District of Odisha

Kandhamal District Population 2026

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

Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈7,75,000 (7.75 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Kandhamal's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Odisha projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 7,33,110.

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

7,33,110: 3,59,945 males and 3,73,165 females, of whom 72,279 lived in towns and 6,60,831 in villages.

Population · 1 March 2026

≈ 7.75 lakh Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection 1 March 2026 How this is made →

7,75,000 775,000 1 March 2026

Kandhamal district's population is estimated at ≈7.75 lakh (7,75,000) on 1 March 2026. This is our estimate, tied to the official Odisha projection; Census 2011, the last count, recorded 7,33,110.

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

Kandhamal district

Census 2011: 7,33,110
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →: ≈ 7.75 lakh

Urban population

Towns (urban)

Census 2011: 72,279

Rural

Villages (rural)

Census 2011: 6,60,831

Key figures

Population 2026: ≈ 7.75 lakh 7,75,000 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
Census 2011: 7.33 lakh 7,33,110 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
Density: 91per km² 2011
Sex ratio: 1037 Odisha: 979
Child sex ratio (0–6): 962 Odisha: 941
Literacy rate: 64.1% Male 76.9% · Female 51.9%
Urban share: 9.9% Odisha: 16.7%
Growth 2001–11: +13.1% Odisha: +14.1%
Area: 8,021km² Census 2011
Households: 1.72 lakh 4.3 people per household
Villages: 2,587 Census 2011
Towns: 4 Census 2011

#23 / 30
Population · Odisha
#570 / 782
Population · in India
#22 / 30
Literacy rate · Odisha
#30 / 30
Density · Odisha

Population over time

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

Census
Estimate

7.8 L 2026

› Show the numbers as a table

Year	Population
1951	2,89,182
1961	3,23,991
1971	3,93,773
1981	4,48,914
1991	5,46,281
2001	6,48,201
2011	7,33,110
2016 *	7,52,000
2021 *	7,66,000
2026 *	7,75,000
2031 *	7,79,000
2036 *	7,77,000

* Estimate

How Kandhamal'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 Kandhamal's 2011 population was spread
#
1	Baliguda	97,084	13.2%	1038	60.5%	17.1%
2	Daringbadi	63,524	8.7%	1049	59.8%	11.0%
3	Phiringia	53,570	7.3%	1051	63.4%	0.0%
4	Raikia	52,830	7.2%	1048	67.7%	0.0%
5	G.Udayagiri	48,846	6.7%	1078	73.4%	23.1%
6	Tikabali	48,709	6.6%	1051	66.4%	0.0%
7	Kotagarh	47,900	6.5%	1030	47.5%	0.0%
8	Khajuripada	42,560	5.8%	1010	72.4%	0.0%
9	Phulabani	41,762	5.7%	1019	70.1%	0.0%
10	Phulabani Town	38,732	5.3%	936	88.9%	96.5%
11	Brahmanigaon	36,505	5.0%	1055	57.3%	0.0%
12	Gochhapada	35,593	4.9%	1047	53.0%	0.0%
13	Sarangagarh	35,335	4.8%	1038	69.2%	0.0%
14	Tumudibandha	28,538	3.9%	1022	55.6%	0.0%
15	Chakapada	22,752	3.1%	1010	69.5%	0.0%
16	Belaghar	19,506	2.7%	1079	39.6%	0.0%
17	Nuagaon	19,364	2.6%	1066	64.7%	0.0%

Largest towns in Kandhamal (Census 2011)

Phulabani 37,371
Baliguda CT 16,611
G. Udayagiri 11,302
Daringbadi CT 6,995

How people in Kandhamal worked (Census 2011)

Cultivators

22.3%

Agricultural labourers

45.9%

Household industry

3.4%

Other work

28.5%

Share of all workers, main and marginal. Work participation: 48.5%.

