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District of Punjab

Ludhiana District Population 2026

Population · 1 March 2026

≈ 39.82 lakh Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection 1 March 2026 How this is made →

39,82,000 3.98 million 1 March 2026

Ludhiana district's population is estimated at ≈39.82 lakh (39,82,000) on 1 March 2026. This is our estimate, tied to the official Punjab projection; Census 2011, the last count, recorded 34,98,739.

Estimate: method M1, constrained to the RGI projection for Punjab. 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

Ludhiana (municipal limits)

Census 2011
16,18,879
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 18.6 lakh

District

Ludhiana district

Census 2011
34,98,739
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 39.82 lakh

Key figures

Population 2026
≈ 39.82 lakh 39,82,000 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
Census 2011
34.99 lakh 34,98,739 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
Density
978per km² 2011
Sex ratio
873 Punjab: 895
Child sex ratio (0–6)
860 Punjab: 846
Literacy rate
82.2% Male 86.0% · Female 77.9%
Urban share
59.2% Punjab: 37.5%
Growth 2001–11
+15.4% Punjab: +13.9%
Area
3,578km² Census 2011
Households
7.17 lakh 4.9 people per household
Villages
907 Census 2011
Towns
20 Census 2011

Where it ranks

Population over time

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

Ludhiana: Population over time
  • Census
  • Estimate
42 L 2026
› Show the numbers as a table
YearPopulation
19518,58,487
196110,78,269
197113,84,957
198117,78,689
199124,28,382
200130,32,831
201134,98,739
2016 *36,86,000
2021 *38,48,000
2026 *39,82,000
2031 *40,91,000
2036 *41,73,000

* Estimate

How Ludhiana'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 Ludhiana's 2011 population was spread
#
1 Ludhiana (East)19,34,22555.3%85484.6%85.5%
2 Ludhiana (West)3,62,60210.4%89680.8%24.9%
3 Jagraon3,41,2349.8%90676.7%19.1%
4 Samrala2,23,3856.4%90578.5%20.0%
5 Khanna2,22,2976.4%89481.6%57.6%
6 Payal2,13,5456.1%87679.1%19.2%
7 Raikot2,01,4515.8%89979.3%22.9%

Largest towns in Ludhiana (Census 2011)

Largest towns in Ludhiana (Census 2011)
  1. Ludhiana 16,18,879
  2. Khanna 1,28,137
  3. Jagraon 65,240
  4. Gill CT 28,884
  5. Raikot 28,734
  6. Doraha 25,424
  7. Machhiwara 24,916
  8. Sahnewal 22,484
  9. Samrala 19,678
  10. Mullanpur Dakha 16,356

How people in Ludhiana worked (Census 2011)

Cultivators

11.0%

Agricultural labourers

7.7%

Household industry

5.6%

Other work

75.8%

Share of all workers, main and marginal. Work participation: 36.7%.

Age structure of Ludhiana

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 Ludhiana
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
0-41,41,6771,22,964
5-91,62,1001,35,516
10-141,77,0021,40,939
15-191,93,7361,48,305
20-241,90,2461,61,317
25-291,71,9651,55,761
30-341,46,6771,35,653
35-391,37,4411,26,543
40-441,18,0221,09,919
45-491,07,63798,154
50-5486,95476,796
55-5965,57360,139
60-6458,49858,461
65-6942,51538,215
70-7430,05926,496
75-7915,80114,330
80+20,14320,278
Children (0–14)
25.2%
Punjab 25.6%
Working age (15–59)
65.5%
Punjab 64.1%
Older people (60+)
9.3%
Punjab 10.3%
Median age
27.7years
Punjab 27.4
Dependency ratio
45.2
children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64
Punjab 47.8

Languages spoken in Ludhiana

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 45 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Languages spoken in Ludhiana
  1. Punjabi 79.7%
  2. Hindi 19.5%
  3. Urdu 0.2%
  4. Nepali 0.1%
  5. Bengali 0.1%
  6. Maithili 0.1%
  7. Gujarati 0.1%
  8. Odia 0.0%
  9. All other languages 0.2%

