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District of Puducherry

Puducherry District Population 2026

Population · 1 March 2026

≈ 14.93 lakh Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection 1 March 2026 How this is made →

14,93,000 1.49 million 1 March 2026

Puducherry district's population is estimated at ≈14.93 lakh (14,93,000) on 1 March 2026. This is our estimate, tied to the official Puducherry projection; Census 2011, the last count, recorded 10,47,731 on the district’s present boundaries.

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

Which number do you mean?

The district, the city and the metro area are three different areas. Pick the one you mean.

City

Puducherry (municipal limits)

Census 2011
2,44,377
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 3.5 lakh

Metro area (UA)

Puducherry urban agglomeration

Census 2011
6,57,209
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 9.4 lakh

District

Puducherry district

Census 2011
10,47,731
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 14.93 lakh

Key figures

Population 2026
≈ 14.93 lakh 14,93,000 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
Census 2011
10.48 lakh 10,47,731 Reconstructed Census figures re-added on today’s boundaries How this is made →
Density
≈ 3,146per km² 2011
Sex ratio
1036 Puducherry: 1037
Child sex ratio (0–6)
967 Puducherry: 967
Literacy rate
85.6% Male 91.1% · Female 80.4%
Urban share
72.0% Puducherry: 68.3%
Growth 2001–11
+30.4% Puducherry: +28.1%
Area
≈ 333km² approx., from 2011 sub-district areas
Households
2.53 lakh 4.2 people per household
Villages
62 Census 2011
Towns
8 Census 2011

Where it ranks

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.

Puducherry: Population over time
  • Reconstructed
  • Estimate
19 L 2026
› Show the numbers as a table
YearPopulation
19916,62,082
20018,03,554
201110,47,731
2016 *11,82,000
2021 *13,30,000
2026 *14,93,000
2031 *16,73,000
2036 *18,71,000

* Estimate

How Puducherry'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 Puducherry's 2011 population was spread
#
1 Puducherry Taluk3,16,43230.2%104487.7%91.6%
2 Ozhukarai Taluk3,00,10428.6%102189.4%100.0%
3 Villianur Taluk2,13,27820.4%101880.6%31.5%
4 Bahour Taluk1,20,47511.5%103078.1%0.0%
5 Yanam Taluk55,6265.3%103879.5%100.0%
6 Mahe Taluk41,8164.0%118497.9%100.0%

Largest towns in Puducherry (Census 2011)

Largest towns in Puducherry (Census 2011)
  1. Ozhukarai 3,00,104
  2. Puducherry 2,44,377
  3. Yanam 55,626
  4. Mahe 41,816
  5. Villianur CT 34,383
  6. Kurumbapet 32,871
  7. Ariankuppam CT 29,808
  8. Manavely CT 15,666

How people in Puducherry worked (Census 2011)

Cultivators

2.6%

Agricultural labourers

14.7%

Household industry

1.7%

Other work

81.0%

Share of all workers, main and marginal. Work participation: 36.0%.

Age structure of Puducherry

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 →

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
0-439,67938,495
5-942,14840,245
10-1445,15543,118
15-1943,38141,711
20-2442,99648,539
25-2946,44253,529
30-3445,80348,735
35-3944,76046,387
40-4438,30837,039
45-4934,12432,368
50-5426,03125,023
55-5920,66321,328
60-6417,16619,566
65-6910,21813,193
70-748,27510,575
75-794,6396,139
80+4,5446,674
Children (0–14)
23.8%
Puducherry 23.9%
Working age (15–59)
66.6%
Puducherry 66.4%
Older people (60+)
9.6%
Puducherry 9.7%
Median age
29.9years
Puducherry 29.8
Dependency ratio
42.7
children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64
Puducherry 43.0

Languages spoken in Puducherry

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 39 languages recorded. Reconstructed Census 2011, added up on today’s boundaries from village, town or sub-district records. How this is made →

Languages spoken in Puducherry
  1. Tamil 86.3%
  2. Telugu 7.0%
  3. Malayalam 4.5%
  4. Urdu 0.8%
  5. Hindi 0.6%
  6. Odia 0.2%
  7. Kannada 0.1%
  8. Bengali 0.1%
  9. All other languages 0.4%

