population in 2011, 13th of 38 districts.
Literacy is 51.1%, 10.7 points below the Bihar average of 61.8%.
The gender gap in literacy is wide: 59.1% of men but only 42.3% of women could read and write in 2011.
The population grew 28.3% in 2001–11, faster than Bihar's 25.4%.
Our 2026 estimate, ≈42.18 lakh, implies growth of about 29% since 2011; it is tied to the official Bihar projection.
Its largest town, Purnia, had 2.82 lakh people in 2011, 8.6% 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 Purnia, they will appear on this page, at this address. Census 2027 explained →

Population by religion in Purnia (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 Purnia (Census 2011)
Religion	Persons	Share	Bihar
Hindu	19,89,420	60.9%	82.7%
Muslim	12,55,641	38.5%	16.9%
Christian	7,989	0.2%	0.1%
Sikh	614	0.0%	0.0%
Buddhist	353	0.0%	0.0%
Jain	1,450	0.0%	0.0%
Other religions and persuasions	650	0.0%	0.0%
Religion not stated	8,502	0.3%	0.2%
Total	32,64,619	100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Purnia district in 2026?

Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈42,18,000 (42.18 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Purnia's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Bihar projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 32,64,619.

What was the population of Purnia district in Census 2011?

32,64,619: 16,99,370 males and 15,65,249 females, of whom 3,43,005 lived in towns and 29,21,614 in villages.

What is the literacy rate and sex ratio of Purnia?

Literacy was 51.1% in 2011 (men 59.1%, women 42.3%). The sex ratio was 921 females per 1,000 males, and 954 among children aged 0–6.

Which is the largest town in Purnia district?

Purnia, with 2,82,248 people in Census 2011.

How many villages and towns are in Purnia district?

On today's boundaries the district contains 1,273 Census 2011 villages and 3 towns.

⤓ Download Bihar district data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: 4 October 2026 · Report a correction