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Meghalaya Population 2026

Population · 1 March 2026

34.4 lakh Official projection RGI Technical Group on Population Projections (2020), as on 1 March 1 March 2026 How this is made →

34,40,000 3.44 million 1 March 2026

Meghalaya's population is projected at 34.4 lakh (34,40,000) on 1 March 2026, according to the RGI Technical Group's official projection. Census 2011, the last count, recorded 29,66,889.

RGI Technical Group on Population Projections (2020), as on 1 March

Key figures

Population 2026
34.4 lakh 34,40,000 Official projection RGI Technical Group on Population Projections (2020), as on 1 March How this is made →
Census 2011
29.67 lakh 29,66,889 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
Density
132per km² 2011 · 2026: 153
Sex ratio
989 females per 1,000 males
Child sex ratio (0–6)
970 India 918
Literacy rate
74.4% Male 76.0% · Female 72.9%
Urban share
20.1% 2026: 20.8% (projected)
Growth 2001–11
+28.0% 2011→2026: +15.9%
Area
22,429km²
Households
5.48 lakh 5.4 people per household
Work participation
40.0% 2011
Children 0–6
5.69 lakh 19.2%

Where it ranks

Population over time

Census counts 1951–2011, then the official projection to 2036.

Meghalaya: Population over time
  • Census
  • Official projection
37 L 2026
› Show the numbers as a table
YearPopulation
19516,05,674
19617,69,380
197110,11,699
198113,35,819
199117,74,778
200123,18,822
201129,66,889
2016 *31,29,000
2021 *32,88,000
2026 *34,40,000
2031 *35,78,000
2036 *36,86,000

* Official projection

Districts (12)

All 12 districts of Meghalaya →
All 12 districts of Meghalaya
#
1 East Khasi Hills≈ 9.4 lakh8,25,922101184.2%
2 West Garo Hills≈ 5.27 lakh4,57,83298767.3%
3 West Jaintia Hills≈ 3.23 lakh2,72,185101563.1%
4 Ri Bhoi≈ 3.11 lakh2,58,84095375.7%
5 South West Garo Hills≈ 2.14 lakh1,85,45997968.3%
6 North Garo Hills≈ 1.97 lakh1,72,11998177.4%
7 West Khasi Hills≈ 1.99 lakh1,70,07197677.6%
8 East Garo Hills≈ 1.67 lakh1,45,79896169.8%
9 South Garo Hills≈ 1.66 lakh1,42,33494571.7%
10 East Jaintia Hills≈ 1.46 lakh1,22,939100858.3%
11 Eastern West Khasi Hills≈ 1.34 lakh1,14,22899480.7%
12 South West Khasi Hills≈ 1.16 lakh99,16297075.1%

* 2026 figures are our estimates (method M1), tied to the official Meghalaya projection. 5 districts created after 2011 are shown with figures rebuilt on today’s boundaries.

Births, deaths and fertility

Birth rate
22.7 (18.4)
per 1,000 people
Death rate
5.5 (6.4)
per 1,000 people
Infant mortality
34 (25)
per 1,000 live births

SRS 2023 Sample Registration System Statistical Report 2023 (ORGI) How this is made → Sample Registration System 2023. India in brackets. IMR for smaller States/UTs is a 2021-23 average

Age structure of Meghalaya

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 Meghalaya
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
0-42,05,8462,00,308
5-91,97,5851,91,597
10-141,93,4731,89,133
15-191,64,7161,61,472
20-241,39,1401,45,872
25-291,24,6761,26,605
30-3495,78693,871
35-3987,32087,386
40-4473,37772,073
45-4963,04360,072
50-5445,91042,833
55-5930,69229,417
60-6425,42125,287
65-6917,48218,292
70-7411,16112,537
75-795,8486,997
80+7,0278,850
Children (0–14)
39.8%
India 30.9%
Working age (15–59)
55.5%
India 60.5%
Older people (60+)
4.7%
India 8.6%
Median age
19.6years
India 24.9
Dependency ratio
74.7
children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64
India 57.1

Languages spoken in Meghalaya

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 103 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Languages spoken in Meghalaya
  1. Khasi 46.6%
  2. Garo 31.6%
  3. Bengali 7.8%
  4. Others 4.4%
  5. Hindi 2.1%
  6. Nepali 1.8%
  7. Assamese 1.3%
  8. Koch 0.8%
  9. All other languages 3.5%

Largest mother tongues

  1. Khasi33.6%
  2. Garo31.4%
  3. Pnar/Synteng10.7%
  4. Bengali6.4%
  5. Nepali1.8%
  6. War1.7%
  7. Haijong/Hajong1.4%
  8. Assamese1.3%

