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District of Kerala

Kottayam District Population 2026

Population · 1 March 2026

≈ 20.79 lakh Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection 1 March 2026 How this is made →

20,79,000 2.08 million 1 March 2026

Kottayam district's population is estimated at ≈20.79 lakh (20,79,000) on 1 March 2026. This is our estimate, tied to the official Kerala projection; Census 2011, the last count, recorded 19,74,551.

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

Kottayam (municipal limits)

Census 2011
55,374
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 58 thousand

Metro area (UA)

Kottayam urban agglomeration

Census 2011
3,57,302
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 3.8 lakh

District

Kottayam district

Census 2011
19,74,551
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 20.79 lakh

Key figures

Population 2026
≈ 20.79 lakh 20,79,000 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
Census 2011
19.75 lakh 19,74,551 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
Density
895per km² 2011
Sex ratio
1039 Kerala: 1084
Child sex ratio (0–6)
964 Kerala: 964
Literacy rate
97.2% Male 98.0% · Female 96.5%
Urban share
28.6% Kerala: 47.7%
Growth 2001–11
+1.1% Kerala: +4.9%
Area
2,206km² Census 2011
Households
4.87 lakh 4.1 people per household
Villages
80 Census 2011
Towns
17 Census 2011

Where it ranks

Population over time

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

Kottayam: Population over time
  • Census
  • Estimate
21 L 2026
› Show the numbers as a table
YearPopulation
195111,32,478
196113,13,983
197115,39,030
198116,97,442
199118,28,271
200119,53,646
201119,74,551
2016 *20,24,000
2021 *20,58,000
2026 *20,79,000
2031 *20,86,000
2036 *20,80,000

* Estimate

How Kottayam'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 Kottayam's 2011 population was spread
#
1 Kottayam6,31,88532.0%104497.6%56.5%
2 Meenachil4,06,47120.6%101597.3%14.0%
3 Changanassery3,55,73618.0%106397.7%36.0%
4 Vaikom3,10,41415.7%103596.1%7.5%
5 Kanjirappally2,70,04513.7%104096.9%0.0%

Largest towns in Kottayam (Census 2011)

Largest towns in Kottayam (Census 2011)
  1. Kottayam 55,374
  2. Changanassery 47,685
  3. Panachikkad CT 43,595
  4. Perumbaikad CT 42,839
  5. Athirampuzha CT 40,438
  6. Nattakam CT 38,599
  7. Erattupetta CT 34,814
  8. Aimanam CT 34,470
  9. Thrikkodithanam CT 33,819
  10. Puthuppally CT 29,635

How people in Kottayam worked (Census 2011)

Cultivators

6.8%

Agricultural labourers

8.6%

Household industry

2.5%

Other work

82.1%

Share of all workers, main and marginal. Work participation: 37.3%.

Age structure of Kottayam

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 Kottayam
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
0-461,47759,222
5-969,89567,340
10-1479,11376,802
15-1972,09966,597
20-2468,17061,159
25-2963,72466,055
30-3463,54669,399
35-3971,55881,279
40-4475,16281,166
45-4974,63279,560
50-5465,22367,107
55-5960,26060,369
60-6447,79549,739
65-6933,30137,502
70-7425,01129,940
75-7917,06222,958
80+19,50029,281
Children (0–14)
21.0%
Kerala 23.5%
Working age (15–59)
63.2%
Kerala 64.0%
Older people (60+)
15.8%
Kerala 12.6%
Median age
36.4years
Kerala 32.0
Dependency ratio
46.7
children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64
Kerala 46.6

Languages spoken in Kottayam

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 34 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Languages spoken in Kottayam
  1. Malayalam 98.9%
  2. Tamil 0.6%
  3. Bengali 0.1%
  4. Hindi 0.1%
  5. Konkani 0.1%
  6. Assamese 0.0%
  7. Telugu 0.0%
  8. Odia 0.0%
  9. All other languages 0.1%

