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District of Ladakh

Leh District Population 2026

Population · 1 March 2026

≈ 1.46 lakh Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection 1 March 2026 How this is made →

1,46,000 146,000 1 March 2026

Leh district's population is estimated at ≈1.46 lakh (1,46,000) on 1 March 2026. This is our estimate, tied to the official Ladakh projection; Census 2011, the last count, recorded 1,33,487.

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

Leh (municipal limits)

Census 2011
30,870
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 33 thousand

District

Leh district

Census 2011
1,33,487
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 1.46 lakh

Key figures

Population 2026
≈ 1.46 lakh 1,46,000 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
Census 2011
1.33 lakh 1,33,487 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
Density
3per km² 2011
Sex ratio
690 Ladakh: 750
Child sex ratio (0–6)
946 Ladakh: 966
Literacy rate
77.2% Male 86.3% · Female 63.6%
Urban share
34.2% Ladakh: 22.6%
Growth 2001–11
+13.9% Ladakh: +16.0%
Area
45,110km² Census 2011
Households
21.9 thousand 6.1 people per household
Villages
112 Census 2011
Towns
3 Census 2011

Where it ranks

Population over time

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

Leh: Population over time
  • Census
  • Estimate
1.5 L 2026
› Show the numbers as a table
YearPopulation
195140,484
196143,587
197151,891
198168,380
199190,076
20011,17,232
20111,33,487
2016 *1,39,000
2021 *1,43,000
2026 *1,46,000
2031 *1,49,000
2036 *1,50,000

* Estimate

How Leh'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 Leh's 2011 population was spread
#
1 Leh93,96170.4%66079.9%48.6%
2 Nubra22,43316.8%63372.1%0.0%
3 Khalsi17,09312.8%98068.8%0.0%

Largest towns in Leh (Census 2011)

Largest towns in Leh (Census 2011)
  1. Leh Ladakh 30,870
  2. Chuglamsar CT 10,754
  3. Spituk CT 4,047

How people in Leh worked (Census 2011)

Cultivators

27.8%

Agricultural labourers

2.2%

Household industry

1.4%

Other work

68.7%

Share of all workers, main and marginal. Work participation: 56.2%.

Age structure of Leh

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 Leh
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
0-44,1894,068
5-94,6804,339
10-145,1884,865
15-195,1795,066
20-249,0315,397
25-2913,0835,618
30-349,7014,779
35-397,0114,219
40-445,6803,402
45-493,9852,738
50-542,6882,457
55-592,1591,976
60-641,8701,736
65-691,3511,166
70-741,1651,080
75-79766671
80+1,060874
Children (0–14)
20.5%
Ladakh 25.6%
Working age (15–59)
70.7%
Ladakh 66.6%
Older people (60+)
8.8%
Ladakh 7.7%
Median age
28.9years
Ladakh 26.9
Dependency ratio
36.3
children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64
Ladakh 44.5

Languages spoken in Leh

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 49 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Languages spoken in Leh
  1. Bhotia 68.1%
  2. Hindi 13.4%
  3. Balti 3.9%
  4. Tibetan 3.6%
  5. Ladakhi 3.3%
  6. Punjabi 1.0%
  7. Marathi 1.0%
  8. Nepali 1.0%
  9. All other languages 4.7%

Largest mother tongues

  1. Bauti66.9%
  2. Hindi12.7%
  3. Balti3.9%
  4. Tibetan3.5%
  5. Ladakhi3.3%
  6. Nepali1.0%
  7. Marathi1.0%
  8. Punjabi1.0%

Housing and amenities in Leh

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

Basic services

  • Electricity for lighting 83.0%

    Ladakh 85.0%

  • Tap water 30.1%

    Ladakh 44.2%

  • Water source within premises 14.6%

    Ladakh 12.7%

  • Toilet within premises 90.4%

    Ladakh 93.5%

  • Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 8.6%

    Ladakh 5.7%

  • Bathing area within premises 49.6%

    Ladakh 57.2%

  • Closed drainage 8.8%

    Ladakh 11.0%

  • Cooking with LPG/PNG 65.7%

    Ladakh 43.7%

  • Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 32.1%

    Ladakh 53.8%

What households own

  • Mobile phone 53.9%

    Ladakh 53.6%

  • Television 65.4%

    Ladakh 55.6%

  • Scooter or motorcycle 6.2%

    Ladakh 5.0%

  • Computer or laptop 10.4%

    Ladakh 8.3%

  • Car, jeep or van 20.6%

    Ladakh 15.9%

  • Use banking services 87.3%

    Ladakh 82.8%

  • None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 9.5%

    Ladakh 14.1%

The home itself

  • Own their home 93.3%

    Ladakh 93.0%

  • Rent their home 4.3%

    Ladakh 5.4%

  • Permanent (pucca) house 1.2%

    Ladakh 2.6%

  • House in good condition 45.8%

    Ladakh 36.2%

  • Concrete roof 1.5%

    Ladakh 0.9%

  • Cement or tiled floor 15.7%

    Ladakh 10.4%

  • One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 26.6%

    Ladakh 23.0%

Ladakh

What the numbers say

  • Leh district held 48.7% of Ladakh's population in 2011, 2nd of 2 districts.
  • Literacy is 77.2%, 2.9 points above the Ladakh average of 74.3%.
  • The gender gap in literacy is wide: 86.3% of men but only 63.6% of women could read and write in 2011.
  • The sex ratio of 690 females per 1,000 males is lower than the state's 750.
  • 34.2% of residents lived in towns in 2011, more urban than Ladakh as a whole (22.6%).
  • The population grew 13.9% in 2001–11, slower than Ladakh's 16.0%.
  • Our 2026 estimate, ≈1.46 lakh, implies growth of about 9% 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 Leh, they will appear on this page, at this address. Census 2027 explained →

Population by religion in Leh (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 Leh (Census 2011)
ReligionPersonsShareLadakh
Hindu 22,882 17.1% 12.1%
Muslim 19,057 14.3% 46.4%
Christian 658 0.5% 0.5%
Sikh 1,092 0.8% 0.8%
Buddhist 88,635 66.4% 39.7%
Jain 103 0.1% 0.0%
Other religions and persuasions 54 0.0% 0.0%
Religion not stated 1,006 0.8% 0.5%
Total1,33,487100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Leh district in 2026?
Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈1,46,000 (1.46 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Leh's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Ladakh projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 1,33,487.

What was the population of Leh district in Census 2011?
1,33,487: 78,971 males and 54,516 females, of whom 45,671 lived in towns and 87,816 in villages.

What is the literacy rate and sex ratio of Leh?
Literacy was 77.2% in 2011 (men 86.3%, women 63.6%). The sex ratio was 690 females per 1,000 males, and 946 among children aged 0–6.

Which is the largest town in Leh district?
Leh Ladakh, with 30,870 people in Census 2011.

How many villages and towns are in Leh district?
On today's boundaries the district contains 112 Census 2011 villages and 3 towns.

⤓ Download Ladakh district data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: · Report a correction