Housing and amenities in Meghalaya

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

Basic services

  • Electricity for lighting 61.0%

    India 67.4%

  • Tap water 39.3%

    India 43.7%

  • Water source within premises 24.1%

    India 46.7%

  • Toilet within premises 62.9%

    India 47.1%

  • Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 34.3%

    India 49.6%

  • Bathing area within premises 39.7%

    India 58.6%

  • Closed drainage 5.7%

    India 18.3%

  • Cooking with LPG/PNG 11.8%

    India 28.7%

  • Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 80.1%

    India 65.6%

What households own

  • Mobile phone 41.5%

    India 59.3%

  • Television 33.7%

    India 47.3%

  • Scooter or motorcycle 5.4%

    India 21.1%

  • Computer or laptop 7.6%

    India 9.5%

  • Car, jeep or van 5.4%

    India 4.7%

  • Use banking services 37.5%

    India 58.8%

  • None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 35.8%

    India 17.8%

The home itself

  • Own their home 81.9%

    India 86.5%

  • Rent their home 15.6%

    India 11.1%

  • Permanent (pucca) house 30.0%

    India 62.0%

  • House in good condition 48.1%

    India 53.2%

  • Concrete roof 10.3%

    India 29.1%

  • Cement or tiled floor 31.0%

    India 42.1%

  • One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 23.7%

    India 41.0%

India

Per capita income of Meghalaya

Per capita Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) at current prices, the standard measure of state per capita income. NSO National Statistical Office (MoSPI), compiled in the RBI Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25 How this is made →

Per capita income 2024-25
₹1,57,141
#27 of 33 States/UTs in 2023-24
Real growth, latest year (2024-25)
+7.9%
per capita, constant 2011-12 prices
Average real growth a year since 2011-12 (13 years)
+2.7%
GSDP 2024-25
₹59,626 crore
Gross State Domestic Product, current prices
Per capita income of Meghalaya
› Show the numbers as a table
YearCurrent prices (₹)Constant 2011-12 prices (₹)
2011-1259,79459,794
2012-1364,47760,114
2013-1466,28159,729
2014-1566,48557,478
2015-1671,59458,284
2016-1777,58560,752
2017-1882,45762,231
2018-1988,95464,716
2019-2095,42267,229
2020-2190,75160,522
2021-221,07,97165,313
2022-231,24,67371,217
2023-241,41,19578,387
2024-251,57,14184,578

Median State/UT 2023-24: ₹2,34,721. Financial years (April–March). Latest years are advance or quick estimates and get revised.

What the numbers say

  • Meghalaya is home to 0.24% of India's people and is the 24th most populous of the 36 States and Union Territories.
  • The official projection has Meghalaya growing 15.9% between Census 2011 and 1 March 2026, slower than India's 17.6%.
  • Literacy in 2011 was 74.4%, 1.5 points above the national rate of 73.0%.
  • There were 989 females for every 1,000 males in 2011 (India: 943).
  • 20.1% of people lived in towns in 2011; the official projection puts the urban share at 20.8% in 2026.
  • East Khasi Hills is the most populous district, with 8.26 lakh people in 2011 (27.8% of the state).
  • At 132 people per km² in 2011, Meghalaya is far less crowded than India as a whole (382).

Compare with

Census 2027 status

Results pending

  1. Phase I: houselisting

    Done (16 May 2026 – 14 June 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 Meghalaya, they will appear on this page, at this address. Census 2027 explained →

Population by religion in Meghalaya (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 Meghalaya (Census 2011)
ReligionPersonsShareIndia
Hindu 3,42,078 11.5% 79.8%
Muslim 1,30,399 4.4% 14.2%
Christian 22,13,027 74.6% 2.3%
Sikh 3,045 0.1% 1.7%
Buddhist 9,864 0.3% 0.7%
Jain 627 0.0% 0.4%
Other religions and persuasions 2,58,271 8.7% 0.7%
Religion not stated 9,578 0.3% 0.2%
Total29,66,889100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Meghalaya in 2026?
The official projection by the RGI Technical Group puts Meghalaya's population at 34,40,000 (34.4 lakh) on 1 March 2026. No census count exists after 2011; Census 2027 results will replace this projection.

What was the population of Meghalaya in Census 2011?
Census 2011 counted 29,66,889 people in Meghalaya: 14,91,832 males and 14,75,057 females.

Which district of Meghalaya has the largest population?
East Khasi Hills had the most people in 2011 (8,25,922). The least populous was South West Khasi Hills (99,162).

What is the sex ratio and literacy rate of Meghalaya?
In Census 2011 Meghalaya had 989 females per 1,000 males (child sex ratio 970) and a literacy rate of 74.4% (men 76.0%, women 72.9%).

When will Census 2027 figures for Meghalaya be released?
Counting of people takes place in February 2027 with a reference date of 1 March 2027. The government has not announced a release date; in 2011 provisional totals came out on 31 March 2011, about a month after counting ended. This page will switch to Census 2027 figures as soon as they are published.

⤓ Download Meghalaya data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: · Report a correction