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Union territory · Capital: Puducherry

Puducherry Population 2026

Population · 1 March 2026

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

17,57,000 1.76 million 1 March 2026

Puducherry's population is projected at 17.57 lakh (17,57,000) on 1 March 2026, according to the RGI Technical Group's official projection. Census 2011, the last count, recorded 12,47,953.

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

Key figures

Population 2026
17.57 lakh 17,57,000 Official projection RGI Technical Group on Population Projections (2020), as on 1 March How this is made →
Census 2011
12.48 lakh 12,47,953 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
Density
2,547per km² 2011 · 2026: 3,586
Sex ratio
1037 females per 1,000 males
Child sex ratio (0–6)
967 India 918
Literacy rate
85.9% Male 91.3% · Female 80.7%
Urban share
68.3% 2026: 70.6% (projected)
Growth 2001–11
+28.1% 2011→2026: +40.8%
Area
490km²
Households
3.02 lakh 4.1 people per household
Work participation
35.7% 2011
Children 0–6
1.33 lakh 10.7%

Where it ranks

Population over time

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

Puducherry: Population over time
  • Census
  • Official projection
22 L 2026
› Show the numbers as a table
YearPopulation
19613,69,079
19714,71,707
19816,04,471
19918,07,785
20019,74,345
201112,47,953
2016 *14,02,000
2021 *15,71,000
2026 *17,57,000
2031 *19,61,000
2036 *21,84,000

* Official projection

Districts (2)

All 2 districts of Puducherry
#
1 Puducherry≈ 14.93 lakh10,47,731103685.6%
2 Karaikal≈ 2.64 lakh2,00,222104787.1%

* 2026 figures are our estimates (method M1), tied to the official Puducherry projection.

Largest cities in Puducherry

  • Ozhukarai

    City (2011): 3,00,104

    Metro (2011): 6,57,209

  • Puducherry

    City (2011): 2,44,377

    Metro (2011): 6,57,209

Births, deaths and fertility

Birth rate
12.1 (18.4)
per 1,000 people
Death rate
6.4 (6.4)
per 1,000 people
Infant mortality
7 (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 Puducherry

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 Puducherry
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
0-447,70346,246
5-950,32748,390
10-1453,93651,790
15-1952,23150,085
20-2451,28757,532
25-2955,05263,192
30-3453,76157,309
35-3952,65554,804
40-4445,48244,297
45-4940,62538,680
50-5430,85830,065
55-5924,61525,494
60-6420,49823,330
65-6912,15415,829
70-749,86112,660
75-795,4947,295
80+5,4127,903
Children (0–14)
23.9%
India 30.9%
Working age (15–59)
66.4%
India 60.5%
Older people (60+)
9.7%
India 8.6%
Median age
29.8years
India 24.9
Dependency ratio
43.0
children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64
India 57.1

Languages spoken in Puducherry

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 40 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Languages spoken in Puducherry
  1. Tamil 88.2%
  2. Telugu 6.0%
  3. Malayalam 3.8%
  4. Urdu 0.7%
  5. Hindi 0.5%
  6. Odia 0.2%
  7. Kannada 0.1%
  8. Bengali 0.1%
  9. All other languages 0.3%

Largest mother tongues

  1. Tamil88.2%
  2. Telugu6.0%
  3. Malayalam3.8%
  4. Urdu0.7%
  5. Hindi0.5%
  6. Odia0.2%
  7. Kannada0.1%
  8. Bengali0.1%