Age structure of Kandhamal

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	37,779	36,839
5-9	45,946	45,100
10-14	43,231	43,167
15-19	30,918	33,532
20-24	28,684	33,568
25-29	28,180	29,681
30-34	23,021	24,288
35-39	23,247	24,797
40-44	22,289	22,087
45-49	19,360	18,382
50-54	15,018	14,722
55-59	11,567	13,027
60-64	14,110	14,945
65-69	7,626	8,131
70-74	4,605	5,683
75-79	1,909	2,277
80+	1,852	2,305

Children (0–14): 34.4%; Odisha 28.9%
Working age (15–59): 56.9%; Odisha 61.6%
Older people (60+): 8.7%; Odisha 9.5%
Median age: 24.0years; Odisha 26.6
Dependency ratio: 64.3; children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64; Odisha 53.5

Languages spoken in Kandhamal

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 31 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Odia 53.2%
Kui 45.7%
Others 0.4%
Khond/Kondh 0.2%
Savara 0.2%
Hindi 0.1%
Telugu 0.1%
Gondi 0.1%
All other languages 0.1%

Largest mother tongues

Odia53.0%
Kui45.7%
Khond/Kondh0.2%
Savara0.2%
Sambalpuri0.1%
Hindi0.1%
Telugu0.1%
Urdu0.1%

Housing and amenities in Kandhamal

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

Basic services

Electricity for lighting 16.7%

Odisha 43.1%
Tap water 4.8%

Odisha 13.9%
Water source within premises 9.8%

Odisha 22.5%
Toilet within premises 11.1%

Odisha 22.1%
Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 87.7%

Odisha 76.5%
Bathing area within premises 9.6%

Odisha 19.7%
Closed drainage 1.3%

Odisha 4.4%
Cooking with LPG/PNG 4.0%

Odisha 9.9%
Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 92.4%

Odisha 84.5%

What households own

Mobile phone 20.1%

Odisha 38.1%
Television 11.3%

Odisha 26.8%
Scooter or motorcycle 6.9%

Odisha 14.5%
Computer or laptop 3.8%

Odisha 5.1%
Car, jeep or van 0.7%

Odisha 1.8%
Use banking services 53.4%

Odisha 45.1%
None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 45.9%

Odisha 25.5%

The home itself

Own their home 91.2%

Odisha 90.3%
Rent their home 5.6%

Odisha 6.7%
Permanent (pucca) house 34.5%

Odisha 42.4%
House in good condition 26.7%

Odisha 29.6%
Concrete roof 5.2%

Odisha 23.6%
Cement or tiled floor 24.9%

Odisha 36.3%
One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 46.3%

Odisha 38.8%

Odisha

What the numbers say

Kandhamal district held 1.7% of Odisha's population in 2011, 23rd of 30 districts.
Literacy is 64.1%, 8.7 points below the Odisha average of 72.9%.
The gender gap in literacy is wide: 76.9% of men but only 51.9% of women could read and write in 2011.
The sex ratio of 1037 females per 1,000 males is higher than the state's 979.
9.9% of residents lived in towns in 2011, more rural than Odisha as a whole (16.7%).
Our 2026 estimate, ≈7.75 lakh, implies growth of about 6% since 2011; it is tied to the official Odisha projection.

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 Kandhamal, they will appear on this page, at this address. Census 2027 explained →

Population by religion in Kandhamal (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 Kandhamal (Census 2011)
Religion	Persons	Share	Odisha
Hindu	5,80,300	79.2%	93.6%
Muslim	2,138	0.3%	2.2%
Christian	1,48,895	20.3%	2.8%
Sikh	82	0.0%	0.1%
Buddhist	290	0.0%	0.0%
Jain	47	0.0%	0.0%
Other religions and persuasions	23	0.0%	1.1%
Religion not stated	1,335	0.2%	0.2%
Total	7,33,110	100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Kandhamal district in 2026?

Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈7,75,000 (7.75 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Kandhamal's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Odisha projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 7,33,110.

What was the population of Kandhamal district in Census 2011?

7,33,110: 3,59,945 males and 3,73,165 females, of whom 72,279 lived in towns and 6,60,831 in villages.

What is the literacy rate and sex ratio of Kandhamal?

Literacy was 64.1% in 2011 (men 76.9%, women 51.9%). The sex ratio was 1037 females per 1,000 males, and 962 among children aged 0–6.

Which is the largest town in Kandhamal district?

Phulabani, with 37,371 people in Census 2011.

How many villages and towns are in Kandhamal district?

On today's boundaries the district contains 2,587 Census 2011 villages and 4 towns.

⤓ Download Odisha district data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: 4 October 2026 · Report a correction