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District of Karnataka

Dakshina Kannada District Population 2026

Population · 1 March 2026

≈ 22.69 lakh Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection 1 March 2026 How this is made →

22,69,000 2.27 million 1 March 2026

Dakshina Kannada district's population is estimated at ≈22.69 lakh (22,69,000) on 1 March 2026. This is our estimate, tied to the official Karnataka projection; Census 2011, the last count, recorded 20,89,649.

Estimate: method M1, constrained to the RGI projection for Karnataka. 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

Mangaluru (municipal limits)

Census 2011
4,88,968
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 5.6 lakh

Metro area (UA)

Mangaluru urban agglomeration

Census 2011
6,23,841
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 7 lakh

District

Dakshina Kannada district

Census 2011
20,89,649
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 22.69 lakh

Key figures

Population 2026
≈ 22.69 lakh 22,69,000 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
Census 2011
20.9 lakh 20,89,649 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
Density
430per km² 2011
Sex ratio
1020 Karnataka: 973
Child sex ratio (0–6)
947 Karnataka: 948
Literacy rate
88.6% Male 93.1% · Female 84.1%
Urban share
47.7% Karnataka: 38.7%
Growth 2001–11
+10.1% Karnataka: +15.6%
Area
4,861km² Census 2011
Households
4.4 lakh 4.8 people per household
Villages
331 Census 2011
Towns
41 Census 2011

Where it ranks

Population over time

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

Dakshina Kannada: Population over time
  • Census
  • Estimate
23 L 2026
› Show the numbers as a table
YearPopulation
19517,55,100
19619,15,039
197111,63,668
198114,28,028
199116,56,165
200118,97,730
201120,89,649
2016 *21,70,000
2021 *22,29,000
2026 *22,69,000
2031 *22,91,000
2036 *22,99,000

* Estimate

How Dakshina Kannada'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 Dakshina Kannada's 2011 population was spread
#
1 Mangalore9,94,60247.6%102791.5%78.9%
2 Bantval 3,95,38018.9%101086.7%29.3%
3 Puttur2,87,85113.8%101186.0%21.1%
4 Beltangadi 2,66,58912.8%102084.1%5.5%
5 Sulya 1,45,2276.9%101486.7%13.7%

Largest towns in Dakshina Kannada (Census 2011)

Largest towns in Dakshina Kannada (Census 2011)
  1. Mangalore 4,99,487
  2. Ullal 53,773
  3. Puttur 53,061
  4. Bantval 40,155
  5. Mudbidri 29,431
  6. Someshwar CT 24,066
  7. Sulya 19,958
  8. Vittal CT 17,618
  9. Mulki 17,274
  10. Kotekara CT 16,505

How people in Dakshina Kannada worked (Census 2011)

Cultivators

3.4%

Agricultural labourers

2.9%

Household industry

18.9%

Other work

74.8%

Share of all workers, main and marginal. Work participation: 47.8%.

Age structure of Dakshina Kannada

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 Dakshina Kannada
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
0-475,61671,529
5-979,70575,864
10-1490,13185,405
15-1996,75494,281
20-241,02,5611,08,198
25-2993,00399,370
30-3481,43384,190
35-3980,27082,926
40-4471,44471,756
45-4968,87067,561
50-5456,42955,349
55-5944,69844,371
60-6434,87037,083
65-6923,94228,999
70-7416,54120,951
75-799,86113,362
80+8,13013,316
Children (0–14)
22.9%
Karnataka 26.2%
Working age (15–59)
67.2%
Karnataka 64.3%
Older people (60+)
9.9%
Karnataka 9.5%
Median age
29.3years
Karnataka 27.3
Dependency ratio
41.6
children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64
Karnataka 47.8

Languages spoken in Dakshina Kannada

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 59 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Languages spoken in Dakshina Kannada
  1. Tulu 48.6%
  2. Others 16.1%
  3. Malayalam 10.0%
  4. Konkani 9.9%
  5. Kannada 9.3%
  6. Marathi 1.7%
  7. Urdu 1.6%
  8. Tamil 1.1%
  9. All other languages 1.8%

