District of Jammu and Kashmir

Poonch District Population 2026

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

Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈5,52,000 (5.52 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Poonch's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Jammu and Kashmir projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 4,76,835.

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

4,76,835: 2,51,899 males and 2,24,936 females, of whom 38,630 lived in towns and 4,38,205 in villages.

Population · 1 March 2026

≈ 5.52 lakh Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection 1 March 2026 How this is made →

5,52,000 552,000 1 March 2026

Poonch district's population is estimated at ≈5.52 lakh (5,52,000) on 1 March 2026. This is our estimate, tied to the official Jammu and Kashmir projection; Census 2011, the last count, recorded 4,76,835.

Estimate: method M1, constrained to the RGI projection for Jammu and Kashmir. Census: ORGI.

Which number do you mean?

District totals include villages. Here is how the 2011 population splits between towns and villages.

District

Poonch district

Census 2011: 4,76,835
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →: ≈ 5.52 lakh

Urban population

Towns (urban)

Census 2011: 38,630

Rural

Villages (rural)

Census 2011: 4,38,205

Key figures

Population 2026: ≈ 5.52 lakh 5,52,000 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
Census 2011: 4.77 lakh 4,76,835 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
Density: 285per km² 2011
Sex ratio: 893 Jammu and Kashmir: 892
Child sex ratio (0–6): 893 Jammu and Kashmir: 860
Literacy rate: 66.7% Male 78.8% · Female 53.2%
Urban share: 8.1% Jammu and Kashmir: 27.5%
Growth 2001–11: +28.0% Jammu and Kashmir: +23.8%
Area: 1,674km² Census 2011
Households: 90.3 thousand 5.3 people per household
Villages: 178 Census 2011
Towns: 3 Census 2011

#11 / 20
Population · Jammu and Kashmir
#628 / 782
Population · in India
#7 / 20
Literacy rate · Jammu and Kashmir
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Density · Jammu and Kashmir

Population over time

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

Census
Estimate

5.9 L 2026

› Show the numbers as a table

Year	Population
1951	1,47,489
1961	1,54,532
1971	1,70,787
1981	2,24,197
1991	2,90,727
2001	3,72,613
2011	4,76,835
2016 *	5,05,000
2021 *	5,29,000
2026 *	5,52,000
2031 *	5,74,000
2036 *	5,94,000

* Estimate

How Poonch'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 Poonch's 2011 population was spread
#
1	Mendhar	1,41,366	29.6%	929	69.8%	3.6%
2	Haveli	1,32,767	27.8%	856	73.8%	20.2%
3	Surankote	1,24,755	26.2%	899	61.5%	5.4%
4	Mandi	77,947	16.3%	884	57.3%	0.0%

Largest towns in Poonch (Census 2011)

Punch 26,854
Surankote 6,743
Naka Majiari CT 5,033

How people in Poonch worked (Census 2011)

Cultivators

33.6%

Agricultural labourers

19.6%

Household industry

2.4%

Other work

44.4%

Share of all workers, main and marginal. Work participation: 33.9%.

Age structure of Poonch

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	31,245	27,753
5-9	30,959	28,314
10-14	31,410	28,580
15-19	24,654	22,158
20-24	20,913	19,154
25-29	21,838	18,001
30-34	18,423	15,814
35-39	15,092	14,168
40-44	13,543	12,132
45-49	10,462	10,184
50-54	8,974	7,843
55-59	5,531	5,557
60-64	6,312	5,319
65-69	3,497	3,026
70-74	3,877	2,920
75-79	1,487	1,305
80+	3,254	2,432

Children (0–14): 37.4%; Jammu and Kashmir 34.0%
Working age (15–59): 55.5%; Jammu and Kashmir 58.6%
Older people (60+): 7.0%; Jammu and Kashmir 7.4%
Median age: 21.6years; Jammu and Kashmir 23.3
Dependency ratio: 72.5; children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64; Jammu and Kashmir 63.4

Languages spoken in Poonch

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 48 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Hindi 91.4%
Kashmiri 5.4%
Khandeshi 1.2%
Punjabi 0.4%
Marathi 0.3%
Nepali 0.2%
Tamil 0.2%
Telugu 0.1%
All other languages 0.7%