Largest mother tongues

  1. Punjabi79.7%
  2. Hindi18.2%
  3. Bhojpuri0.7%
  4. Rajasthani0.3%
  5. Urdu0.2%
  6. Nepali0.1%
  7. Bengali0.1%
  8. Maithili0.1%

Housing and amenities in Ludhiana

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

Basic services

  • Electricity for lighting 98.3%

    Punjab 96.6%

  • Tap water 61.2%

    Punjab 51.0%

  • Water source within premises 92.2%

    Punjab 85.9%

  • Toilet within premises 93.3%

    Punjab 79.2%

  • Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 5.8%

    Punjab 19.5%

  • Bathing area within premises 93.5%

    Punjab 88.9%

  • Closed drainage 48.7%

    Punjab 27.8%

  • Cooking with LPG/PNG 68.3%

    Punjab 54.5%

  • Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 22.9%

    Punjab 40.3%

What households own

  • Mobile phone 76.8%

    Punjab 75.5%

  • Television 84.5%

    Punjab 82.6%

  • Scooter or motorcycle 50.4%

    Punjab 47.5%

  • Computer or laptop 17.3%

    Punjab 12.7%

  • Car, jeep or van 16.8%

    Punjab 13.1%

  • Use banking services 65.0%

    Punjab 65.2%

  • None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 3.5%

    Punjab 4.4%

The home itself

  • Own their home 79.7%

    Punjab 88.9%

  • Rent their home 17.7%

    Punjab 8.8%

  • Permanent (pucca) house 93.4%

    Punjab 88.3%

  • House in good condition 51.7%

    Punjab 49.9%

  • Concrete roof 63.5%

    Punjab 49.1%

  • Cement or tiled floor 51.6%

    Punjab 42.9%

  • One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 29.4%

    Punjab 24.1%

Punjab

What the numbers say

  • Ludhiana district held 12.6% of Punjab's population in 2011, 1st of 23 districts.
  • Literacy is 82.2%, 6.4 points above the Punjab average of 75.8%.
  • The sex ratio of 873 females per 1,000 males is lower than the state's 895.
  • The child sex ratio was just 860 girls per 1,000 boys aged 0–6, among the more skewed in India (national: 918).
  • 59.2% of residents lived in towns in 2011, more urban than Punjab as a whole (37.5%).
  • Our 2026 estimate, ≈39.82 lakh, implies growth of about 14% since 2011; it is tied to the official Punjab projection.
  • Its largest town, Ludhiana, had 16.19 lakh people in 2011, 46.3% of the district.

Compare with

All districts of Punjab →

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

Population by religion in Ludhiana (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 Ludhiana (Census 2011)
ReligionPersonsSharePunjab
Hindu 15,02,403 42.9% 38.5%
Muslim 77,713 2.2% 1.9%
Christian 16,517 0.5% 1.3%
Sikh 18,63,408 53.3% 57.7%
Buddhist 2,007 0.1% 0.1%
Jain 19,620 0.6% 0.2%
Other religions and persuasions 1,254 0.0% 0.0%
Religion not stated 15,817 0.5% 0.3%
Total34,98,739100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Ludhiana district in 2026?
Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈39,82,000 (39.82 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Ludhiana's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Punjab projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 34,98,739.

What was the population of Ludhiana district in Census 2011?
34,98,739: 18,67,816 males and 16,30,923 females, of whom 20,69,708 lived in towns and 14,29,031 in villages.

What is the literacy rate and sex ratio of Ludhiana?
Literacy was 82.2% in 2011 (men 86.0%, women 77.9%). The sex ratio was 873 females per 1,000 males, and 860 among children aged 0–6.

Which is the largest town in Ludhiana district?
Ludhiana, with 16,18,879 people in Census 2011.

How many villages and towns are in Ludhiana district?
On today's boundaries the district contains 907 Census 2011 villages and 20 towns.

⤓ Download Punjab district data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: · Report a correction