Largest mother tongues

  1. Tulu48.6%
  2. Malayalam10.0%
  3. Konkani9.8%
  4. Kannada9.2%
  5. Urdu1.6%
  6. Tamil1.1%
  7. Marathi0.9%
  8. Are0.8%

Housing and amenities in Dakshina Kannada

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

Basic services

  • Electricity for lighting 90.8%

    Karnataka 90.6%

  • Tap water 43.7%

    Karnataka 66.0%

  • Water source within premises 79.3%

    Karnataka 44.5%

  • Toilet within premises 92.7%

    Karnataka 51.2%

  • Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 6.9%

    Karnataka 45.0%

  • Bathing area within premises 95.1%

    Karnataka 86.3%

  • Closed drainage 20.5%

    Karnataka 26.0%

  • Cooking with LPG/PNG 41.2%

    Karnataka 32.5%

  • Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 56.1%

    Karnataka 60.7%

What households own

  • Mobile phone 78.5%

    Karnataka 64.6%

  • Television 67.1%

    Karnataka 60.0%

  • Scooter or motorcycle 23.0%

    Karnataka 25.6%

  • Computer or laptop 13.0%

    Karnataka 12.8%

  • Car, jeep or van 11.2%

    Karnataka 6.3%

  • Use banking services 86.7%

    Karnataka 61.2%

  • None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 5.6%

    Karnataka 14.2%

The home itself

  • Own their home 84.5%

    Karnataka 74.3%

  • Rent their home 13.1%

    Karnataka 23.0%

  • Permanent (pucca) house 69.4%

    Karnataka 66.8%

  • House in good condition 63.5%

    Karnataka 60.1%

  • Concrete roof 28.7%

    Karnataka 27.6%

  • Cement or tiled floor 83.7%

    Karnataka 55.6%

  • One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 13.0%

    Karnataka 46.1%

Karnataka

What the numbers say

  • Dakshina Kannada district held 3.4% of Karnataka's population in 2011, 7th of 31 districts.
  • Literacy is 88.6%, 13.2 points above the Karnataka average of 75.4%.
  • The sex ratio of 1020 females per 1,000 males is higher than the state's 973.
  • 47.7% of residents lived in towns in 2011, more urban than Karnataka as a whole (38.7%).
  • The population grew 10.1% in 2001–11, slower than Karnataka's 15.6%.
  • Our 2026 estimate, ≈22.69 lakh, implies growth of about 9% since 2011; it is tied to the official Karnataka projection.
  • Its largest town, Mangalore, had 4.99 lakh people in 2011, 23.9% of the district.

Compare with

All districts of Karnataka →

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

Population by religion in Dakshina Kannada (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 Dakshina Kannada (Census 2011)
ReligionPersonsShareKarnataka
Hindu 14,03,854 67.2% 84.0%
Muslim 5,01,896 24.0% 12.9%
Christian 1,71,398 8.2% 1.9%
Sikh 525 0.0% 0.0%
Buddhist 445 0.0% 0.2%
Jain 10,397 0.5% 0.7%
Other religions and persuasions 138 0.0% 0.0%
Religion not stated 996 0.0% 0.3%
Total20,89,649100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Dakshina Kannada district in 2026?
Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈22,69,000 (22.69 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Dakshina Kannada's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Karnataka projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 20,89,649.

What was the population of Dakshina Kannada district in Census 2011?
20,89,649: 10,34,714 males and 10,54,935 females, of whom 9,96,086 lived in towns and 10,93,563 in villages.

What is the literacy rate and sex ratio of Dakshina Kannada?
Literacy was 88.6% in 2011 (men 93.1%, women 84.1%). The sex ratio was 1020 females per 1,000 males, and 947 among children aged 0–6.

Which is the largest town in Dakshina Kannada district?
Mangalore, with 4,99,487 people in Census 2011.

How many villages and towns are in Dakshina Kannada district?
On today's boundaries the district contains 331 Census 2011 villages and 41 towns.

⤓ Download Karnataka district data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: · Report a correction