Largest mother tongues

  1. Tamil86.3%
  2. Telugu7.0%
  3. Malayalam4.5%
  4. Urdu0.8%
  5. Hindi0.5%
  6. Odia0.2%
  7. Kannada0.1%
  8. Bengali0.1%

Housing and amenities in Puducherry

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 98.0%

    Puducherry 97.7%

  • Tap water 96.1%

    Puducherry 95.3%

  • Water source within premises 80.8%

    Puducherry 77.4%

  • Toilet within premises 70.1%

    Puducherry 68.5%

  • Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 25.4%

    Puducherry 27.1%

  • Bathing area within premises 86.2%

    Puducherry 83.6%

  • Closed drainage 26.6%

    Puducherry 24.3%

  • Cooking with LPG/PNG 73.3%

    Puducherry 70.5%

  • Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 15.1%

    Puducherry 18.4%

What households own

  • Mobile phone 76.4%

    Puducherry 75.7%

  • Television 82.6%

    Puducherry 81.8%

  • Scooter or motorcycle 47.9%

    Puducherry 46.5%

  • Computer or laptop 14.4%

    Puducherry 13.6%

  • Car, jeep or van 5.7%

    Puducherry 5.6%

  • Use banking services 62.9%

    Puducherry 63.9%

  • None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 5.7%

    Puducherry 6.1%

The home itself

  • Own their home 64.4%

    Puducherry 64.9%

  • Rent their home 32.2%

    Puducherry 31.2%

  • Permanent (pucca) house 80.4%

    Puducherry 77.8%

  • House in good condition 76.2%

    Puducherry 75.0%

  • Concrete roof 64.9%

    Puducherry 62.5%

  • Cement or tiled floor 85.8%

    Puducherry 85.2%

  • One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 45.7%

    Puducherry 47.5%

Puducherry

What the numbers say

  • Puducherry district held 84.0% of Puducherry's population in 2011, 1st of 2 districts.
  • The population grew 30.4% in 2001–11, faster than Puducherry's 28.1% (on today’s boundaries).
  • Our 2026 estimate, ≈14.93 lakh, implies growth of about 42% since 2011; it is tied to the official Puducherry projection.
  • It covers parts of 3 districts as they were in 2011 (Puducherry, Yanam, Mahe); its 2011 figures are rebuilt from 62 village and 8 town records.
  • Its largest town, Ozhukarai, had 3 lakh people in 2011, 28.6% of the district.

How this district was formed

Puducherry covers land that was part of these districts in Census 2011:

  • Puducherry (2011) 90.7% of this district
    100.0% of the 2011 district
  • Yanam (2011) 5.3% of this district
    100.0% of the 2011 district
  • Mahe (2011) 4.0% of this district
    100.0% of the 2011 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 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. Reconstructed Census 2011, added up on today’s boundaries from village, town or sub-district records. How this is made →

Population by religion in Puducherry (Census 2011)
ReligionPersonsSharePuducherry
Hindu ≈ 9,36,800 89.4% 87.3%
Muslim ≈ 46,700 4.5% 6.1%
Christian ≈ 60,200 5.7% 6.3%
Sikh ≈ 300 0.0% 0.0%
Buddhist ≈ 400 0.0% 0.0%
Jain ≈ 1,300 0.1% 0.1%
Other religions and persuasions ≈ 200 0.0% 0.0%
Religion not stated ≈ 1,900 0.2% 0.2%
Total10,47,731100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Puducherry district in 2026?
Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈14,93,000 (14.93 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Puducherry's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Puducherry projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 10,47,731.

What was the population of Puducherry district in Census 2011?
10,47,731: 5,14,702 males and 5,33,029 females, of whom 7,54,651 lived in towns and 2,93,080 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 Puducherry?
Literacy was 85.6% in 2011 (men 91.1%, women 80.4%). The sex ratio was 1036 females per 1,000 males, and 967 among children aged 0–6.

Which is the largest town in Puducherry district?
Ozhukarai, with 3,00,104 people in Census 2011.

How many villages and towns are in Puducherry district?
On today's boundaries the district contains 62 Census 2011 villages and 8 towns.

⤓ Download Puducherry district data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: · Report a correction