District of Meghalaya

South West Garo Hills District Population 2026

Q: What is the population of South West Garo Hills district in 2026?

Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈2,14,000 (2.14 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies South West Garo Hills's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Meghalaya projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 1,85,459.

Q: What was the population of South West Garo Hills district in Census 2011?

1,85,459: 93,695 males and 91,764 females, of whom 0 lived in towns and 1,85,459 in villages. These figures are on the district’s current boundaries, rebuilt from Census 2011 village and town records.

Population · 1 March 2026

≈ 2.14 lakh Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection 1 March 2026 How this is made →

2,14,000 214,000 1 March 2026

South West Garo Hills district's population is estimated at ≈2.14 lakh (2,14,000) on 1 March 2026. This is our estimate, tied to the official Meghalaya projection; Census 2011, the last count, recorded 1,85,459 on the district’s present boundaries.

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

Which number do you mean?

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

District

South West Garo Hills district

Census 2011: 1,85,459
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →: ≈ 2.14 lakh

Urban population

Towns (urban)

Census 2011: 0

Rural

Villages (rural)

Census 2011: 1,85,459

Key figures

Population 2026: ≈ 2.14 lakh 2,14,000 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
Census 2011: 1.85 lakh 1,85,459 Reconstructed Census figures re-added on today’s boundaries How this is made →
Density: ≈ 155per km² 2011
Sex ratio: 979 Meghalaya: 989
Child sex ratio (0–6): 974 Meghalaya: 970
Literacy rate: 68.3% Male 73.6% · Female 62.9%
Urban share: 0.0% Meghalaya: 20.1%
Growth 2001–11: +26.8% Meghalaya: +28.0%
Area: ≈ 1,200km² approx., from 2011 sub-district areas
Households: 36.4 thousand 5.1 people per household
Villages: 547 Census 2011
Towns: 0 Census 2011

#5 / 12
Population · Meghalaya
#700 / 782
Population · in India
#9 / 12
Literacy rate · Meghalaya
#3 / 12
Density · Meghalaya

Population over time

Census figures re-added on today’s boundaries (parts of earlier districts apportioned by their 2011 population), then our estimate to 2036.

Reconstructed
Estimate

2.3 L 2026

› Show the numbers as a table

Year	Population
1991	1,12,111
2001	1,46,256
2011	1,85,459
2016 *	1,95,000
2021 *	2,05,000
2026 *	2,14,000
2031 *	2,22,000
2036 *	2,28,000

* Estimate

How South West Garo Hills'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 South West Garo Hills's 2011 population was spread
#
1	Zikzak	74,602	40.2%	970	67.1%	0.0%
2	Betasing	72,103	38.9%	984	68.5%	0.0%
3	Selsella(part)	17,187	9.3%	1016	73.7%	0.0%
4	Dalu (part)	14,021	7.6%	973	67.3%	0.0%
5	Gambegre (part)	7,393	4.0%	957	66.0%	0.0%
6	Rongram(part)	153	0.1%	1013	82.2%	0.0%

How people in South West Garo Hills worked (Census 2011)

Cultivators

44.8%

Agricultural labourers

24.7%

Household industry

2.9%

Other work

27.6%

Share of all workers, main and marginal. Work participation: 39.8%.

Age structure of South West Garo Hills

Population in five-year age groups, Census 2011. Men on the left, women on the right. Census 2011, approx. Census 2011 on today’s boundaries; approximate, because some 2011 units were split between districts and are apportioned by population. 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	11,460	11,256
5-9	11,866	11,596
10-14	12,005	11,618
15-19	10,417	10,131
20-24	8,338	8,933
25-29	7,667	7,997
30-34	5,792	5,703
35-39	5,407	5,609
40-44	5,031	5,164
45-49	4,474	4,220
50-54	3,444	2,968
55-59	2,332	2,089
60-64	1,882	1,718
65-69	1,406	1,245
70-74	791	737
75-79	425	369
80+	496	449

Children (0–14): 37.7%; Meghalaya 39.8%
Working age (15–59): 57.1%; Meghalaya 55.5%
Older people (60+): 5.1%; Meghalaya 4.7%
Median age: 20.6years; Meghalaya 19.6
Dependency ratio: 69.3; children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64; Meghalaya 74.7

Languages spoken in South West Garo Hills

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 61 languages recorded. Census 2011, approx. Census 2011 on today’s boundaries; approximate, because some 2011 units were split between districts and are apportioned by population. How this is made →

