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District of Puducherry

Karaikal District Population 2026

Population · 1 March 2026

≈ 2.64 lakh Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection 1 March 2026 How this is made →

2,64,000 264,000 1 March 2026

Karaikal district's population is estimated at ≈2.64 lakh (2,64,000) on 1 March 2026. This is our estimate, tied to the official Puducherry projection; Census 2011, the last count, recorded 2,00,222.

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

Which number do you mean?

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

District

Karaikal district

Census 2011
2,00,222
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 2.64 lakh

Urban population

Towns (urban)

Census 2011
98,102

Rural

Villages (rural)

Census 2011
1,02,120

Key figures

Population 2026
≈ 2.64 lakh 2,64,000 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
Census 2011
2 lakh 2,00,222 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
Density
1,275per km² 2011
Sex ratio
1047 Puducherry: 1037
Child sex ratio (0–6)
969 Puducherry: 967
Literacy rate
87.1% Male 92.4% · Female 82.0%
Urban share
49.0% Puducherry: 68.3%
Growth 2001–11
+17.2% Puducherry: +28.1%
Area
157km² Census 2011
Households
49.7 thousand 4.0 people per household
Villages
28 Census 2011
Towns
2 Census 2011

Where it ranks

Population over time

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

Karaikal: Population over time
  • Census
  • Estimate
3.1 L 2026
› Show the numbers as a table
YearPopulation
196184,001
19711,00,042
19811,20,010
19911,45,703
20011,70,791
20112,00,222
2016 *2,20,000
2021 *2,41,000
2026 *2,64,000
2031 *2,88,000
2036 *3,13,000

* Estimate

How Karaikal'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 Karaikal's 2011 population was spread
#
1 Karaikal Taluk1,44,20072.0%105088.1%68.0%
2 Thirunallar Taluk56,02228.0%103984.4%0.0%

Largest towns in Karaikal (Census 2011)

Largest towns in Karaikal (Census 2011)
  1. Karaikal 86,838
  2. Thirumalairayanpattinam CT 11,264

How people in Karaikal worked (Census 2011)

Cultivators

3.5%

Agricultural labourers

19.1%

Household industry

1.9%

Other work

75.4%

Share of all workers, main and marginal. Work participation: 34.1%.

Age structure of Karaikal

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 Karaikal
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
0-48,0247,751
5-98,1798,145
10-148,7818,672
15-198,8508,374
20-248,2918,993
25-298,6109,663
30-347,9588,574
35-397,8958,417
40-447,1747,258
45-496,5016,312
50-544,8275,042
55-593,9524,166
60-643,3323,764
65-691,9362,636
70-741,5862,085
75-798551,156
80+8681,229
Children (0–14)
24.8%
Puducherry 23.9%
Working age (15–59)
65.5%
Puducherry 66.4%
Older people (60+)
9.7%
Puducherry 9.7%
Median age
29.3years
Puducherry 29.8
Dependency ratio
44.9
children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64
Puducherry 43.0

Languages spoken in Karaikal

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 23 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Languages spoken in Karaikal
  1. Tamil 98.3%
  2. Telugu 0.7%
  3. Hindi 0.3%
  4. Malayalam 0.2%
  5. Kannada 0.2%
  6. Odia 0.1%
  7. Urdu 0.1%
  8. Marathi 0.0%
  9. All other languages 0.1%

Largest mother tongues

  1. Tamil98.3%
  2. Telugu0.7%
  3. Hindi0.3%
  4. Malayalam0.2%
  5. Kannada0.2%
  6. Odia0.1%
  7. Urdu0.1%
  8. Marathi0.0%

Housing and amenities in Karaikal

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

Basic services

  • Electricity for lighting 95.6%

    Puducherry 97.7%

  • Tap water 90.7%

    Puducherry 95.3%

  • Water source within premises 60.1%

    Puducherry 77.4%

  • Toilet within premises 60.6%

    Puducherry 68.5%

  • Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 36.2%

    Puducherry 27.1%

  • Bathing area within premises 69.7%

    Puducherry 83.6%

  • Closed drainage 12.5%

    Puducherry 24.3%

  • Cooking with LPG/PNG 56.7%

    Puducherry 70.5%

  • Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 34.6%

    Puducherry 18.4%

What households own

  • Mobile phone 72.6%

    Puducherry 75.7%

  • Television 77.6%

    Puducherry 81.8%

  • Scooter or motorcycle 39.5%

    Puducherry 46.5%

  • Computer or laptop 9.7%

    Puducherry 13.6%

  • Car, jeep or van 5.1%

    Puducherry 5.6%

  • Use banking services 69.3%

    Puducherry 63.9%

  • None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 8.3%

    Puducherry 6.1%

The home itself

  • Own their home 67.5%

    Puducherry 64.9%

  • Rent their home 25.6%

    Puducherry 31.2%

  • Permanent (pucca) house 64.4%

    Puducherry 77.8%

  • House in good condition 69.2%

    Puducherry 75.0%

  • Concrete roof 50.2%

    Puducherry 62.5%

  • Cement or tiled floor 82.3%

    Puducherry 85.2%

  • One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 55.9%

    Puducherry 47.5%

Puducherry

What the numbers say

  • Karaikal district held 16.0% of Puducherry's population in 2011, 2nd of 2 districts.
  • Literacy is 87.1%, 1.2 points above the Puducherry average of 85.9%.
  • The sex ratio of 1047 females per 1,000 males is higher than the state's 1037.
  • 49.0% of residents lived in towns in 2011, more rural than Puducherry as a whole (68.3%).
  • The population grew 17.2% in 2001–11, slower than Puducherry's 28.1%.
  • Our 2026 estimate, ≈2.64 lakh, implies growth of about 32% since 2011; it is tied to the official Puducherry projection.
  • Its largest town, Karaikal, had 86.8 thousand people in 2011, 43.4% of the district.

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

Population by religion in Karaikal (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 Karaikal (Census 2011)
ReligionPersonsSharePuducherry
Hindu 1,52,638 76.2% 87.3%
Muslim 28,835 14.4% 6.1%
Christian 18,391 9.2% 6.3%
Sikh 46 0.0% 0.0%
Buddhist 63 0.0% 0.0%
Jain 54 0.0% 0.1%
Other religions and persuasions 14 0.0% 0.0%
Religion not stated 181 0.1% 0.2%
Total2,00,222100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Karaikal district in 2026?
Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈2,64,000 (2.64 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Karaikal's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Puducherry projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 2,00,222.

What was the population of Karaikal district in Census 2011?
2,00,222: 97,809 males and 1,02,413 females, of whom 98,102 lived in towns and 1,02,120 in villages.

What is the literacy rate and sex ratio of Karaikal?
Literacy was 87.1% in 2011 (men 92.4%, women 82.0%). The sex ratio was 1047 females per 1,000 males, and 969 among children aged 0–6.

Which is the largest town in Karaikal district?
Karaikal, with 86,838 people in Census 2011.

How many villages and towns are in Karaikal district?
On today's boundaries the district contains 28 Census 2011 villages and 2 towns.

⤓ Download Puducherry district data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: · Report a correction