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State · Capital: Bengaluru

Karnataka Population 2026

Population · 1 March 2026

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

6,89,62,000 68.96 million 1 March 2026

Karnataka's population is projected at 6.9 crore (6,89,62,000) on 1 March 2026, according to the RGI Technical Group's official projection. Census 2011, the last count, recorded 6,10,95,297.

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

Key figures

Population 2026
6.9 crore 6,89,62,000 Official projection RGI Technical Group on Population Projections (2020), as on 1 March How this is made →
Census 2011
6.11 crore 6,10,95,297 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
Density
319per km² 2011 · 2026: 360
Sex ratio
973 females per 1,000 males
Child sex ratio (0–6)
948 India 918
Literacy rate
75.4% Male 82.5% · Female 68.1%
Urban share
38.7% 2026: 45.9% (projected)
Growth 2001–11
+15.6% 2011→2026: +12.9%
Area
1,91,791km²
Households
1.34 crore 4.6 people per household
Work participation
45.6% 2011
Children 0–6
71.61 lakh 11.7%

Where it ranks

Population over time

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

Karnataka: Population over time
  • Census
  • Official projection
7.2 cr 2026
› Show the numbers as a table
YearPopulation
19511,94,01,956
19612,35,86,772
19712,92,99,014
19813,71,35,714
19914,49,77,201
20015,28,50,562
20116,10,95,297
2016 *6,42,29,000
2021 *6,68,45,000
2026 *6,89,62,000
2031 *7,06,52,000
2036 *7,19,48,000

* Official projection

Districts (31)

All 31 districts of Karnataka →
All 31 districts of Karnataka
#
1 Bengaluru Urban(Bangalore)≈ 1.26 crore96,21,55191687.7%
2 Belagavi≈ 53.05 lakh47,79,66197373.5%
3 Mysuru≈ 33.36 lakh30,01,12798572.8%
4 Tumakuru≈ 27.8 lakh26,78,98098475.1%
5 Kalaburagi(Gulbarga)≈ 29.35 lakh25,66,32697164.9%
6 Vijayapura≈ 25.29 lakh21,77,33196067.2%
7 Dakshina Kannada≈ 22.69 lakh20,89,649102088.6%
8 Raichur≈ 21.71 lakh19,28,812100059.6%
9 Bagalkote≈ 21.11 lakh18,89,75298968.8%
10 Dharwad≈ 20.74 lakh18,47,02397180.0%
11 Mandya≈ 18.56 lakh18,05,76999570.4%
12 Hassan≈ 18.37 lakh17,76,421101076.1%

* 2026 figures are our estimates (method M1), tied to the official Karnataka projection. 1 districts created after 2011 are shown with figures rebuilt on today’s boundaries.

Largest cities in Karnataka

All large cities of Karnataka →

  • Bengaluru

    City (2011): 84,43,675

    Metro (2011): 85,20,435

  • Hubballi-Dharwad

    City (2011): 9,43,788

  • Mysuru

    City (2011): 8,93,062

    Metro (2011): 9,90,900

  • Kalaburagi

    City (2011): 5,33,587

    Metro (2011): 5,43,147

  • Mangaluru

    City (2011): 4,88,968

    Metro (2011): 6,23,841

  • Belagavi

    City (2011): 4,88,157

    Metro (2011): 6,10,350

  • Davanagere

    City (2011): 4,34,971

  • Ballari

    City (2011): 4,10,445

Births, deaths and fertility

Birth rate
15.2 (18.4)
per 1,000 people
Death rate
6.8 (6.4)
per 1,000 people
Infant mortality
14 (25)
per 1,000 live births
Fertility rate (TFR)
1.5 (1.9)
children per woman
Sex ratio at birth
931 (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.

Age structure of Karnataka

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 Karnataka
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
0-425,82,02424,64,695
5-926,96,67025,44,839
10-1429,55,28727,81,359
15-1930,42,04827,85,229
20-2431,09,58629,42,972
25-2928,79,25428,92,352
30-3423,89,59423,08,786
35-3923,19,08823,76,363
40-4419,77,76818,48,944
45-4918,04,83317,14,949
50-5413,81,96913,17,301
55-5910,56,05410,86,450
60-649,94,63010,65,422
65-697,23,6877,96,432
70-745,10,4195,50,706
75-792,49,8342,74,592
80+2,68,5023,56,808
Children (0–14)
26.2%
India 30.9%
Working age (15–59)
64.3%
India 60.5%
Older people (60+)
9.5%
India 8.6%
Median age
27.3years
India 24.9
Dependency ratio
47.8
children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64
India 57.1

Languages spoken in Karnataka

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 111 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Languages spoken in Karnataka
  1. Kannada 66.5%
  2. Urdu 10.8%
  3. Telugu 5.8%
  4. Tamil 3.5%
  5. Marathi 3.4%
  6. Hindi 3.3%
  7. Tulu 2.6%
  8. Konkani 1.3%
  9. All other languages 2.8%

