District of Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal District Population 2026

Q: What is the population of Bhopal district in 2026?

Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈30,74,000 (30.74 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Bhopal's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Madhya Pradesh projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 23,71,061.

Q: What was the population of Bhopal district in Census 2011?

23,71,061: 12,36,130 males and 11,34,931 females, of whom 19,17,051 lived in towns and 4,54,010 in villages.

Population · 1 March 2026

≈ 30.74 lakh Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection 1 March 2026 How this is made →

30,74,000 3.07 million 1 March 2026

Bhopal district's population is estimated at ≈30.74 lakh (30,74,000) on 1 March 2026. This is our estimate, tied to the official Madhya Pradesh projection; Census 2011, the last count, recorded 23,71,061.

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

Bhopal (municipal limits)

Census 2011: 17,98,218
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →: ≈ 22.8 lakh

Metro area (UA)

Bhopal urban agglomeration

Census 2011: 18,86,100
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →: ≈ 25.3 lakh

District

Bhopal district

Census 2011: 23,71,061
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →: ≈ 30.74 lakh

Key figures

Population 2026: ≈ 30.74 lakh 30,74,000 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
Census 2011: 23.71 lakh 23,71,061 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
Density: 855per km² 2011
Sex ratio: 918 Madhya Pradesh: 931
Child sex ratio (0–6): 920 Madhya Pradesh: 918
Literacy rate: 80.4% Male 85.4% · Female 74.9%
Urban share: 80.9% Madhya Pradesh: 27.6%
Growth 2001–11: +28.6% Madhya Pradesh: +20.4%
Area: 2,772km² Census 2011
Households: 5.02 lakh 4.7 people per household
Villages: 519 Census 2011
Towns: 3 Census 2011

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Population over time

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

Census
Estimate

35 L 2026

› Show the numbers as a table

Year	Population
1951	2,35,665
1961	3,71,715
1971	5,72,169
1981	8,94,739
1991	13,51,479
2001	18,43,510
2011	23,71,061
2016 *	26,15,000
2021 *	28,51,000
2026 *	30,74,000
2031 *	32,76,000
2036 *	34,61,000

* Estimate

How Bhopal'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 Bhopal's 2011 population was spread
#
1	Huzur	21,07,523	88.9%	920	82.1%	89.5%
2	Berasia	2,63,538	11.1%	900	65.6%	11.7%

Largest towns in Bhopal (Census 2011)

Bhopal 17,98,218
Kolar 87,882
Berasia 30,951

How people in Bhopal worked (Census 2011)

Cultivators

8.5%

Agricultural labourers

12.1%

Household industry

2.9%

Other work

76.6%

Share of all workers, main and marginal. Work participation: 36.6%.

Age structure of Bhopal

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 →

MenWomen

80+
75-79
70-74
65-69
60-64
55-59
50-54
45-49
40-44
35-39
30-34
25-29
20-24
15-19
10-14
5-9
0-4

› Show the numbers as a table

Age	Men	Women
0-4	1,09,851	1,01,578
5-9	1,20,074	1,10,562
10-14	1,28,465	1,16,009
15-19	1,33,756	1,15,978
20-24	1,30,244	1,17,925
25-29	1,11,801	1,09,571
30-34	96,409	91,003
35-39	88,393	83,341
40-44	77,071	68,341
45-49	64,691	56,345
50-54	48,257	40,553
55-59	33,819	31,765
60-64	32,126	31,299
65-69	21,494	21,356
70-74	16,677	15,298
75-79	7,633	7,599
80+	10,647	11,768

Children (0–14): 29.1%; Madhya Pradesh 33.5%
Working age (15–59): 63.5%; Madhya Pradesh 58.6%
Older people (60+): 7.4%; Madhya Pradesh 7.9%
Median age: 24.9years; Madhya Pradesh 23.4
Dependency ratio: 51.1; children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64; Madhya Pradesh 63.0

Languages spoken in Bhopal

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 64 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Hindi 85.5%
Urdu 6.8%
Marathi 2.6%
Sindhi 2.2%
Malayalam 0.6%
Punjabi 0.5%
Bengali 0.5%
Tamil 0.3%
All other languages 0.9%

