District of Jharkhand
Palamu District Population 2026
Population · 1 March 2026
≈ 24.6 lakh Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection 1 March 2026 How this is made →
24,60,000 2.46 million 1 March 2026
Palamu district's population is estimated at ≈24.6 lakh (24,60,000) on 1 March 2026. This is our estimate, tied to the official Jharkhand projection; Census 2011, the last count, recorded 19,39,869.
Estimate: method M1, constrained to the RGI projection for Jharkhand. Census: ORGI.
Which number do you mean?
District totals include villages. Here is how the 2011 population splits between towns and villages.
District
Palamu district
- Census 2011
- 19,39,869
- 2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
- ≈ 24.6 lakh
Urban population
Towns (urban)
- Census 2011
- 2,26,003
Rural
Villages (rural)
- Census 2011
- 17,13,866
Key figures
- Population 2026
- ≈ 24.6 lakh 24,60,000 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
- Census 2011
- 19.4 lakh 19,39,869 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
- Density
- 442per km² 2011
- Sex ratio
- 928 Jharkhand: 948
- Child sex ratio (0–6)
- 945 Jharkhand: 948
- Literacy rate
- 63.6% Male 74.3% · Female 52.1%
- Urban share
- 11.7% Jharkhand: 24.1%
- Growth 2001–11
- +26.2% Jharkhand: +22.4%
- Area
- 4,393km² Census 2011
- Households
- 3.59 lakh 5.4 people per household
- Villages
- 1,870 Census 2011
- Towns
- 9 Census 2011
Where it ranks
Population over time
Census counts on 2011 boundaries, then our estimate to 2036.
- Census
- Estimate
› Show the numbers as a table
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1951 | 4,90,037 |
| 1961 | 5,89,337 |
| 1971 | 7,38,316 |
| 1981 | 9,50,839 |
| 1991 | 11,92,801 |
| 2001 | 15,37,465 |
| 2011 | 19,39,869 |
| 2016 * | 21,20,000 |
| 2021 * | 22,95,000 |
| 2026 * | 24,60,000 |
| 2031 * | 26,13,000 |
| 2036 * | 27,49,000 |
* Estimate
How Palamu'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.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chainpur | 2,26,550 | 11.7% | 942 | 57.7% | 9.6% |
| 2 | Medininagar(Daltonganj) | 2,01,596 | 10.4% | 904 | 80.1% | 59.7% |
| 3 | Hussainabad | 1,62,290 | 8.4% | 931 | 65.6% | 18.0% |
| 4 | Panki | 1,57,850 | 8.1% | 955 | 57.2% | 0.0% |
| 5 | Chhatarpur | 1,47,459 | 7.6% | 916 | 57.3% | 0.0% |
| 6 | Patan | 1,34,536 | 6.9% | 920 | 63.3% | 0.0% |
| 7 | Bishrampur | 1,04,983 | 5.4% | 923 | 68.0% | 40.9% |
| 8 | Nilambar-Pitambarpur(Lesliganj) | 1,00,222 | 5.2% | 930 | 65.3% | 0.0% |
| 9 | Tarhasi | 81,297 | 4.2% | 940 | 63.6% | 0.0% |
| 10 | Hariharganj | 74,203 | 3.8% | 924 | 64.7% | 15.9% |
| 11 | Haidernagar | 74,031 | 3.8% | 916 | 66.6% | 0.0% |
| 12 | Nawadiha Bazar/Nawadiha* | 73,799 | 3.8% | 927 | 53.4% | 0.0% |
| 13 | Pandu | 67,886 | 3.5% | 916 | 65.3% | 0.0% |
| 14 | Satbarwa | 66,417 | 3.4% | 960 | 64.6% | 0.0% |
| 15 | Nawa Bazar | 50,345 | 2.6% | 917 | 60.0% | 0.0% |
| 16 | Mohammad Ganj | 47,315 | 2.4% | 921 | 66.7% | 0.0% |
| 17 | Padwa | 46,957 | 2.4% | 930 | 65.6% | 0.0% |
| 18 | Manatu | 46,856 | 2.4% | 921 | 47.8% | 0.0% |
| 19 | Untari Road | 38,888 | 2.0% | 906 | 61.5% | 0.0% |
| 20 | Pipra | 36,389 | 1.9% | 936 | 61.3% | 0.0% |
Largest towns in Palamu (Census 2011)
- Medininagar 78,396
- Bishrampur 42,925
- Hussainabad 29,241
- Baratola CT 14,880
- Sundna CT 14,552
- Shah Pur CT 13,513
- Rerma CT 12,497
- Satgawan Alias Hariharganj CT 11,811
- Chain Pur CT 8,188
How people in Palamu worked (Census 2011)
Cultivators
18.7%
Agricultural labourers
53.4%
Household industry
2.8%
Other work
25.1%
Share of all workers, main and marginal. Work participation: 36.8%.