Largest mother tongues

  1. Kannada66.5%
  2. Urdu10.8%
  3. Telugu5.8%
  4. Tamil3.4%
  5. Marathi3.3%
  6. Tulu2.6%
  7. Lamani/Lambadi1.6%
  8. Hindi1.4%

Housing and amenities in Karnataka

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

Basic services

  • Electricity for lighting 90.6%

    India 67.4%

  • Tap water 66.0%

    India 43.7%

  • Water source within premises 44.5%

    India 46.7%

  • Toilet within premises 51.2%

    India 47.1%

  • Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 45.0%

    India 49.6%

  • Bathing area within premises 86.3%

    India 58.6%

  • Closed drainage 26.0%

    India 18.3%

  • Cooking with LPG/PNG 32.5%

    India 28.7%

  • Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 60.7%

    India 65.6%

What households own

  • Mobile phone 64.6%

    India 59.3%

  • Television 60.0%

    India 47.3%

  • Scooter or motorcycle 25.6%

    India 21.1%

  • Computer or laptop 12.8%

    India 9.5%

  • Car, jeep or van 6.3%

    India 4.7%

  • Use banking services 61.2%

    India 58.8%

  • None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 14.2%

    India 17.8%

The home itself

  • Own their home 74.3%

    India 86.5%

  • Rent their home 23.0%

    India 11.1%

  • Permanent (pucca) house 66.8%

    India 62.0%

  • House in good condition 60.1%

    India 53.2%

  • Concrete roof 27.6%

    India 29.1%

  • Cement or tiled floor 55.6%

    India 42.1%

  • One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 46.1%

    India 41.0%

India

Per capita income of Karnataka

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
₹3,80,906
#6 of 33 States/UTs in 2023-24
Real growth, latest year (2024-25)
+6.6%
per capita, constant 2011-12 prices
Average real growth a year since 2011-12 (13 years)
+6.5%
GSDP 2024-25
₹28.8 lakh crore
Gross State Domestic Product, current prices
Per capita income of Karnataka
› Show the numbers as a table
YearCurrent prices (₹)Constant 2011-12 prices (₹)
2011-1290,26390,263
2012-131,02,31994,375
2013-141,18,8291,01,858
2014-151,30,0241,05,697
2015-161,48,1081,16,812
2016-171,69,8981,31,186
2017-181,85,8401,40,747
2018-192,05,2451,49,024
2019-202,22,1411,56,478
2020-212,21,6831,49,578
2021-222,68,9631,65,517
2022-233,10,3251,82,371
2023-243,39,8131,91,970
2024-253,80,9062,04,605

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

  • Karnataka is home to 4.84% of India's people and is the 9th most populous of the 36 States and Union Territories.
  • The official projection has Karnataka growing 12.9% between Census 2011 and 1 March 2026, slower than India's 17.6%.
  • Literacy in 2011 was 75.4%, 2.4 points above the national rate of 73.0%.
  • There were 973 females for every 1,000 males in 2011 (India: 943).
  • 38.7% of people lived in towns in 2011; the official projection puts the urban share at 45.9% in 2026.
  • A woman in Karnataka has 1.5 children on average (SRS 2023), below the replacement level of 2.1.
  • Bengaluru Urban is the most populous district, with 96.22 lakh people in 2011 (15.7% of the state).

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 Karnataka, they will appear on this page, at this address. Census 2027 explained →

Population by religion in Karnataka (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 Karnataka (Census 2011)
ReligionPersonsShareIndia
Hindu 5,13,17,472 84.0% 79.8%
Muslim 78,93,065 12.9% 14.2%
Christian 11,42,647 1.9% 2.3%
Sikh 28,773 0.0% 1.7%
Buddhist 95,710 0.2% 0.7%
Jain 4,40,280 0.7% 0.4%
Other religions and persuasions 11,263 0.0% 0.7%
Religion not stated 1,66,087 0.3% 0.2%
Total6,10,95,297100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Karnataka in 2026?
The official projection by the RGI Technical Group puts Karnataka's population at 6,89,62,000 (6.9 crore) on 1 March 2026. No census count exists after 2011; Census 2027 results will replace this projection.

What was the population of Karnataka in Census 2011?
Census 2011 counted 6,10,95,297 people in Karnataka: 3,09,66,657 males and 3,01,28,640 females.

Which district of Karnataka has the largest population?
Bengaluru Urban had the most people in 2011 (96,21,551). The least populous was Kodagu (5,54,519).

What is the sex ratio and literacy rate of Karnataka?
In Census 2011 Karnataka had 973 females per 1,000 males (child sex ratio 948) and a literacy rate of 75.4% (men 82.5%, women 68.1%).

When will Census 2027 figures for Karnataka 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 Karnataka data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: · Report a correction