Housing and amenities in Puducherry

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

Basic services

  • Electricity for lighting 97.7%

    India 67.4%

  • Tap water 95.3%

    India 43.7%

  • Water source within premises 77.4%

    India 46.7%

  • Toilet within premises 68.5%

    India 47.1%

  • Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 27.1%

    India 49.6%

  • Bathing area within premises 83.6%

    India 58.6%

  • Closed drainage 24.3%

    India 18.3%

  • Cooking with LPG/PNG 70.5%

    India 28.7%

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

    India 65.6%

What households own

  • Mobile phone 75.7%

    India 59.3%

  • Television 81.8%

    India 47.3%

  • Scooter or motorcycle 46.5%

    India 21.1%

  • Computer or laptop 13.6%

    India 9.5%

  • Car, jeep or van 5.6%

    India 4.7%

  • Use banking services 63.9%

    India 58.8%

  • None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 6.1%

    India 17.8%

The home itself

  • Own their home 64.9%

    India 86.5%

  • Rent their home 31.2%

    India 11.1%

  • Permanent (pucca) house 77.8%

    India 62.0%

  • House in good condition 75.0%

    India 53.2%

  • Concrete roof 62.5%

    India 29.1%

  • Cement or tiled floor 85.2%

    India 42.1%

  • One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 47.5%

    India 41.0%

India

Per capita income of Puducherry

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
₹2,81,478
#12 of 33 States/UTs in 2023-24
Real growth, latest year (2024-25)
+7.5%
per capita, constant 2011-12 prices
Average real growth a year since 2011-12 (13 years)
+2.0%
GSDP 2024-25
₹52,163 crore
Gross State Domestic Product, current prices
Per capita income of Puducherry
› Show the numbers as a table
YearCurrent prices (₹)Constant 2011-12 prices (₹)
2011-121,19,6491,19,649
2012-131,30,5481,19,196
2013-141,48,1471,29,127
2014-151,46,9211,17,102
2015-161,72,7271,21,000
2016-171,87,3561,26,532
2017-181,98,3571,34,934
2018-192,04,1401,55,466
2019-202,17,9371,53,411
2020-212,08,8621,36,327
2021-222,31,5571,35,684
2022-232,31,2311,35,528
2023-242,52,1641,43,470
2024-252,81,4781,54,213

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

  • Puducherry is home to 0.12% of India's people and is the 27th most populous of the 36 States and Union Territories.
  • The official projection has Puducherry growing 40.8% between Census 2011 and 1 March 2026, faster than India's 17.6%.
  • Literacy in 2011 was 85.9%, 12.9 points above the national rate of 73.0%.
  • There were 1037 females for every 1,000 males in 2011 (India: 943), but only 967 girls per 1,000 boys under seven, a sign of a skewed sex ratio at birth.
  • 68.3% of people lived in towns in 2011; the official projection puts the urban share at 70.6% in 2026.
  • At 2547 people per km² in 2011, Puducherry is 6.7 times as crowded as India as a whole (382).

Compare with

Census 2027 status

Results pending

  1. Phase I: houselisting

    Done (1 June 2026 – 30 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 Puducherry, they will appear on this page, at this address. Census 2027 explained →

Population by religion in Puducherry (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 Puducherry (Census 2011)
ReligionPersonsShareIndia
Hindu 10,89,409 87.3% 79.8%
Muslim 75,556 6.1% 14.2%
Christian 78,550 6.3% 2.3%
Sikh 297 0.0% 1.7%
Buddhist 451 0.0% 0.7%
Jain 1,400 0.1% 0.4%
Other religions and persuasions 168 0.0% 0.7%
Religion not stated 2,122 0.2% 0.2%
Total12,47,953100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Puducherry in 2026?
The official projection by the RGI Technical Group puts Puducherry's population at 17,57,000 (17.57 lakh) on 1 March 2026. No census count exists after 2011; Census 2027 results will replace this projection.

What was the population of Puducherry in Census 2011?
Census 2011 counted 12,47,953 people in Puducherry: 6,12,511 males and 6,35,442 females.

Which district of Puducherry has the largest population?
Puducherry had the most people in 2011 (10,47,731). The least populous was Karaikal (2,00,222).

What is the sex ratio and literacy rate of Puducherry?
In Census 2011 Puducherry had 1037 females per 1,000 males (child sex ratio 967) and a literacy rate of 85.9% (men 91.3%, women 80.7%).

When will Census 2027 figures for Puducherry 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 Puducherry data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: · Report a correction