Age structure of Palamu
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 →
- 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 | 1,11,879 | 1,05,420 |
| 5-9 | 1,35,857 | 1,30,427 |
| 10-14 | 1,38,656 | 1,30,470 |
| 15-19 | 1,02,422 | 85,683 |
| 20-24 | 81,804 | 73,810 |
| 25-29 | 75,125 | 73,019 |
| 30-34 | 67,531 | 65,523 |
| 35-39 | 61,006 | 57,050 |
| 40-44 | 51,642 | 45,096 |
| 45-49 | 40,500 | 37,320 |
| 50-54 | 32,725 | 28,193 |
| 55-59 | 25,119 | 28,354 |
| 60-64 | 30,110 | 28,296 |
| 65-69 | 21,187 | 19,201 |
| 70-74 | 15,793 | 12,542 |
| 75-79 | 6,312 | 5,910 |
| 80+ | 7,866 | 6,779 |
- Children (0–14)
- 38.8%
- Jharkhand 36.2%
- Working age (15–59)
- 53.2%
- Jharkhand 56.7%
- Older people (60+)
- 7.9%
- Jharkhand 7.2%
- Median age
- 20.9years
- Jharkhand 22.4
- Dependency ratio
- 77.8
- children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64
- Jharkhand 67.9
Languages spoken in Palamu
Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 35 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →
- Hindi 92.0%
- Urdu 6.9%
- Kurukh/Oraon 0.8%
- Mundari 0.2%
- Bengali 0.0%
- Punjabi 0.0%
- Kharia 0.0%
- Maithili 0.0%
Largest mother tongues
- Hindi65.5%
- Magadhi/Magahi24.4%
- Urdu6.9%
- Palmuha1.2%
- Kurukh/Oraon0.8%
- Bhojpuri0.5%
- Sadan/Sadri0.3%
- Mundari0.2%
Housing and amenities in Palamu
Share of households, Houselisting Census 2011. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →
Basic services
- Electricity for lighting 19.2%
Jharkhand 45.9%
- Tap water 4.8%
Jharkhand 12.9%
- Water source within premises 26.2%
Jharkhand 23.2%
- Toilet within premises 13.1%
Jharkhand 22.1%
- Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 86.5%
Jharkhand 76.9%
- Bathing area within premises 23.1%
Jharkhand 25.5%
- Closed drainage 4.7%
Jharkhand 7.2%
- Cooking with LPG/PNG 4.9%
Jharkhand 11.7%
- Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 92.4%
Jharkhand 68.7%
What households own
- Mobile phone 45.1%
Jharkhand 46.1%
- Television 14.3%
Jharkhand 26.9%
- Scooter or motorcycle 8.3%
Jharkhand 16.1%
- Computer or laptop 5.6%
Jharkhand 6.9%
- Car, jeep or van 2.3%
Jharkhand 2.8%
- Use banking services 50.9%
Jharkhand 54.0%
- None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 30.8%
Jharkhand 21.0%
The home itself
- Own their home 97.4%
Jharkhand 89.3%
- Rent their home 1.8%
Jharkhand 7.7%
- Permanent (pucca) house 22.8%
Jharkhand 38.3%
- House in good condition 33.5%
Jharkhand 43.4%
- Concrete roof 17.2%
Jharkhand 26.0%
- Cement or tiled floor 12.2%
Jharkhand 28.8%
- One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 30.4%
Jharkhand 29.2%
Jharkhand
What the numbers say
- Palamu district held 5.9% of Jharkhand's population in 2011, 6th of 24 districts.
- Literacy is 63.6%, 2.8 points below the Jharkhand average of 66.4%.
- The gender gap in literacy is wide: 74.3% of men but only 52.1% of women could read and write in 2011.
- The sex ratio of 928 females per 1,000 males is lower than the state's 948.
- 11.7% of residents lived in towns in 2011, more rural than Jharkhand as a whole (24.1%).
- The population grew 26.2% in 2001–11, faster than Jharkhand's 22.4%.
- Our 2026 estimate, ≈24.6 lakh, implies growth of about 27% since 2011; it is tied to the official Jharkhand projection.
- Its largest town, Medininagar, had 78.4 thousand people in 2011, 4.0% 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 Palamu, they will appear on this page, at this address. Census 2027 explained →
Population by religion in Palamu (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 →
| Religion | Persons | Share | Jharkhand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hindu | 16,83,169 | 86.8% | 67.8% |
| Muslim | 2,38,295 | 12.3% | 14.5% |
| Christian | 6,164 | 0.3% | 4.3% |
| Sikh | 734 | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Buddhist | 188 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Jain | 284 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Other religions and persuasions | 5,681 | 0.3% | 12.8% |
| Religion not stated | 5,354 | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| Total | 19,39,869 | 100% |
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Palamu district in 2026?
What was the population of Palamu district in Census 2011?
What is the literacy rate and sex ratio of Palamu?
Which is the largest town in Palamu district?
How many villages and towns are in Palamu district?
⤓ Download Jharkhand district data (CSV)
Sources and method
- Census of India 2011, Primary Census Abstract (ORGI)
- Census 2011 Table A-2: decadal variation since 1901
- Report of the Technical Group on Population Projections 2011–2036 (July 2020)
- Our estimation method M1 (formulas and checks)
- Census 2011 Table C-14: population in five-year age groups
- Census 2011 Table C-16: population by mother tongue
- Census 2011 Houselisting Table HH-14: households by amenities and assets
- Census 2011 Table C-01: population by religious community
- Local Government Directory (current district boundaries)
Data updated: · Report a correction