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State · Capital: Chandigarh

Punjab Population 2026

Population · 1 March 2026

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

3,13,18,000 31.32 million 1 March 2026

Punjab's population is projected at 3.13 crore (3,13,18,000) on 1 March 2026, according to the RGI Technical Group's official projection. Census 2011, the last count, recorded 2,77,43,338.

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

Key figures

Population 2026
3.13 crore 3,13,18,000 Official projection RGI Technical Group on Population Projections (2020), as on 1 March How this is made →
Census 2011
2.77 crore 2,77,43,338 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
Density
551per km² 2011 · 2026: 622
Sex ratio
895 females per 1,000 males
Child sex ratio (0–6)
846 India 918
Literacy rate
75.8% Male 80.4% · Female 70.7%
Urban share
37.5% 2026: 42.9% (projected)
Growth 2001–11
+13.9% 2011→2026: +12.9%
Area
50,362km²
Households
55.13 lakh 5.0 people per household
Work participation
35.7% 2011
Children 0–6
30.76 lakh 11.1%

Where it ranks

Population over time

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

Punjab: Population over time
  • Census
  • Official projection
3.3 cr 2026
› Show the numbers as a table
YearPopulation
195191,60,500
19611,11,35,069
19711,35,51,060
19811,67,88,915
19912,02,81,969
20012,43,58,999
20112,77,43,338
2016 *2,91,40,000
2021 *3,03,39,000
2026 *3,13,18,000
2031 *3,20,87,000
2036 *3,26,58,000

* Official projection

Districts (23)

All 23 districts of Punjab →
All 23 districts of Punjab
#
1 Ludhiana≈ 39.82 lakh34,98,73987382.2%
2 Amritsar≈ 28.37 lakh24,90,65688976.3%
3 Jalandhar≈ 24.38 lakh21,93,52691582.5%
4 Patiala≈ 22.01 lakh18,81,75889175.3%
5 Gurdaspur≈ 17.72 lakh16,21,72590778.0%
6 Hoshiarpur≈ 17.08 lakh15,86,62596184.6%
7 Bathinda≈ 16.01 lakh13,88,52586868.3%
8 Sangrur≈ 13.67 lakh12,25,41588166.4%
9 Tarn Taran≈ 13.07 lakh11,19,91190067.8%
10 Fazilka≈ 12.17 lakh10,63,73789468.9%
11 SAS Nagar (Mohali)≈ 12.77 lakh10,09,08087983.7%
12 Moga≈ 11.03 lakh9,95,81089370.7%

* 2026 figures are our estimates (method M1), tied to the official Punjab projection. 3 districts created after 2011 are shown with figures rebuilt on today’s boundaries.

Largest cities in Punjab

All large cities of Punjab →

  • Ludhiana

    City (2011): 16,18,879

  • Amritsar

    City (2011): 11,32,383

    Metro (2011): 11,83,549

  • Jalandhar

    City (2011): 8,62,886

    Metro (2011): 8,74,412

  • Patiala

    City (2011): 4,06,192

    Metro (2011): 4,46,246

  • Bathinda

    City (2011): 2,85,788

  • Hoshiarpur

    City (2011): 1,68,653

  • Batala

    City (2011): 1,56,619

    Metro (2011): 1,58,621

  • Moga

    City (2011): 1,50,411

    Metro (2011): 1,63,397

Births, deaths and fertility

Birth rate
13.8 (18.4)
per 1,000 people
Death rate
7.3 (6.4)
per 1,000 people
Infant mortality
17 (25)
per 1,000 live births
Fertility rate (TFR)
1.5 (1.9)
children per woman
Sex ratio at birth
906 (917)
females per 1,000 males

SRS 2023 Sample Registration System Statistical Report 2023 (ORGI) How this is made → Sample Registration System 2023. India in brackets.

Age structure of Punjab

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 Punjab
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
0-411,49,9569,83,573
5-913,01,68210,66,337
10-1414,45,53011,37,872
15-1915,70,18012,47,503
20-2414,65,53113,11,105
25-2912,70,40511,93,456
30-3410,82,53310,34,006
35-3910,10,8629,78,209
40-449,09,2088,79,261
45-498,18,1357,69,636
50-546,63,6645,90,800
55-594,85,8454,70,710
60-644,82,4835,14,107
65-693,72,8063,46,782
70-742,72,1202,41,352
75-791,30,2031,26,463
80+1,86,0501,93,451
Children (0–14)
25.6%
India 30.9%
Working age (15–59)
64.1%
India 60.5%
Older people (60+)
10.3%
India 8.6%
Median age
27.4years
India 24.9
Dependency ratio
47.8
children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64
India 57.1

Languages spoken in Punjab

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 95 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Languages spoken in Punjab
  1. Punjabi 89.8%
  2. Hindi 9.4%
  3. Urdu 0.1%
  4. Bengali 0.1%
  5. Lahnda 0.1%
  6. Nepali 0.1%
  7. Marathi 0.1%
  8. Dogri 0.1%
  9. All other languages 0.3%

