District of Jharkhand

Dhanbad District Population 2026

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

Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈31,13,000 (31.13 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Dhanbad's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Jharkhand projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 26,84,487.

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

26,84,487: 14,05,956 males and 12,78,531 females, of whom 15,60,394 lived in towns and 11,24,093 in villages.

Population · 1 March 2026

≈ 31.13 lakh Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection 1 March 2026 How this is made →

31,13,000 3.11 million 1 March 2026

Dhanbad district's population is estimated at ≈31.13 lakh (31,13,000) on 1 March 2026. This is our estimate, tied to the official Jharkhand projection; Census 2011, the last count, recorded 26,84,487.

Estimate: method M1, constrained to the RGI projection for Jharkhand. Census: ORGI.

Which number do you mean?

The district, the city and the metro area are three different areas. Pick the one you mean.

City

Dhanbad (municipal limits)

Census 2011: 11,62,472
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →: ≈ 13.2 lakh

Metro area (UA)

Dhanbad urban agglomeration

Census 2011: 11,96,214
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →: ≈ 13.5 lakh

District

Dhanbad district

Census 2011: 26,84,487
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →: ≈ 31.13 lakh

Key figures

Population 2026: ≈ 31.13 lakh 31,13,000 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
Census 2011: 26.84 lakh 26,84,487 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
Density: 1,316per km² 2011
Sex ratio: 909 Jharkhand: 948
Child sex ratio (0–6): 916 Jharkhand: 948
Literacy rate: 74.5% Male 83.8% · Female 64.3%
Urban share: 58.1% Jharkhand: 24.1%
Growth 2001–11: +12.0% Jharkhand: +22.4%
Area: 2,040km² Census 2011
Households: 5.07 lakh 5.3 people per household
Villages: 1,159 Census 2011
Towns: 46 Census 2011

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Population over time

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

Census
Estimate

33 L 2026

› Show the numbers as a table

Year	Population
1951	7,50,681
1961	9,80,520
1971	11,41,486
1981	15,88,795
1991	19,49,526
2001	23,97,102
2011	26,84,487
2016 *	28,48,000
2021 *	29,92,000
2026 *	31,13,000
2031 *	32,10,000
2036 *	32,77,000

* Estimate

How Dhanbad'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 Dhanbad's 2011 population was spread
#
1	Dhanbad-Cum-Kenduadih-Cum-Jagata	12,21,356	45.5%	891	79.4%	97.3%
2	Nirsa-Cum-Chirkunda	4,26,613	15.9%	927	69.9%	38.6%
3	Baghmara-Cum-Katras	3,34,309	12.5%	905	74.9%	33.4%
4	Gobindpur	2,45,697	9.2%	930	68.5%	10.3%
5	Topchanchi	1,63,342	6.1%	922	74.1%	31.4%
6	Baliapur	1,40,908	5.2%	923	70.3%	13.8%
7	Tundi	1,02,022	3.8%	955	59.4%	0.0%
8	Purbi Tundi*	50,240	1.9%	960	61.2%	0.0%

Largest towns in Dhanbad (Census 2011)

Dhanbad 11,62,472
Chirkunda 45,508
Gomoh CT 31,495
Siuliban CT 24,125
Maithon CT 18,830
Nirsa CT 14,794
Egarkunr CT 11,829
Dumarkunda CT 11,434
Gobindpur CT 11,318
Baliapur CT 10,097

How people in Dhanbad worked (Census 2011)

Cultivators

11.5%

Agricultural labourers

12.3%

Household industry

3.1%

Other work

73.2%

Share of all workers, main and marginal. Work participation: 31.5%.

Age structure of Dhanbad

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	1,31,563	1,20,937
5-9	1,54,029	1,41,759
10-14	1,64,610	1,53,987
15-19	1,56,464	1,34,450
20-24	1,32,310	1,18,060
25-29	1,18,625	1,08,041
30-34	99,172	91,129
35-39	91,400	86,116
40-44	78,416	71,164
45-49	68,818	62,661
50-54	55,311	49,503
55-59	45,964	41,156
60-64	37,184	33,666
65-69	22,164	20,566
70-74	13,736	12,449
75-79	5,655	5,438
80+	6,786	6,867

Children (0–14): 32.8%; Jharkhand 36.2%
Working age (15–59): 60.9%; Jharkhand 56.7%
Older people (60+): 6.2%; Jharkhand 7.2%
Median age: 23.2years; Jharkhand 22.4
Dependency ratio: 57.2; children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64; Jharkhand 67.9

