Rankings
Main languages by state
Census 2011 recorded 122 languages in India, after grouping the mother tongues people reported. Hindi was the mother tongue of 43.6% of people, followed by Bengali (8.0%) and Marathi (6.9%).
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Bengali | 28.5% | Hindi | 19.3% | 62 |
| 2 | Andhra Pradesh | Telugu | 89.2% | Urdu | 6.5% | 85 |
| 3 | Arunachal Pradesh | Nissi/Dafla | 28.6% | Adi | 17.3% | 112 |
| 4 | Assam | Assamese | 48.4% | Bengali | 28.9% | 117 |
| 5 | Bihar | Hindi | 77.5% | Maithili | 12.5% | 88 |
| 6 | Chandigarh | Hindi | 73.6% | Punjabi | 22.0% | 62 |
| 7 | Chhattisgarh | Hindi | 83.6% | Gondi | 4.2% | 85 |
| 8 | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | Gujarati | 33.6% | Hindi | 30.4% | 47 |
| 9 | Delhi | Hindi | 84.9% | Punjabi | 5.2% | 109 |
| 10 | Goa | Konkani | 66.1% | Marathi | 10.9% | 85 |
| 11 | Gujarat | Gujarati | 86.0% | Hindi | 7.1% | 91 |
| 12 | Haryana | Hindi | 88.1% | Punjabi | 9.5% | 89 |
| 13 | Himachal Pradesh | Hindi | 85.9% | Punjabi | 9.0% | 92 |
| 14 | Jammu and Kashmir | Kashmiri | 54.4% | Hindi | 21.1% | 101 |
| 15 | Jharkhand | Hindi | 61.9% | Santali | 9.9% | 92 |
| 16 | Karnataka | Kannada | 66.5% | Urdu | 10.8% | 111 |
| 17 | Kerala | Malayalam | 97.0% | Tamil | 1.5% | 79 |
| 18 | Ladakh | Bhotia | 38.3% | Tibetan | 35.9% | 62 |
| 19 | Lakshadweep | Malayalam | 84.2% | Others | 14.4% | 22 |
| 20 | Madhya Pradesh | Hindi | 88.6% | Bhili/Bhilodi | 4.9% | 104 |
| 21 | Maharashtra | Marathi | 68.9% | Hindi | 12.9% | 114 |
| 22 | Manipur | Manipuri | 53.3% | Mao | 7.9% | 100 |
| 23 | Meghalaya | Khasi | 46.6% | Garo | 31.6% | 103 |
| 24 | Mizoram | Lushai/Mizo | 73.2% | Bengali | 9.8% | 93 |
| 25 | Nagaland | Konyak | 12.3% | Others | 12.2% | 106 |
| 26 | Odisha | Odia | 82.7% | Hindi | 3.0% | 90 |
| 27 | Puducherry | Tamil | 88.2% | Telugu | 6.0% | 40 |
| 28 | Punjab | Punjabi | 89.8% | Hindi | 9.4% | 95 |
| 29 | Rajasthan | Hindi | 89.4% | Bhili/Bhilodi | 5.2% | 99 |
| 30 | Sikkim | Nepali | 62.6% | Hindi | 8.0% | 75 |
| 31 | Tamil Nadu | Tamil | 88.4% | Telugu | 5.9% | 97 |
| 32 | Telangana | Telugu | 75.5% | Urdu | 12.2% | 99 |
| 33 | Tripura | Bengali | 65.7% | Tripuri | 25.9% | 99 |
| 34 | Uttar Pradesh | Hindi | 94.1% | Urdu | 5.4% | 101 |
| 35 | Uttarakhand | Hindi | 89.2% | Urdu | 4.2% | 100 |
| 36 | West Bengal | Bengali | 86.2% | Hindi | 7.0% | 113 |
Census 2011 Table C-16. Mother tongues are grouped into languages as the Census does; Hindi, for example, includes Bhojpuri, Rajasthani and other mother tongues the Census classifies under it. This is the first language people reported, not every language they speak.
Largest languages of India, Census 2011 (share of population)
- Hindi 43.6%
- Bengali 8.0%
- Marathi 6.9%
- Telugu 6.7%
- Tamil 5.7%
- Gujarati 4.6%
- Urdu 4.2%
- Kannada 3.6%
More rankings
- Most populated states in India (2026)
- Largest states in India by area
- Population density by state
- Sex ratio by state
- Literacy rate by state
- Urban population by state
- Population growth by state
- State population projections to 2036
- Largest cities in India
- Million-plus cities and urban agglomerations
- Most populated districts in India
- Largest districts in India by area
- Birth rate and fertility by state
- Death rate and infant mortality by state
- Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe population by state
- Per capita income by state
- Household amenities by state
- Age structure by state
- Population by religion, state-wise (Census 2011)
Sources and method
Data updated: · Report a correction