Largest mother tongues

Pahari50.2%
Gojri/Gujjari/Gujar39.1%
Kashmiri5.4%
Hindi1.9%
Gujari1.2%
Punjabi0.4%
Marathi0.3%
Nepali0.2%

Housing and amenities in Poonch

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

Basic services

Electricity for lighting 70.8%

Jammu and Kashmir 85.3%
Tap water 49.1%

Jammu and Kashmir 64.8%
Water source within premises 19.2%

Jammu and Kashmir 49.4%
Toilet within premises 18.7%

Jammu and Kashmir 51.1%
Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 79.3%

Jammu and Kashmir 46.1%
Bathing area within premises 22.2%

Jammu and Kashmir 61.2%
Closed drainage 3.1%

Jammu and Kashmir 13.0%
Cooking with LPG/PNG 14.8%

Jammu and Kashmir 31.9%
Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 84.0%

Jammu and Kashmir 65.2%

What households own

Mobile phone 38.7%

Jammu and Kashmir 66.4%
Television 18.0%

Jammu and Kashmir 51.4%
Scooter or motorcycle 2.7%

Jammu and Kashmir 13.2%
Computer or laptop 3.8%

Jammu and Kashmir 8.5%
Car, jeep or van 1.9%

Jammu and Kashmir 7.5%
Use banking services 69.0%

Jammu and Kashmir 69.8%
None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 37.1%

Jammu and Kashmir 17.1%

The home itself

Own their home 98.7%

Jammu and Kashmir 96.7%
Rent their home 0.9%

Jammu and Kashmir 2.2%
Permanent (pucca) house 29.1%

Jammu and Kashmir 63.9%
House in good condition 40.8%

Jammu and Kashmir 54.7%
Concrete roof 19.1%

Jammu and Kashmir 24.4%
Cement or tiled floor 22.9%

Jammu and Kashmir 49.2%
One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 24.2%

Jammu and Kashmir 25.6%

Jammu and Kashmir

What the numbers say

Poonch district held 3.9% of Jammu and Kashmir's population in 2011, 11th of 20 districts.
The gender gap in literacy is wide: 78.8% of men but only 53.2% of women could read and write in 2011.
The child sex ratio was just 893 girls per 1,000 boys aged 0–6, among the more skewed in India (national: 918).
8.1% of residents lived in towns in 2011, more rural than Jammu and Kashmir as a whole (27.5%).
The population grew 28.0% in 2001–11, faster than Jammu and Kashmir's 23.8%.
Our 2026 estimate, ≈5.52 lakh, implies growth of about 16% since 2011; it is tied to the official Jammu and Kashmir projection.

Compare with

All districts of Jammu and Kashmir →

Census 2027 status

Results pending

Phase I: houselisting

Done (1 June 2026 – 30 June 2026)
Phase II: counting people

Snow-bound areas: September 2026. Rest: February 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 Poonch, they will appear on this page, at this address. Census 2027 explained →

Population by religion in Poonch (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 Poonch (Census 2011)
Religion	Persons	Share	Jammu and Kashmir
Hindu	32,604	6.8%	28.8%
Muslim	4,31,279	90.4%	68.8%
Christian	958	0.2%	0.3%
Sikh	11,188	2.3%	1.9%
Buddhist	83	0.0%	0.0%
Jain	10	0.0%	0.0%
Other religions and persuasions	2	0.0%	0.0%
Religion not stated	711	0.1%	0.2%
Total	4,76,835	100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Poonch district in 2026?

Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈5,52,000 (5.52 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Poonch's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Jammu and Kashmir projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 4,76,835.

What was the population of Poonch district in Census 2011?

4,76,835: 2,51,899 males and 2,24,936 females, of whom 38,630 lived in towns and 4,38,205 in villages.

What is the literacy rate and sex ratio of Poonch?

Literacy was 66.7% in 2011 (men 78.8%, women 53.2%). The sex ratio was 893 females per 1,000 males, and 893 among children aged 0–6.

Which is the largest town in Poonch district?

Punch, with 26,854 people in Census 2011.

How many villages and towns are in Poonch district?

On today's boundaries the district contains 178 Census 2011 villages and 3 towns.

⤓ Download Jammu and Kashmir district data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: 4 October 2026 · Report a correction