City in Kerala
Kottayam Population 2026
City, metro area and district compared
Metro area (UA) · 1 March 2026
≈ 3.8 lakh Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection 1 March 2026 How this is made →
3,80,000 380,000 1 March 2026
The Kottayam metro area is estimated at ≈3.8 lakh on 1 March 2026, and the city within its municipal limits at ≈58 thousand. Census 2011 counted 3,57,302 in the urban agglomeration and 55,374 in the city.
Estimates: method M1 on 2011 boundaries, not official figures. Census: ORGI.
Which number do you mean?
Three areas share the name. Quoting the district figure as the “city population” is the most common mistake.
City
Kottayam (municipal limits)
- Census 2011
- 55,374
- 2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
- ≈ 58 thousand
Metro area (UA)
Kottayam urban agglomeration
- Census 2011
- 3,57,302
- 2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
- ≈ 3.8 lakh
District
- Census 2011
- 19,74,551
- 2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
- ≈ 20.79 lakh
Key figures
- City 2026
- ≈ 58 thousand 58,000 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
- City · Census 2011
- 55.4 thousand 55,374 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
- Metro area (UA) · 2011
- 3.57 lakh 3,57,302
- Metro area (UA) · 2026
- ≈ 3.8 lakh 3,80,000 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
- Sex ratio
- 1075 Kerala: 1084
- Child sex ratio (0–6)
- 975 Kerala: 964
- Literacy rate
- 97.6% Male 98.4% · Female 96.9%
- Households
- 14.4 thousand 3.9 people per household
- Area
- 16.0km² Census 2011 (A-4)
- Density
- 3,463per km² 2011
- Work participation
- 35.7% 2011
- Children 0–6
- 4.6 thousand 0–6 · 2011
Where it ranks
Population over time
Census counts within the limits of each year, then our estimates on 2011 boundaries.
- Metro area (UA)
- City
- Census
- Estimate
› Show the numbers as a table
| Year | Metro area (UA) | City |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 53,198 | 44,204 |
| 1961 | 65,574 | 52,685 |
| 1971 | 75,429 | 59,714 |
| 1981 | 64,431 | 64,431 |
| 1991 | 1,66,552 | 89,625 |
| 2001 | 1,72,878 | 1,29,894 |
| 2011 | 3,57,302 | 55,374 |
| 2016 * | 3,70,000 | 57,000 |
| 2021 * | 3,70,000 | 58,000 |
| 2026 * | 3,80,000 | 58,000 |
| 2031 * | 3,80,000 | 58,000 |
| 2036 * | 3,80,000 | 58,000 |
* Estimate
What the Kottayam metro area includes
Constituent units of the urban agglomeration, Census 2011. CT = census town; OG = outgrowth.
- Kottayam 55,374
- Panachikkad CT 43,595
- Perumbaikad CT 42,839
- Athirampuzha CT 40,438
- Nattakam CT 38,599
- Aimanam CT 34,470
- Puthuppally CT 29,635
- Vijayapuram CT 29,248
- Ettumanoor CT 26,993
- Chengalam South CT 16,111
What the numbers say
- The Kottayam metro area (urban agglomeration) had 3.57 lakh people in 2011, 6.5 times the 55.4 thousand inside city limits.
- The city accounts for 2.8% of the population of the district it lies in.
- Literacy in the city was 97.6% in 2011, against 94.0% for Kerala.
- By 2011 population it ranks 144th among the 150+ cities on this site and 10th in Kerala.
- Our 2026 estimate for the metro area is ≈3.8 lakh, on 2011 boundaries; it is not an official figure.
Cities of similar size
Census 2027 status
Results pending-
Phase I: houselisting
Done (1 July 2026 – 30 July 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 Kottayam, they will appear on this page, at this address. Census 2027 explained →
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Kottayam in 2026?
What was the population of Kottayam in Census 2011?
Why do sources give such different numbers for Kottayam?
What is the literacy rate of Kottayam?
Sources and method
- Census of India 2011, Primary Census Abstract (ORGI)
- Census 2011 Table A-4: towns and urban agglomerations since 1901
- Census 2011 Primary Census Abstract for urban agglomerations
- Report of the Technical Group on Population Projections 2011–2036 (July 2020)
- Our estimation method M1 (formulas and checks)
Data updated: · Report a correction