Languages spoken in Dhanbad

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 46 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Hindi 62.7%
Bengali 17.9%
Santali 8.7%
Urdu 8.5%
Maithili 0.8%
Punjabi 0.4%
Gujarati 0.2%
Odia 0.2%
All other languages 0.5%

Largest mother tongues

Hindi26.8%
Khortha/Khotta25.2%
Bengali17.9%
Urdu8.5%
Santali7.2%
Magadhi/Magahi5.2%
Bhojpuri4.5%
Karmali1.4%

Housing and amenities in Dhanbad

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

Basic services

Electricity for lighting 85.6%

Jharkhand 45.9%
Tap water 39.9%

Jharkhand 12.9%
Water source within premises 32.8%

Jharkhand 23.2%
Toilet within premises 39.8%

Jharkhand 22.1%
Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 58.9%

Jharkhand 76.9%
Bathing area within premises 45.0%

Jharkhand 25.5%
Closed drainage 10.5%

Jharkhand 7.2%
Cooking with LPG/PNG 16.8%

Jharkhand 11.7%
Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 22.7%

Jharkhand 68.7%

What households own

Mobile phone 63.1%

Jharkhand 46.1%
Television 58.2%

Jharkhand 26.9%
Scooter or motorcycle 26.3%

Jharkhand 16.1%
Computer or laptop 9.3%

Jharkhand 6.9%
Car, jeep or van 3.7%

Jharkhand 2.8%
Use banking services 66.8%

Jharkhand 54.0%
None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 12.9%

Jharkhand 21.0%

The home itself

Own their home 72.0%

Jharkhand 89.3%
Rent their home 15.4%

Jharkhand 7.7%
Permanent (pucca) house 65.1%

Jharkhand 38.3%
House in good condition 48.1%

Jharkhand 43.4%
Concrete roof 47.0%

Jharkhand 26.0%
Cement or tiled floor 58.3%

Jharkhand 28.8%
One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 26.5%

Jharkhand 29.2%

Jharkhand

What the numbers say

Dhanbad district held 8.1% of Jharkhand's population in 2011, 2nd of 24 districts.
Literacy is 74.5%, 8.1 points above the Jharkhand average of 66.4%.
The gender gap in literacy is wide: 83.8% of men but only 64.3% of women could read and write in 2011.
The sex ratio of 909 females per 1,000 males is lower than the state's 948.
58.1% of residents lived in towns in 2011, more urban than Jharkhand as a whole (24.1%).
The population grew 12.0% in 2001–11, slower than Jharkhand's 22.4%.
Our 2026 estimate, ≈31.13 lakh, implies growth of about 16% since 2011; it is tied to the official Jharkhand projection.
Its largest town, Dhanbad, had 11.62 lakh people in 2011, 43.3% of the district.

Compare with

All districts of Jharkhand →

Census 2027 status

Results pending

Phase I: houselisting

Done (16 May 2026 – 14 June 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 Dhanbad, they will appear on this page, at this address. Census 2027 explained →

Population by religion in Dhanbad (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 Dhanbad (Census 2011)
Religion	Persons	Share	Jharkhand
Hindu	21,49,480	80.1%	67.8%
Muslim	4,31,762	16.1%	14.5%
Christian	11,243	0.4%	4.3%
Sikh	9,727	0.4%	0.2%
Buddhist	331	0.0%	0.0%
Jain	1,268	0.0%	0.0%
Other religions and persuasions	77,182	2.9%	12.8%
Religion not stated	3,494	0.1%	0.2%
Total	26,84,487	100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Dhanbad district in 2026?

Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈31,13,000 (31.13 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Dhanbad's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Jharkhand projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 26,84,487.

What was the population of Dhanbad district in Census 2011?

26,84,487: 14,05,956 males and 12,78,531 females, of whom 15,60,394 lived in towns and 11,24,093 in villages.

What is the literacy rate and sex ratio of Dhanbad?

Literacy was 74.5% in 2011 (men 83.8%, women 64.3%). The sex ratio was 909 females per 1,000 males, and 916 among children aged 0–6.

Which is the largest town in Dhanbad district?

Dhanbad, with 11,62,472 people in Census 2011.

How many villages and towns are in Dhanbad district?

On today's boundaries the district contains 1,159 Census 2011 villages and 46 towns.

⤓ Download Jharkhand district data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: 4 October 2026 · Report a correction