District of Tamil Nadu

Madurai District Population 2026

Q: What is the population of Madurai district in 2026?

Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈33,04,000 (33.04 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Madurai's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Tamil Nadu projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 30,38,252.

Q: What was the population of Madurai district in Census 2011?

30,38,252: 15,26,475 males and 15,11,777 females, of whom 18,46,801 lived in towns and 11,91,451 in villages.

Population · 1 March 2026

≈ 33.04 lakh Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection 1 March 2026 How this is made →

33,04,000 3.3 million 1 March 2026

Madurai district's population is estimated at ≈33.04 lakh (33,04,000) on 1 March 2026. This is our estimate, tied to the official Tamil Nadu projection; Census 2011, the last count, recorded 30,38,252.

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

Madurai (municipal limits)

Census 2011: 10,17,865
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →: ≈ 10.7 lakh

Metro area (UA)

Madurai urban agglomeration

Census 2011: 14,65,625
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →: ≈ 16.1 lakh

District

Madurai district

Census 2011: 30,38,252
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →: ≈ 33.04 lakh

Key figures

Population 2026: ≈ 33.04 lakh 33,04,000 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
Census 2011: 30.38 lakh 30,38,252 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
Density: 819per km² 2011
Sex ratio: 990 Tamil Nadu: 996
Child sex ratio (0–6): 932 Tamil Nadu: 943
Literacy rate: 83.5% Male 89.7% · Female 77.2%
Urban share: 60.8% Tamil Nadu: 48.4%
Growth 2001–11: +17.8% Tamil Nadu: +15.6%
Area: 3,710km² Census 2011
Households: 7.95 lakh 3.8 people per household
Villages: 570 Census 2011
Towns: 39 Census 2011

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Population over time

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

Census
Estimate

33 L 2026

› Show the numbers as a table

Year	Population
1951	12,23,574
1961	13,78,734
1971	17,30,109
1981	20,42,704
1991	24,00,339
2001	25,78,201
2011	30,38,252
2016 *	31,56,000
2021 *	32,44,000
2026 *	33,04,000
2031 *	33,38,000
2036 *	33,48,000

* Estimate

How Madurai'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 Madurai's 2011 population was spread
#
1	Madurai South	13,91,980	45.8%	995	89.1%	93.0%
2	Madurai North	4,94,430	16.3%	989	86.0%	62.4%
3	Melur	2,91,398	9.6%	986	76.6%	16.6%
4	Vadipatti	2,34,533	7.7%	992	77.5%	30.8%
5	Thirumangalam	2,29,645	7.6%	991	78.6%	22.3%
6	Peraiyur	2,00,510	6.6%	996	70.2%	18.4%
7	Usilampatti	1,95,756	6.4%	959	73.1%	18.0%

Largest towns in Madurai (Census 2011)

Madurai 10,17,865
Avaniapuram 89,635
Anaiyur 63,917
Thirumangalam 51,194
Thiruparankundram 50,004
Melamadai CT 43,797
Melur 40,017
Usilampatti 35,219
Kannanendal CT 31,095
Vilangudi 30,884

How people in Madurai worked (Census 2011)

Cultivators

6.8%

Agricultural labourers

27.5%

Household industry

3.5%

Other work

62.1%

Share of all workers, main and marginal. Work participation: 44.6%.

Age structure of Madurai

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 →

MenWomen

80+
75-79
70-74
65-69
60-64
55-59
50-54
45-49
40-44
35-39
30-34
25-29
20-24
15-19
10-14
5-9
0-4

› Show the numbers as a table

Age	Men	Women
0-4	1,15,578	1,08,391
5-9	1,22,162	1,13,765
10-14	1,37,531	1,25,878
15-19	1,34,073	1,25,933
20-24	1,29,177	1,33,969
25-29	1,37,484	1,44,237
30-34	1,23,421	1,24,837
35-39	1,21,609	1,28,043
40-44	1,09,784	1,07,620
45-49	1,00,860	97,541
50-54	79,626	77,637
55-59	65,680	65,948
60-64	58,665	59,961
65-69	36,604	39,472
70-74	27,792	28,826
75-79	13,144	13,514
80+	11,990	14,968

Children (0–14): 23.8%; Tamil Nadu 23.6%
Working age (15–59): 66.1%; Tamil Nadu 66.0%
Older people (60+): 10.0%; Tamil Nadu 10.4%
Median age: 29.8years; Tamil Nadu 29.8
Dependency ratio: 42.8; children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64; Tamil Nadu 43.2