Largest mother tongues

  1. Punjabi89.8%
  2. Hindi7.9%
  3. Bagri Rajasthani0.8%
  4. Bhojpuri0.2%
  5. Haryanvi0.1%
  6. Rajasthani0.1%
  7. Urdu0.1%
  8. Bengali0.1%

Housing and amenities in Punjab

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

Basic services

  • Electricity for lighting 96.6%

    India 67.4%

  • Tap water 51.0%

    India 43.7%

  • Water source within premises 85.9%

    India 46.7%

  • Toilet within premises 79.2%

    India 47.1%

  • Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 19.5%

    India 49.6%

  • Bathing area within premises 88.9%

    India 58.6%

  • Closed drainage 27.8%

    India 18.3%

  • Cooking with LPG/PNG 54.5%

    India 28.7%

  • Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 40.3%

    India 65.6%

What households own

  • Mobile phone 75.5%

    India 59.3%

  • Television 82.6%

    India 47.3%

  • Scooter or motorcycle 47.5%

    India 21.1%

  • Computer or laptop 12.7%

    India 9.5%

  • Car, jeep or van 13.1%

    India 4.7%

  • Use banking services 65.2%

    India 58.8%

  • None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 4.4%

    India 17.8%

The home itself

  • Own their home 88.9%

    India 86.5%

  • Rent their home 8.8%

    India 11.1%

  • Permanent (pucca) house 88.3%

    India 62.0%

  • House in good condition 49.9%

    India 53.2%

  • Concrete roof 49.1%

    India 29.1%

  • Cement or tiled floor 42.9%

    India 42.1%

  • One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 24.1%

    India 41.0%

India

Per capita income of Punjab

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
₹2,21,197
#19 of 33 States/UTs in 2023-24
Real growth, latest year (2024-25)
+4.5%
per capita, constant 2011-12 prices
Average real growth a year since 2011-12 (13 years)
+3.7%
GSDP 2024-25
₹8.4 lakh crore
Gross State Domestic Product, current prices
Per capita income of Punjab
› Show the numbers as a table
YearCurrent prices (₹)Constant 2011-12 prices (₹)
2011-1285,57785,577
2012-1394,31888,915
2013-141,03,83193,238
2014-151,08,97095,807
2015-161,18,8581,00,141
2016-171,28,7801,05,848
2017-181,39,8351,10,857
2018-191,49,9741,15,592
2019-201,54,3851,18,487
2020-211,50,6201,13,025
2021-221,70,2761,18,307
2022-231,85,8021,25,197
2023-242,05,3741,30,758
2024-252,21,1971,36,667

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

  • Punjab is home to 2.20% of India's people and is the 16th most populous of the 36 States and Union Territories.
  • The official projection has Punjab growing 12.9% between Census 2011 and 1 March 2026, slower than India's 17.6%.
  • Literacy in 2011 was 75.8%, 2.9 points above the national rate of 73.0%.
  • There were 895 females for every 1,000 males in 2011 (India: 943), but only 846 girls per 1,000 boys under seven, a sign of a skewed sex ratio at birth.
  • 37.5% of people lived in towns in 2011; the official projection puts the urban share at 42.9% in 2026.
  • A woman in Punjab has 1.5 children on average (SRS 2023), below the replacement level of 2.1.
  • Ludhiana is the most populous district, with 34.99 lakh people in 2011 (12.6% of the state).

Compare with

Census 2027 status

Results pending

  1. Phase I: houselisting

    Done (15 May 2026 – 13 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 Punjab, they will appear on this page, at this address. Census 2027 explained →

Population by religion in Punjab (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 Punjab (Census 2011)
ReligionPersonsShareIndia
Hindu 1,06,78,138 38.5% 79.8%
Muslim 5,35,489 1.9% 14.2%
Christian 3,48,230 1.3% 2.3%
Sikh 1,60,04,754 57.7% 1.7%
Buddhist 33,237 0.1% 0.7%
Jain 45,040 0.2% 0.4%
Other religions and persuasions 10,886 0.0% 0.7%
Religion not stated 87,564 0.3% 0.2%
Total2,77,43,338100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Punjab in 2026?
The official projection by the RGI Technical Group puts Punjab's population at 3,13,18,000 (3.13 crore) on 1 March 2026. No census count exists after 2011; Census 2027 results will replace this projection.

What was the population of Punjab in Census 2011?
Census 2011 counted 2,77,43,338 people in Punjab: 1,46,39,465 males and 1,31,03,873 females.

Which district of Punjab has the largest population?
Ludhiana had the most people in 2011 (34,98,739). The least populous was Malerkotla (4,29,754).

What is the sex ratio and literacy rate of Punjab?
In Census 2011 Punjab had 895 females per 1,000 males (child sex ratio 846) and a literacy rate of 75.8% (men 80.4%, women 70.7%).

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

Sources and method

Data updated: · Report a correction