District of Odisha
Kalahandi District Population 2026
Population · 1 March 2026
≈ 17.22 lakh Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection 1 March 2026 How this is made →
17,22,000 1.72 million 1 March 2026
Kalahandi district's population is estimated at ≈17.22 lakh (17,22,000) on 1 March 2026. This is our estimate, tied to the official Odisha projection; Census 2011, the last count, recorded 15,76,869.
Estimate: method M1, constrained to the RGI projection for Odisha. Census: ORGI.
Which number do you mean?
District totals include villages. Here is how the 2011 population splits between towns and villages.
District
Kalahandi district
- Census 2011
- 15,76,869
- 2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
- ≈ 17.22 lakh
Urban population
Towns (urban)
- Census 2011
- 1,21,987
Rural
Villages (rural)
- Census 2011
- 14,54,882
Key figures
- Population 2026
- ≈ 17.22 lakh 17,22,000 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
- Census 2011
- 15.77 lakh 15,76,869 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
- Density
- 199per km² 2011
- Sex ratio
- 1003 Odisha: 979
- Child sex ratio (0–6)
- 957 Odisha: 941
- Literacy rate
- 59.2% Male 71.9% · Female 46.7%
- Urban share
- 7.7% Odisha: 16.7%
- Growth 2001–11
- +18.1% Odisha: +14.1%
- Area
- 7,920km² Census 2011
- Households
- 4.01 lakh 3.9 people per household
- Villages
- 2,252 Census 2011
- Towns
- 5 Census 2011
Where it ranks
Population over time
Census counts on 2011 boundaries, then our estimate to 2036.
- Census
- Estimate
› Show the numbers as a table
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1951 | 5,85,825 |
| 1961 | 6,79,602 |
| 1971 | 8,24,975 |
| 1981 | 9,46,509 |
| 1991 | 11,30,903 |
| 2001 | 13,35,494 |
| 2011 | 15,76,869 |
| 2016 * | 16,34,000 |
| 2021 * | 16,83,000 |
| 2026 * | 17,22,000 |
| 2031 * | 17,49,000 |
| 2036 * | 17,64,000 |
* Estimate
How Kalahandi'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.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sadar | 2,19,195 | 13.9% | 983 | 66.4% | 31.5% |
| 2 | Jayapatna | 1,90,799 | 12.1% | 1025 | 56.2% | 3.2% |
| 3 | Junagarh | 1,81,649 | 11.5% | 1003 | 58.1% | 10.8% |
| 4 | Kokasara | 1,58,742 | 10.1% | 1023 | 55.6% | 0.0% |
| 5 | Kesinga | 1,41,365 | 9.0% | 984 | 67.0% | 13.6% |
| 6 | Madanpur Rampur | 1,37,942 | 8.7% | 998 | 65.4% | 5.7% |
| 7 | Narala | 1,09,499 | 6.9% | 998 | 66.1% | 0.0% |
| 8 | Dharamgarh | 1,08,110 | 6.9% | 986 | 57.1% | 0.0% |
| 9 | Kegaon | 1,02,668 | 6.5% | 998 | 54.3% | 0.0% |
| 10 | Golamunda | 78,214 | 5.0% | 993 | 56.8% | 0.0% |
| 11 | Thuamul Rampur | 77,840 | 4.9% | 1042 | 45.0% | 0.0% |
| 12 | Lanjigarh | 47,451 | 3.0% | 1014 | 44.9% | 0.0% |
| 13 | Biswanathpur | 23,395 | 1.5% | 1059 | 45.2% | 0.0% |
Largest towns in Kalahandi (Census 2011)
- Bhawanipatna 69,045
- Junagarh 19,656
- Kesinga 19,239
- Madanpur Rampur CT 7,892
- Mukhiguda CT 6,155
How people in Kalahandi worked (Census 2011)
Cultivators
19.3%
Agricultural labourers
58.1%
Household industry
2.5%
Other work
20.2%
Share of all workers, main and marginal. Work participation: 47.7%.