Garo 60.6%
Bengali 30.5%
Koch 6.3%
Assamese 0.9%
Hindi 0.9%
Rabha 0.3%
Nepali 0.1%
Marathi 0.0%
All other languages 0.3%

Largest mother tongues

Garo60.5%
Bengali19.9%
Haijong/Hajong10.6%
Koch6.3%
Assamese0.9%
Hindi0.6%
Rabha0.3%
Bhojpuri0.2%

Housing and amenities in South West Garo Hills

Share of households, Houselisting Census 2011. Reconstructed Census 2011, added up on today’s boundaries from village, town or sub-district records. How this is made →

Basic services

Electricity for lighting 38.5%

Meghalaya 61.0%
Tap water 7.4%

Meghalaya 39.3%
Water source within premises 20.7%

Meghalaya 24.1%
Toilet within premises 47.0%

Meghalaya 62.9%
Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 51.4%

Meghalaya 34.3%
Bathing area within premises 10.2%

Meghalaya 39.7%
Closed drainage 2.0%

Meghalaya 5.7%
Cooking with LPG/PNG 2.0%

Meghalaya 11.8%
Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 97.5%

Meghalaya 80.1%

What households own

Mobile phone 24.5%

Meghalaya 41.5%
Television 25.2%

Meghalaya 33.7%
Scooter or motorcycle 7.1%

Meghalaya 5.4%
Computer or laptop 4.6%

Meghalaya 7.6%
Car, jeep or van 1.3%

Meghalaya 5.4%
Use banking services 29.1%

Meghalaya 37.5%
None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 38.2%

Meghalaya 35.8%

The home itself

Own their home 96.4%

Meghalaya 81.9%
Rent their home 2.2%

Meghalaya 15.6%
Permanent (pucca) house 13.3%

Meghalaya 30.0%
House in good condition 41.2%

Meghalaya 48.1%
Concrete roof 0.6%

Meghalaya 10.3%
Cement or tiled floor 14.2%

Meghalaya 31.0%
One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 35.4%

Meghalaya 23.7%

Meghalaya

What the numbers say

South West Garo Hills district held 6.3% of Meghalaya's population in 2011, 5th of 12 districts.
Literacy is 68.3%, 6.2 points below the Meghalaya average of 74.4%.
The sex ratio of 979 females per 1,000 males is lower than the state's 989.
0.0% of residents lived in towns in 2011, more rural than Meghalaya as a whole (20.1%).
Our 2026 estimate, ≈2.14 lakh, implies growth of about 15% since 2011; it is tied to the official Meghalaya projection.

How this district was formed

South West Garo Hills covers land that was part of these districts in Census 2011:

West Garo Hills (2011) 100.0% of this district
28.8% of the 2011 district

Compare with

All districts of Meghalaya →

Census 2027 status

Results pending

Phase I: houselisting

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

Population by religion in South West Garo Hills (Census 2011)

Official figures as published by the Office of the Registrar General. Shown without commentary. Reconstructed Census 2011 on today’s boundaries; approximate, because some 2011 units were split between districts and are apportioned by population. How this is made →

Population by religion in South West Garo Hills (Census 2011)
Religion	Persons	Share	Meghalaya
Hindu	≈ 46,100	24.8%	11.5%
Muslim	≈ 27,400	14.8%	4.4%
Christian	≈ 1,08,400	58.5%	74.6%
Sikh	≈ 0	0.0%	0.1%
Buddhist	≈ 700	0.4%	0.3%
Jain	≈ 0	0.0%	0.0%
Other religions and persuasions	≈ 2,400	1.3%	8.7%
Religion not stated	≈ 400	0.2%	0.3%
Total	1,85,459	100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of South West Garo Hills district in 2026?

Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈2,14,000 (2.14 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies South West Garo Hills's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Meghalaya projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 1,85,459.

What was the population of South West Garo Hills district in Census 2011?

1,85,459: 93,695 males and 91,764 females, of whom 0 lived in towns and 1,85,459 in villages. These figures are on the district’s current boundaries, rebuilt from Census 2011 village and town records.

What is the literacy rate and sex ratio of South West Garo Hills?

Literacy was 68.3% in 2011 (men 73.6%, women 62.9%). The sex ratio was 979 females per 1,000 males, and 974 among children aged 0–6.

How many villages and towns are in South West Garo Hills district?

On today's boundaries the district contains 547 Census 2011 villages and 0 towns.

⤓ Download Meghalaya district data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: 4 October 2026 · Report a correction