Largest mother tongues

  1. Malayalam98.9%
  2. Tamil0.6%
  3. Bengali0.1%
  4. Konkani0.1%
  5. Hindi0.1%
  6. Assamese0.0%
  7. Telugu0.0%
  8. Odia0.0%

Housing and amenities in Kottayam

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

Basic services

  • Electricity for lighting 96.6%

    Kerala 94.4%

  • Tap water 22.9%

    Kerala 29.3%

  • Water source within premises 72.9%

    Kerala 77.7%

  • Toilet within premises 96.6%

    Kerala 95.2%

  • Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 2.6%

    Kerala 3.8%

  • Bathing area within premises 86.8%

    Kerala 85.8%

  • Closed drainage 32.6%

    Kerala 25.3%

  • Cooking with LPG/PNG 39.0%

    Kerala 35.9%

  • Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 59.6%

    Kerala 62.8%

What households own

  • Mobile phone 81.9%

    Kerala 78.1%

  • Television 84.7%

    Kerala 76.8%

  • Scooter or motorcycle 25.4%

    Kerala 24.1%

  • Computer or laptop 17.5%

    Kerala 15.8%

  • Car, jeep or van 15.2%

    Kerala 10.2%

  • Use banking services 79.8%

    Kerala 74.3%

  • None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 2.6%

    Kerala 4.8%

The home itself

  • Own their home 90.4%

    Kerala 90.7%

  • Rent their home 7.8%

    Kerala 7.3%

  • Permanent (pucca) house 85.6%

    Kerala 83.6%

  • House in good condition 63.4%

    Kerala 66.3%

  • Concrete roof 33.9%

    Kerala 48.0%

  • Cement or tiled floor 91.8%

    Kerala 84.3%

  • One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 6.7%

    Kerala 8.4%

Kerala

What the numbers say

  • Kottayam district held 5.9% of Kerala's population in 2011, 10th of 14 districts.
  • Literacy is 97.2%, 3.2 points above the Kerala average of 94.0%.
  • The sex ratio of 1039 females per 1,000 males is lower than the state's 1084.
  • 28.6% of residents lived in towns in 2011, more rural than Kerala as a whole (47.7%).
  • The population grew 1.1% in 2001–11, slower than Kerala's 4.9%.
  • Our 2026 estimate, ≈20.79 lakh, implies growth of about 5% since 2011; it is tied to the official Kerala projection.
  • Its largest town, Kottayam, had 55.4 thousand people in 2011, 2.8% of the district.

Compare with

All districts of Kerala →

Census 2027 status

Results pending

  1. Phase I: houselisting

    Done (1 July 2026 – 30 July 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 Kottayam, they will appear on this page, at this address. Census 2027 explained →

Population by religion in Kottayam (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 Kottayam (Census 2011)
ReligionPersonsShareKerala
Hindu 9,83,598 49.8% 54.7%
Muslim 1,26,499 6.4% 26.6%
Christian 8,58,608 43.5% 18.4%
Sikh 204 0.0% 0.0%
Buddhist 358 0.0% 0.0%
Jain 83 0.0% 0.0%
Other religions and persuasions 565 0.0% 0.0%
Religion not stated 4,636 0.2% 0.3%
Total19,74,551100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Kottayam district in 2026?
Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈20,79,000 (20.79 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Kottayam's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Kerala projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 19,74,551.

What was the population of Kottayam district in Census 2011?
19,74,551: 9,68,289 males and 10,06,262 females, of whom 5,65,393 lived in towns and 14,09,158 in villages.

What is the literacy rate and sex ratio of Kottayam?
Literacy was 97.2% in 2011 (men 98.0%, women 96.5%). The sex ratio was 1039 females per 1,000 males, and 964 among children aged 0–6.

Which is the largest town in Kottayam district?
Kottayam, with 55,374 people in Census 2011.

How many villages and towns are in Kottayam district?
On today's boundaries the district contains 80 Census 2011 villages and 17 towns.

⤓ Download Kerala district data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: · Report a correction