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Union territory · Capital: New Delhi

Delhi Population 2026

Population · 1 March 2026

2.25 crore Official projection RGI Technical Group on Population Projections (2020), as on 1 March 1 March 2026 How this is made →

2,25,40,000 22.54 million 1 March 2026

Delhi's population is projected at 2.25 crore (2,25,40,000) on 1 March 2026, according to the RGI Technical Group's official projection. Census 2011, the last count, recorded 1,67,87,941.

RGI Technical Group on Population Projections (2020), as on 1 March

Key figures

Population 2026
2.25 crore 2,25,40,000 Official projection RGI Technical Group on Population Projections (2020), as on 1 March How this is made →
Census 2011
1.68 crore 1,67,87,941 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
Density
11,320per km² 2011 · 2026: 15,199
Sex ratio
868 females per 1,000 males
Child sex ratio (0–6)
871 India 918
Literacy rate
86.2% Male 90.9% · Female 80.8%
Urban share
97.5% 2026: 99.8% (projected)
Growth 2001–11
+21.2% 2011→2026: +34.3%
Area
1,483km²
Households
34.36 lakh 4.9 people per household
Work participation
33.3% 2011
Children 0–6
20.12 lakh 12.0%

Where it ranks

Population over time

Census counts 1951–2011, then the official projection to 2036.

Delhi: Population over time
  • Census
  • Official projection
2.7 cr 2026
› Show the numbers as a table
YearPopulation
195117,44,072
196126,58,612
197140,65,698
198162,20,406
199194,20,644
20011,38,50,507
20111,67,87,941
2016 *1,86,77,000
2021 *2,05,71,000
2026 *2,25,40,000
2031 *2,45,52,000
2036 *2,65,91,000

* Official projection

Districts (13)

All 13 districts of Delhi
#
1 North≈ 61.62 lakh45,23,21787485.8%
2 South West≈ 50.63 lakh36,89,32585688.3%
3 South≈ 31.95 lakh23,97,83286286.3%
4 East≈ 22.2 lakh17,09,34688489.3%
5 Outer North≈ 19.15 lakh14,18,45686483.4%
6 North East≈ 14.64 lakh10,59,72687982.3%
7 Central≈ 6.69 lakh5,82,32089285.1%
8 North West≈ 7.37 lakh5,30,51387280.1%
9 South East≈ 5.37 lakh4,03,73585186.3%
10 New Delhi≈ 3.19 lakh2,77,28283989.8%
11 West≈ 2.59 lakh1,96,18986683.6%

* 2026 figures are our estimates (method M1), tied to the official Delhi projection.

Largest cities in Delhi

  • Delhi

    City (2011): 1,10,34,555

    Metro (2011): 1,63,49,831

  • NDMC

    City (2011): 2,57,803

    Metro (2011): 1,63,49,831

  • Delhi Cantonment

    City (2011): 1,10,351

    Metro (2011): 1,63,49,831

Births, deaths and fertility

Birth rate
12.9 (18.4)
per 1,000 people
Death rate
4.5 (6.4)
per 1,000 people
Infant mortality
14 (25)
per 1,000 live births
Fertility rate (TFR)
1.2 (1.9)
children per woman
Sex ratio at birth
872 (917)
females per 1,000 males

SRS 2023 Sample Registration System Statistical Report 2023 (ORGI) How this is made → Sample Registration System 2023. India in brackets. IMR for smaller States/UTs is a 2021-23 average

Age structure of Delhi

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 Delhi
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
0-47,34,3366,46,864
5-98,29,4877,06,485
10-148,95,4467,52,701
15-199,25,1187,42,257
20-249,51,4118,12,649
25-298,78,1967,90,130
30-347,57,4556,77,244
35-396,98,4556,20,789
40-445,90,8585,06,339
45-494,95,2274,15,986
50-543,76,2223,11,247
55-592,69,1852,39,707
60-642,38,1032,33,916
65-691,39,3981,33,054
70-7494,94794,303
75-7950,44650,247
80+53,86159,170
Children (0–14)
27.2%
India 30.9%
Working age (15–59)
65.9%
India 60.5%
Older people (60+)
6.8%
India 8.6%
Median age
26.2years
India 24.9
Dependency ratio
45.5
children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64
India 57.1

Languages spoken in Delhi

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 109 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Languages spoken in Delhi
  1. Hindi 84.9%
  2. Punjabi 5.2%
  3. Urdu 5.2%
  4. Bengali 1.3%
  5. Maithili 0.7%
  6. Malayalam 0.5%
  7. Tamil 0.5%
  8. Gujarati 0.2%
  9. All other languages 1.4%

Largest mother tongues

  1. Hindi81.3%
  2. Punjabi5.2%
  3. Urdu5.2%
  4. Bhojpuri1.3%
  5. Bengali1.3%
  6. Maithili0.7%
  7. Haryanvi0.7%
  8. Malayalam0.5%

