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District of Karnataka

Dharwad District Population 2026

Population · 1 March 2026

≈ 20.74 lakh Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection 1 March 2026 How this is made →

20,74,000 2.07 million 1 March 2026

Dharwad district's population is estimated at ≈20.74 lakh (20,74,000) on 1 March 2026. This is our estimate, tied to the official Karnataka projection; Census 2011, the last count, recorded 18,47,023.

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

Hubballi-Dharwad (municipal limits)

Census 2011
9,43,788
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 11 lakh

District

Dharwad district

Census 2011
18,47,023
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 20.74 lakh

Key figures

Population 2026
≈ 20.74 lakh 20,74,000 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
Census 2011
18.47 lakh 18,47,023 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
Density
434per km² 2011
Sex ratio
971 Karnataka: 973
Child sex ratio (0–6)
944 Karnataka: 948
Literacy rate
80.0% Male 86.4% · Female 73.5%
Urban share
56.8% Karnataka: 38.7%
Growth 2001–11
+15.1% Karnataka: +15.6%
Area
4,260km² Census 2011
Households
3.83 lakh 4.8 people per household
Villages
379 Census 2011
Towns
6 Census 2011

Where it ranks

Population over time

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

Dharwad: Population over time
  • Census
  • Estimate
21 L 2026
› Show the numbers as a table
YearPopulation
19515,51,466
19616,90,668
19718,75,465
198111,49,153
199113,74,895
200116,04,253
201118,47,023
2016 *19,39,000
2021 *20,15,000
2026 *20,74,000
2031 *21,18,000
2036 *21,48,000

* Estimate

How Dharwad'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 Dharwad's 2011 population was spread
#
1 Statutory towns (counted separately in 2011)9,43,78851.1%98986.8%100.0%
2 Dharwad2,49,99313.5%95072.1%6.9%
3 Navalgund 1,90,20810.3%96274.7%27.8%
4 Kundgol 1,65,5689.0%95274.5%11.3%
5 Kalghatgi 1,54,6598.4%94068.8%10.9%
6 Hubli1,42,8077.7%95773.7%0.0%

Largest towns in Dharwad (Census 2011)

Largest towns in Dharwad (Census 2011)
  1. Hubli-Dharwad 9,43,788
  2. Annigeri 28,267
  3. Navalgund 24,613
  4. Kundgol 18,726
  5. Alnavar 17,228
  6. Kalghatgi 16,917

How people in Dharwad worked (Census 2011)

Cultivators

20.9%

Agricultural labourers

26.5%

Household industry

2.1%

Other work

50.5%

Share of all workers, main and marginal. Work participation: 42.5%.

Age structure of Dharwad

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 Dharwad
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
0-480,22176,056
5-981,26676,815
10-1489,67684,593
15-1993,10584,502
20-2495,33488,527
25-2983,22484,616
30-3470,52368,761
35-3969,35072,302
40-4460,34456,654
45-4954,85552,899
50-5442,94539,707
55-5933,07833,080
60-6430,40732,487
65-6922,80524,993
70-7414,72915,506
75-797,7698,324
80+7,0499,698
Children (0–14)
26.5%
Karnataka 26.2%
Working age (15–59)
64.1%
Karnataka 64.3%
Older people (60+)
9.4%
Karnataka 9.5%
Median age
27.2years
Karnataka 27.3
Dependency ratio
48.1
children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64
Karnataka 47.8

Languages spoken in Dharwad

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 36 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Languages spoken in Dharwad
  1. Kannada 70.1%
  2. Urdu 18.4%
  3. Marathi 3.2%
  4. Hindi 2.4%
  5. Telugu 2.4%
  6. Gujarati 1.5%
  7. Konkani 0.9%
  8. Tamil 0.5%
  9. All other languages 0.8%

Largest mother tongues

  1. Kannada70.1%
  2. Urdu18.4%
  3. Marathi3.1%
  4. Telugu2.4%
  5. Hindi1.2%
  6. Konkani0.9%
  7. Lamani/Lambadi0.6%
  8. Tamil0.5%

Housing and amenities in Dharwad

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

Basic services

  • Electricity for lighting 93.5%

    Karnataka 90.6%

  • Tap water 80.7%

    Karnataka 66.0%

  • Water source within premises 57.3%

    Karnataka 44.5%

  • Toilet within premises 57.0%

    Karnataka 51.2%

  • Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 39.5%

    Karnataka 45.0%

  • Bathing area within premises 93.8%

    Karnataka 86.3%

  • Closed drainage 40.4%

    Karnataka 26.0%

  • Cooking with LPG/PNG 37.8%

    Karnataka 32.5%

  • Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 56.4%

    Karnataka 60.7%

What households own

  • Mobile phone 65.0%

    Karnataka 64.6%

  • Television 62.8%

    Karnataka 60.0%

  • Scooter or motorcycle 24.5%

    Karnataka 25.6%

  • Computer or laptop 13.3%

    Karnataka 12.8%

  • Car, jeep or van 5.7%

    Karnataka 6.3%

  • Use banking services 71.9%

    Karnataka 61.2%

  • None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 13.9%

    Karnataka 14.2%

The home itself

  • Own their home 74.0%

    Karnataka 74.3%

  • Rent their home 23.4%

    Karnataka 23.0%

  • Permanent (pucca) house 55.0%

    Karnataka 66.8%

  • House in good condition 63.4%

    Karnataka 60.1%

  • Concrete roof 27.2%

    Karnataka 27.6%

  • Cement or tiled floor 33.5%

    Karnataka 55.6%

  • One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 49.7%

    Karnataka 46.1%

Karnataka

What the numbers say

  • Dharwad district held 3.0% of Karnataka's population in 2011, 10th of 31 districts.
  • Literacy is 80.0%, 4.6 points above the Karnataka average of 75.4%.
  • 56.8% of residents lived in towns in 2011, more urban than Karnataka as a whole (38.7%).
  • Our 2026 estimate, ≈20.74 lakh, implies growth of about 12% since 2011; it is tied to the official Karnataka projection.
  • Its largest town, Hubli-Dharwad, had 9.44 lakh people in 2011, 51.1% 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 Dharwad, they will appear on this page, at this address. Census 2027 explained →

Population by religion in Dharwad (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 Dharwad (Census 2011)
ReligionPersonsShareKarnataka
Hindu 13,90,020 75.3% 84.0%
Muslim 3,86,834 20.9% 12.9%
Christian 28,747 1.6% 1.9%
Sikh 1,486 0.1% 0.0%
Buddhist 715 0.0% 0.2%
Jain 29,037 1.6% 0.7%
Other religions and persuasions 2,748 0.1% 0.0%
Religion not stated 7,436 0.4% 0.3%
Total18,47,023100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Dharwad district in 2026?
Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈20,74,000 (20.74 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Dharwad's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Karnataka projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 18,47,023.

What was the population of Dharwad district in Census 2011?
18,47,023: 9,37,206 males and 9,09,817 females, of whom 10,49,539 lived in towns and 7,97,484 in villages.

What is the literacy rate and sex ratio of Dharwad?
Literacy was 80.0% in 2011 (men 86.4%, women 73.5%). The sex ratio was 971 females per 1,000 males, and 944 among children aged 0–6.

Which is the largest town in Dharwad district?
Hubli-Dharwad, with 9,43,788 people in Census 2011.

How many villages and towns are in Dharwad district?
On today's boundaries the district contains 379 Census 2011 villages and 6 towns.

⤓ Download Karnataka district data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: · Report a correction