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District of Ladakh

Kargil District Population 2026

Population · 1 March 2026

≈ 1.59 lakh Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection 1 March 2026 How this is made →

1,59,000 159,000 1 March 2026

Kargil district's population is estimated at ≈1.59 lakh (1,59,000) on 1 March 2026. This is our estimate, tied to the official Ladakh projection; Census 2011, the last count, recorded 1,40,802.

Estimate: method M1, constrained to the RGI projection for Ladakh. Census: ORGI.

Which number do you mean?

District totals include villages. Here is how the 2011 population splits between towns and villages.

District

Kargil district

Census 2011
1,40,802
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 1.59 lakh

Urban population

Towns (urban)

Census 2011
16,338

Rural

Villages (rural)

Census 2011
1,24,464

Key figures

Population 2026
≈ 1.59 lakh 1,59,000 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
Census 2011
1.41 lakh 1,40,802 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
Density
10per km² 2011
Sex ratio
810 Ladakh: 750
Child sex ratio (0–6)
977 Ladakh: 966
Literacy rate
71.3% Male 83.2% · Female 56.3%
Urban share
11.6% Ladakh: 22.6%
Growth 2001–11
+18.0% Ladakh: +16.0%
Area
14,036km² Census 2011
Households
18.3 thousand 7.7 people per household
Villages
127 Census 2011
Towns
1 Census 2011

Where it ranks

Population over time

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

Kargil: Population over time
  • Census
  • Estimate
1.7 L 2026
› Show the numbers as a table
YearPopulation
195141,856
196145,064
197153,400
198165,992
199189,334
20011,19,307
20111,40,802
2016 *1,48,000
2021 *1,54,000
2026 *1,59,000
2031 *1,63,000
2036 *1,66,000

* Estimate

How Kargil'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 Kargil's 2011 population was spread
#
1 Kargil86,46161.4%74976.6%18.9%
2 Sanku40,54828.8%90064.0%0.0%
3 Zanskar13,7939.8%96859.7%0.0%

How people in Kargil worked (Census 2011)

Cultivators

15.9%

Agricultural labourers

7.3%

Household industry

2.4%

Other work

74.5%

Share of all workers, main and marginal. Work participation: 36.8%.

Age structure of Kargil

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 Kargil
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
0-46,7196,672
5-97,6187,296
10-147,6306,924
15-196,9756,943
20-248,2126,897
25-299,6136,033
30-347,5214,463
35-395,6093,846
40-444,4523,106
45-493,6152,949
50-542,6602,211
55-591,7771,409
60-641,7791,586
65-691,153932
70-741,111874
75-79525375
80+636460
Children (0–14)
30.5%
Ladakh 25.6%
Working age (15–59)
62.8%
Ladakh 66.6%
Older people (60+)
6.7%
Ladakh 7.7%
Median age
24.5years
Ladakh 26.9
Dependency ratio
53.4
children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64
Ladakh 44.5

Languages spoken in Kargil

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 47 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Languages spoken in Kargil
  1. Tibetan 66.6%
  2. Bhotia 10.2%
  3. Shina 8.4%
  4. Hindi 5.5%
  5. Balti 3.2%
  6. Kashmiri 1.8%
  7. Punjabi 1.0%
  8. Ladakhi 0.9%
  9. All other languages 2.4%

Largest mother tongues

  1. Purkhi65.4%
  2. Shina8.4%
  3. Bauti6.2%
  4. Hindi5.3%
  5. Balti3.2%
  6. Dardi1.5%
  7. Tibetan1.3%
  8. Punjabi1.0%

Housing and amenities in Kargil

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

Basic services

  • Electricity for lighting 86.9%

    Ladakh 85.0%

  • Tap water 59.1%

    Ladakh 44.2%

  • Water source within premises 10.8%

    Ladakh 12.7%

  • Toilet within premises 96.9%

    Ladakh 93.5%

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

    Ladakh 5.7%

  • Bathing area within premises 65.3%

    Ladakh 57.2%

  • Closed drainage 13.8%

    Ladakh 11.0%

  • Cooking with LPG/PNG 18.0%

    Ladakh 43.7%

  • Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 78.8%

    Ladakh 53.8%

What households own

  • Mobile phone 53.1%

    Ladakh 53.6%

  • Television 44.0%

    Ladakh 55.6%

  • Scooter or motorcycle 3.6%

    Ladakh 5.0%

  • Computer or laptop 5.5%

    Ladakh 8.3%

  • Car, jeep or van 10.1%

    Ladakh 15.9%

  • Use banking services 77.3%

    Ladakh 82.8%

  • None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 19.4%

    Ladakh 14.1%

The home itself

  • Own their home 91.4%

    Ladakh 93.0%

  • Rent their home 7.8%

    Ladakh 5.4%

  • Permanent (pucca) house 4.7%

    Ladakh 2.6%

  • House in good condition 24.3%

    Ladakh 36.2%

  • Concrete roof 0.2%

    Ladakh 0.9%

  • Cement or tiled floor 3.6%

    Ladakh 10.4%

  • One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 20.0%

    Ladakh 23.0%

Ladakh

What the numbers say

  • Kargil district held 51.3% of Ladakh's population in 2011, 1st of 2 districts.
  • Literacy is 71.3%, 2.9 points below the Ladakh average of 74.3%.
  • The gender gap in literacy is wide: 83.2% of men but only 56.3% of women could read and write in 2011.
  • The sex ratio of 810 females per 1,000 males is higher than the state's 750.
  • 11.6% of residents lived in towns in 2011, more rural than Ladakh as a whole (22.6%).
  • The population grew 18.0% in 2001–11, faster than Ladakh's 16.0%.
  • Our 2026 estimate, ≈1.59 lakh, implies growth of about 13% since 2011; it is tied to the official Ladakh projection.

Compare with

Census 2027 status

Results pending

  1. Phase I: houselisting

    Done (1 June 2026 – 30 June 2026)

  2. Phase II: counting people

    Done in September 2026 (reference date 1 October 2026)

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

Population by religion in Kargil (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 Kargil (Census 2011)
ReligionPersonsShareLadakh
Hindu 10,341 7.3% 12.1%
Muslim 1,08,239 76.9% 46.4%
Christian 604 0.4% 0.5%
Sikh 1,171 0.8% 0.8%
Buddhist 20,126 14.3% 39.7%
Jain 28 0.0% 0.0%
Other religions and persuasions 4 0.0% 0.0%
Religion not stated 289 0.2% 0.5%
Total1,40,802100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Kargil district in 2026?
Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈1,59,000 (1.59 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Kargil's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Ladakh projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 1,40,802.

What was the population of Kargil district in Census 2011?
1,40,802: 77,785 males and 63,017 females, of whom 16,338 lived in towns and 1,24,464 in villages.

What is the literacy rate and sex ratio of Kargil?
Literacy was 71.3% in 2011 (men 83.2%, women 56.3%). The sex ratio was 810 females per 1,000 males, and 977 among children aged 0–6.

Which is the largest town in Kargil district?
Kargil, with 16,338 people in Census 2011.

How many villages and towns are in Kargil district?
On today's boundaries the district contains 127 Census 2011 villages and 1 towns.

⤓ Download Ladakh district data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: · Report a correction