Housing and amenities in Delhi

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

Basic services

  • Electricity for lighting 99.1%

    India 67.4%

  • Tap water 81.3%

    India 43.7%

  • Water source within premises 78.5%

    India 46.7%

  • Toilet within premises 89.5%

    India 47.1%

  • Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 3.3%

    India 49.6%

  • Bathing area within premises 91.1%

    India 58.6%

  • Closed drainage 59.3%

    India 18.3%

  • Cooking with LPG/PNG 89.9%

    India 28.7%

  • Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 4.2%

    India 65.6%

What households own

  • Mobile phone 85.6%

    India 59.3%

  • Television 88.0%

    India 47.3%

  • Scooter or motorcycle 38.9%

    India 21.1%

  • Computer or laptop 29.2%

    India 9.5%

  • Car, jeep or van 20.7%

    India 4.7%

  • Use banking services 77.7%

    India 58.8%

  • None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 2.9%

    India 17.8%

The home itself

  • Own their home 68.1%

    India 86.5%

  • Rent their home 28.3%

    India 11.1%

  • Permanent (pucca) house 96.0%

    India 62.0%

  • House in good condition 65.8%

    India 53.2%

  • Concrete roof 63.9%

    India 29.1%

  • Cement or tiled floor 80.2%

    India 42.1%

  • One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 33.5%

    India 41.0%

India

Per capita income of Delhi

Per capita Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) at current prices, the standard measure of state per capita income. NSO National Statistical Office (MoSPI), compiled in the RBI Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25 How this is made →

Per capita income 2024-25
₹4,93,024
#3 of 33 States/UTs in 2023-24
Real growth, latest year (2024-25)
+4.3%
per capita, constant 2011-12 prices
Average real growth a year since 2011-12 (13 years)
+3.3%
GSDP 2024-25
₹12.2 lakh crore
Gross State Domestic Product, current prices
Per capita income of Delhi
› Show the numbers as a table
YearCurrent prices (₹)Constant 2011-12 prices (₹)
2011-121,85,0011,85,001
2012-132,05,5681,92,220
2013-142,27,9002,00,702
2014-152,47,2092,13,669
2015-162,70,2612,33,115
2016-172,95,5582,44,255
2017-183,18,3232,52,960
2018-193,38,7302,57,597
2019-203,55,7982,60,559
2020-213,22,3112,28,162
2021-223,70,8242,39,821
2022-234,17,2172,52,768
2023-244,59,4082,71,490
2024-254,93,0242,83,093

Median State/UT 2023-24: ₹2,34,721. Financial years (April–March). Latest years are advance or quick estimates and get revised.

What the numbers say

  • Delhi is home to 1.58% of India's people and is the 19th most populous of the 36 States and Union Territories.
  • The official projection has Delhi growing 34.3% between Census 2011 and 1 March 2026, faster than India's 17.6%.
  • Literacy in 2011 was 86.2%, 13.2 points above the national rate of 73.0%.
  • There were 868 females for every 1,000 males in 2011 (India: 943).
  • 97.5% of people lived in towns in 2011; the official projection puts the urban share at 99.8% in 2026.
  • A woman in Delhi has 1.2 children on average (SRS 2023), below the replacement level of 2.1.
  • North is the most populous district, with 45.23 lakh people in 2011 (26.9% of the state).
  • At 11320 people per km² in 2011, Delhi is 29.6 times as crowded as India as a whole (382).

Compare with

Census 2027 status

Results pending

  1. Phase I: houselisting

    Done (16 April 2026 – 15 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 Delhi, they will appear on this page, at this address. Census 2027 explained →

Population by religion in Delhi (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 Delhi (Census 2011)
ReligionPersonsShareIndia
Hindu 1,37,12,100 81.7% 79.8%
Muslim 21,58,684 12.9% 14.2%
Christian 1,46,093 0.9% 2.3%
Sikh 5,70,581 3.4% 1.7%
Buddhist 18,449 0.1% 0.7%
Jain 1,66,231 1.0% 0.4%
Other religions and persuasions 2,197 0.0% 0.7%
Religion not stated 13,606 0.1% 0.2%
Total1,67,87,941100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Delhi in 2026?
The official projection by the RGI Technical Group puts Delhi's population at 2,25,40,000 (2.25 crore) on 1 March 2026. No census count exists after 2011; Census 2027 results will replace this projection.

What was the population of Delhi in Census 2011?
Census 2011 counted 1,67,87,941 people in Delhi: 89,87,326 males and 78,00,615 females.

Which district of Delhi has the largest population?
North had the most people in 2011 (45,23,217). The least populous was West (1,96,189).

What is the sex ratio and literacy rate of Delhi?
In Census 2011 Delhi had 868 females per 1,000 males (child sex ratio 871) and a literacy rate of 86.2% (men 90.9%, women 80.8%).

When will Census 2027 figures for Delhi be released?
Counting of people takes place in February 2027 with a reference date of 1 March 2027. The government has not announced a release date; in 2011 provisional totals came out on 31 March 2011, about a month after counting ended. This page will switch to Census 2027 figures as soon as they are published.

⤓ Download Delhi data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: · Report a correction