Largest mother tongues

Hindi84.7%
Urdu6.8%
Marathi2.6%
Sindhi2.2%
Malayalam0.6%
Punjabi0.5%
Bengali0.5%
Tamil0.3%

Housing and amenities in Bhopal

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

Basic services

Electricity for lighting 92.9%

Madhya Pradesh 67.3%
Tap water 59.6%

Madhya Pradesh 23.6%
Water source within premises 48.6%

Madhya Pradesh 24.1%
Toilet within premises 72.2%

Madhya Pradesh 29.1%
Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 25.2%

Madhya Pradesh 69.7%
Bathing area within premises 86.2%

Madhya Pradesh 47.5%
Closed drainage 48.3%

Madhya Pradesh 10.0%
Cooking with LPG/PNG 57.7%

Madhya Pradesh 18.4%
Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 29.3%

Madhya Pradesh 79.4%

What households own

Mobile phone 67.1%

Madhya Pradesh 43.8%
Television 69.7%

Madhya Pradesh 32.4%
Scooter or motorcycle 43.7%

Madhya Pradesh 19.0%
Computer or laptop 19.5%

Madhya Pradesh 6.0%
Car, jeep or van 12.4%

Madhya Pradesh 2.7%
Use banking services 61.9%

Madhya Pradesh 46.7%
None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 12.5%

Madhya Pradesh 32.5%

The home itself

Own their home 73.2%

Madhya Pradesh 90.8%
Rent their home 21.9%

Madhya Pradesh 6.8%
Permanent (pucca) house 74.2%

Madhya Pradesh 44.4%
House in good condition 63.9%

Madhya Pradesh 52.4%
Concrete roof 52.0%

Madhya Pradesh 17.0%
Cement or tiled floor 69.0%

Madhya Pradesh 24.9%
One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 36.2%

Madhya Pradesh 42.0%

Madhya Pradesh

What the numbers say

Bhopal district held 3.3% of Madhya Pradesh's population in 2011, 4th of 55 districts.
Literacy is 80.4%, 11.1 points above the Madhya Pradesh average of 69.3%.
The sex ratio of 918 females per 1,000 males is lower than the state's 931.
80.9% of residents lived in towns in 2011, more urban than Madhya Pradesh as a whole (27.6%).
The population grew 28.6% in 2001–11, faster than Madhya Pradesh's 20.4%.
Our 2026 estimate, ≈30.74 lakh, implies growth of about 30% since 2011; it is tied to the official Madhya Pradesh projection.
Its largest town, Bhopal, had 17.98 lakh people in 2011, 75.8% of the district.

Compare with

All districts of Madhya Pradesh →

Census 2027 status

Results pending

Phase I: houselisting

Done (1 May 2026 – 30 May 2026)
Phase II: counting people

February 2027 (reference date 1 March 2027)
Results

Not yet released. In 2011, first figures came about a month after counting ended.

When the Registrar General publishes Census 2027 figures for Bhopal, they will appear on this page, at this address. Census 2027 explained →

Population by religion in Bhopal (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 Bhopal (Census 2011)
Religion	Persons	Share	Madhya Pradesh
Hindu	17,55,861	74.1%	90.9%
Muslim	5,25,434	22.2%	6.6%
Christian	23,432	1.0%	0.3%
Sikh	10,789	0.5%	0.2%
Buddhist	21,688	0.9%	0.3%
Jain	25,950	1.1%	0.8%
Other religions and persuasions	335	0.0%	0.8%
Religion not stated	7,572	0.3%	0.1%
Total	23,71,061	100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Bhopal district in 2026?

Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈30,74,000 (30.74 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Bhopal's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Madhya Pradesh projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 23,71,061.

What was the population of Bhopal district in Census 2011?

23,71,061: 12,36,130 males and 11,34,931 females, of whom 19,17,051 lived in towns and 4,54,010 in villages.

What is the literacy rate and sex ratio of Bhopal?

Literacy was 80.4% in 2011 (men 85.4%, women 74.9%). The sex ratio was 918 females per 1,000 males, and 920 among children aged 0–6.

Which is the largest town in Bhopal district?

Bhopal, with 17,98,218 people in Census 2011.

How many villages and towns are in Bhopal district?

On today's boundaries the district contains 519 Census 2011 villages and 3 towns.

⤓ Download Madhya Pradesh district data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: 4 October 2026 · Report a correction