Age structure of Kalahandi
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 →
- 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 | 78,789 | 76,169 |
| 5-9 | 85,972 | 83,086 |
| 10-14 | 88,148 | 86,922 |
| 15-19 | 68,805 | 68,637 |
| 20-24 | 60,492 | 63,439 |
| 25-29 | 59,277 | 60,424 |
| 30-34 | 54,774 | 57,919 |
| 35-39 | 57,527 | 56,926 |
| 40-44 | 51,762 | 49,555 |
| 45-49 | 44,819 | 42,496 |
| 50-54 | 35,935 | 33,429 |
| 55-59 | 26,953 | 29,600 |
| 60-64 | 29,471 | 30,762 |
| 65-69 | 18,045 | 19,764 |
| 70-74 | 12,509 | 14,771 |
| 75-79 | 5,095 | 6,656 |
| 80+ | 5,857 | 6,686 |
- Children (0–14)
- 31.8%
- Odisha 28.9%
- Working age (15–59)
- 58.7%
- Odisha 61.6%
- Older people (60+)
- 9.5%
- Odisha 9.5%
- Median age
- 26.1years
- Odisha 26.6
- Dependency ratio
- 59.9
- children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64
- Odisha 53.5
Languages spoken in Kalahandi
Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 33 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →
- Odia 95.2%
- Kui 3.4%
- Hindi 0.9%
- Telugu 0.3%
- Bengali 0.0%
- Punjabi 0.0%
- Khond/Kondh 0.0%
- Urdu 0.0%
- All other languages 0.1%
Largest mother tongues
- Odia95.0%
- Kui3.4%
- Hindi0.6%
- Telugu0.3%
- Sambalpuri0.1%
- Chhattisgarhi0.1%
- Banjari0.1%
- Proja (Ori)0.1%
Housing and amenities in Kalahandi
Share of households, Houselisting Census 2011. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →
Basic services
- Electricity for lighting 22.5%
Odisha 43.1%
- Tap water 4.7%
Odisha 13.9%
- Water source within premises 8.5%
Odisha 22.5%
- Toilet within premises 11.7%
Odisha 22.1%
- Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 87.5%
Odisha 76.5%
- Bathing area within premises 10.8%
Odisha 19.7%
- Closed drainage 1.1%
Odisha 4.4%
- Cooking with LPG/PNG 4.4%
Odisha 9.9%
- Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 94.5%
Odisha 84.5%
What households own
- Mobile phone 22.7%
Odisha 38.1%
- Television 14.5%
Odisha 26.8%
- Scooter or motorcycle 8.4%
Odisha 14.5%
- Computer or laptop 3.1%
Odisha 5.1%
- Car, jeep or van 0.9%
Odisha 1.8%
- Use banking services 27.7%
Odisha 45.1%
- None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 34.2%
Odisha 25.5%
The home itself
- Own their home 94.4%
Odisha 90.3%
- Rent their home 2.7%
Odisha 6.7%
- Permanent (pucca) house 48.4%
Odisha 42.4%
- House in good condition 21.9%
Odisha 29.6%
- Concrete roof 5.4%
Odisha 23.6%
- Cement or tiled floor 15.1%
Odisha 36.3%
- One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 32.6%
Odisha 38.8%
Odisha
What the numbers say
- Kalahandi district held 3.8% of Odisha's population in 2011, 11th of 30 districts.
- Literacy is 59.2%, 13.7 points below the Odisha average of 72.9%.
- The gender gap in literacy is wide: 71.9% of men but only 46.7% of women could read and write in 2011.
- The sex ratio of 1003 females per 1,000 males is higher than the state's 979.
- 7.7% of residents lived in towns in 2011, more rural than Odisha as a whole (16.7%).
- The population grew 18.1% in 2001–11, faster than Odisha's 14.1%.
- Our 2026 estimate, ≈17.22 lakh, implies growth of about 9% since 2011; it is tied to the official Odisha projection.
- Its largest town, Bhawanipatna, had 69 thousand people in 2011, 4.4% of the district.
Compare with
All districts of Odisha →Census 2027 status
Results pending-
Phase I: houselisting
Done (16 April 2026 – 15 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 Kalahandi, they will appear on this page, at this address. Census 2027 explained →
Population by religion in Kalahandi (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 →
| Religion | Persons | Share | Odisha |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hindu | 15,55,367 | 98.6% | 93.6% |
| Muslim | 4,975 | 0.3% | 2.2% |
| Christian | 11,160 | 0.7% | 2.8% |
| Sikh | 796 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Buddhist | 175 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Jain | 1,225 | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| Other religions and persuasions | 220 | 0.0% | 1.1% |
| Religion not stated | 2,951 | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Total | 15,76,869 | 100% |
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Kalahandi district in 2026?
What was the population of Kalahandi district in Census 2011?
What is the literacy rate and sex ratio of Kalahandi?
Which is the largest town in Kalahandi district?
How many villages and towns are in Kalahandi district?
⤓ Download Odisha district data (CSV)
Sources and method
- Census of India 2011, Primary Census Abstract (ORGI)
- Census 2011 Table A-2: decadal variation since 1901
- Report of the Technical Group on Population Projections 2011–2036 (July 2020)
- Our estimation method M1 (formulas and checks)
- Census 2011 Table C-14: population in five-year age groups
- Census 2011 Table C-16: population by mother tongue
- Census 2011 Houselisting Table HH-14: households by amenities and assets
- Census 2011 Table C-01: population by religious community
- Local Government Directory (current district boundaries)
Data updated: · Report a correction