Languages spoken in Madurai

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 42 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Tamil 92.6%
Gujarati 3.2%
Telugu 2.6%
Urdu 0.7%
Kannada 0.4%
Hindi 0.3%
Malayalam 0.1%
Marathi 0.1%
All other languages 0.1%

Largest mother tongues

Tamil92.6%
Saurashtra/Saurashtri3.2%
Telugu2.6%
Urdu0.7%
Kannada0.4%
Hindi0.3%
Malayalam0.1%
Marathi0.1%

Housing and amenities in Madurai

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

Basic services

Electricity for lighting 94.5%

Tamil Nadu 93.4%
Tap water 85.0%

Tamil Nadu 79.8%
Water source within premises 37.4%

Tamil Nadu 35.1%
Toilet within premises 59.2%

Tamil Nadu 48.5%
Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 35.5%

Tamil Nadu 45.5%
Bathing area within premises 69.1%

Tamil Nadu 64.3%
Closed drainage 41.7%

Tamil Nadu 25.6%
Cooking with LPG/PNG 49.1%

Tamil Nadu 48.1%
Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 35.8%

Tamil Nadu 44.1%

What households own

Mobile phone 72.3%

Tamil Nadu 69.3%
Television 88.8%

Tamil Nadu 87.0%
Scooter or motorcycle 28.6%

Tamil Nadu 32.4%
Computer or laptop 12.0%

Tamil Nadu 10.7%
Car, jeep or van 3.9%

Tamil Nadu 4.3%
Use banking services 55.9%

Tamil Nadu 52.6%
None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 4.4%

Tamil Nadu 5.1%

The home itself

Own their home 61.6%

Tamil Nadu 74.4%
Rent their home 35.1%

Tamil Nadu 23.5%
Permanent (pucca) house 78.9%

Tamil Nadu 70.8%
House in good condition 75.5%

Tamil Nadu 70.2%
Concrete roof 56.6%

Tamil Nadu 43.8%
Cement or tiled floor 83.5%

Tamil Nadu 79.8%
One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 48.8%

Tamil Nadu 48.1%

Tamil Nadu

What the numbers say

Madurai district held 4.2% of Tamil Nadu's population in 2011, 5th of 38 districts.
Literacy is 83.5%, 3.4 points above the Tamil Nadu average of 80.1%.
60.8% of residents lived in towns in 2011, more urban than Tamil Nadu as a whole (48.4%).
The population grew 17.8% in 2001–11, faster than Tamil Nadu's 15.6%.
Our 2026 estimate, ≈33.04 lakh, implies growth of about 9% since 2011; it is tied to the official Tamil Nadu projection.
Its largest town, Madurai, had 10.18 lakh people in 2011, 33.5% of the district.

Compare with

All districts of Tamil Nadu →

Census 2027 status

Results pending

Phase I: houselisting

Done (1 August 2026 – 30 August 2026)
Phase II: counting people

February 2027 (reference date 1 March 2027)
Results

Not yet released. In 2011, first figures came about a month after counting ended.

When the Registrar General publishes Census 2027 figures for Madurai, they will appear on this page, at this address. Census 2027 explained →

Population by religion in Madurai (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 Madurai (Census 2011)
Religion	Persons	Share	Tamil Nadu
Hindu	27,60,502	90.9%	87.6%
Muslim	1,68,881	5.6%	5.9%
Christian	97,711	3.2%	6.1%
Sikh	520	0.0%	0.0%
Buddhist	199	0.0%	0.0%
Jain	1,532	0.1%	0.1%
Other religions and persuasions	305	0.0%	0.0%
Religion not stated	8,602	0.3%	0.3%
Total	30,38,252	100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Madurai district in 2026?

Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈33,04,000 (33.04 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Madurai's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Tamil Nadu projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 30,38,252.

What was the population of Madurai district in Census 2011?

30,38,252: 15,26,475 males and 15,11,777 females, of whom 18,46,801 lived in towns and 11,91,451 in villages.

What is the literacy rate and sex ratio of Madurai?

Literacy was 83.5% in 2011 (men 89.7%, women 77.2%). The sex ratio was 990 females per 1,000 males, and 932 among children aged 0–6.

Which is the largest town in Madurai district?

Madurai, with 10,17,865 people in Census 2011.

How many villages and towns are in Madurai district?

On today's boundaries the district contains 570 Census 2011 villages and 39 towns.

⤓ Download Tamil Nadu district data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: 4 October 2026 · Report a correction