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District of Tamil Nadu

Salem District Population 2026

Population · 1 March 2026

≈ 37.29 lakh Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection 1 March 2026 How this is made →

37,29,000 3.73 million 1 March 2026

Salem district's population is estimated at ≈37.29 lakh (37,29,000) on 1 March 2026. This is our estimate, tied to the official Tamil Nadu projection; Census 2011, the last count, recorded 34,82,056.

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

Salem (municipal limits)

Census 2011
8,29,267
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 9 lakh

Metro area (UA)

Salem urban agglomeration

Census 2011
9,17,414
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 10.1 lakh

District

Salem district

Census 2011
34,82,056
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 37.29 lakh

Key figures

Population 2026
≈ 37.29 lakh 37,29,000 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
Census 2011
34.82 lakh 34,82,056 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
Density
665per km² 2011
Sex ratio
954 Tamil Nadu: 996
Child sex ratio (0–6)
916 Tamil Nadu: 943
Literacy rate
72.9% Male 80.2% · Female 65.2%
Urban share
51.0% Tamil Nadu: 48.4%
Growth 2001–11
+15.4% Tamil Nadu: +15.6%
Area
5,237km² Census 2011
Households
9.16 lakh 3.8 people per household
Villages
585 Census 2011
Towns
68 Census 2011

Where it ranks

Population over time

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

Salem: Population over time
  • Census
  • Estimate
37 L 2026
› Show the numbers as a table
YearPopulation
195114,30,876
196116,05,327
197119,96,187
198122,68,981
199125,73,667
200130,16,346
201134,82,056
2016 *35,99,000
2021 *36,79,000
2026 *37,29,000
2031 *37,48,000
2036 *37,39,000

* Estimate

How Salem'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 Salem's 2011 population was spread
#
1 Salem12,72,74336.6%97479.6%82.9%
2 Omalur4,94,35514.2%90966.3%20.7%
3 Attur4,30,94912.4%98572.5%28.7%
4 Mettur4,19,88712.1%92270.1%43.4%
5 Sankari2,41,7836.9%93067.8%45.7%
6 Edappadi2,23,7566.4%91763.0%32.9%
7 Vazhapadi1,95,4125.6%98073.1%24.0%
8 Gangavalli1,61,3024.6%99971.7%42.0%
9 Yercaud41,8691.2%98761.5%27.7%

Largest towns in Salem (Census 2011)

Largest towns in Salem (Census 2011)
  1. Salem 8,29,267
  2. Attur 61,793
  3. Edappadi 54,823
  4. Mettur 52,813
  5. Edaganasalai 33,245
  6. Tharamangalam 30,222
  7. Sankari 29,467
  8. Mecheri 25,676
  9. P.N.Patti 25,133
  10. Narasingapuram 23,084

How people in Salem worked (Census 2011)

Cultivators

15.2%

Agricultural labourers

26.8%

Household industry

8.4%

Other work

49.7%

Share of all workers, main and marginal. Work participation: 48.7%.

Age structure of Salem

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 Salem
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
0-41,25,6121,15,065
5-91,41,5051,30,332
10-141,66,5491,41,531
15-191,64,0901,37,489
20-241,57,6561,46,613
25-291,56,4181,54,485
30-341,37,3161,33,031
35-391,32,9651,45,678
40-441,25,2411,20,695
45-491,19,0051,15,548
50-5494,02188,916
55-5975,25876,659
60-6469,06270,123
65-6944,25548,195
70-7436,25537,158
75-7917,56617,288
80+17,79220,746
Children (0–14)
23.6%
Tamil Nadu 23.6%
Working age (15–59)
65.5%
Tamil Nadu 66.0%
Older people (60+)
10.9%
Tamil Nadu 10.4%
Median age
30.1years
Tamil Nadu 29.8
Dependency ratio
43.8
children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64
Tamil Nadu 43.2

Languages spoken in Salem

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 32 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Languages spoken in Salem
  1. Tamil 88.5%
  2. Telugu 6.1%
  3. Kannada 2.5%
  4. Urdu 1.6%
  5. Gujarati 0.6%
  6. Hindi 0.3%
  7. Malayalam 0.3%
  8. Marathi 0.1%
  9. All other languages 0.1%

Largest mother tongues

  1. Tamil88.5%
  2. Telugu6.1%
  3. Kannada2.5%
  4. Urdu1.6%
  5. Saurashtra/Saurashtri0.6%
  6. Malayalam0.3%
  7. Hindi0.2%
  8. Marathi0.1%

Housing and amenities in Salem

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

Basic services

  • Electricity for lighting 90.9%

    Tamil Nadu 93.4%

  • Tap water 78.8%

    Tamil Nadu 79.8%

  • Water source within premises 24.7%

    Tamil Nadu 35.1%

  • Toilet within premises 35.0%

    Tamil Nadu 48.5%

  • Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 53.9%

    Tamil Nadu 45.5%

  • Bathing area within premises 62.5%

    Tamil Nadu 64.3%

  • Closed drainage 17.5%

    Tamil Nadu 25.6%

  • Cooking with LPG/PNG 48.9%

    Tamil Nadu 48.1%

  • Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 42.9%

    Tamil Nadu 44.1%

What households own

  • Mobile phone 66.6%

    Tamil Nadu 69.3%

  • Television 81.6%

    Tamil Nadu 87.0%

  • Scooter or motorcycle 38.3%

    Tamil Nadu 32.4%

  • Computer or laptop 6.9%

    Tamil Nadu 10.7%

  • Car, jeep or van 3.3%

    Tamil Nadu 4.3%

  • Use banking services 38.8%

    Tamil Nadu 52.6%

  • None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 7.8%

    Tamil Nadu 5.1%

The home itself

  • Own their home 76.9%

    Tamil Nadu 74.4%

  • Rent their home 21.7%

    Tamil Nadu 23.5%

  • Permanent (pucca) house 71.3%

    Tamil Nadu 70.8%

  • House in good condition 69.9%

    Tamil Nadu 70.2%

  • Concrete roof 34.4%

    Tamil Nadu 43.8%

  • Cement or tiled floor 79.8%

    Tamil Nadu 79.8%

  • One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 45.1%

    Tamil Nadu 48.1%

Tamil Nadu

What the numbers say

  • Salem district held 4.8% of Tamil Nadu's population in 2011, 2nd of 38 districts.
  • Literacy is 72.9%, 7.2 points below the Tamil Nadu average of 80.1%.
  • The gender gap in literacy is wide: 80.2% of men but only 65.2% of women could read and write in 2011.
  • The sex ratio of 954 females per 1,000 males is lower than the state's 996.
  • Our 2026 estimate, ≈37.29 lakh, implies growth of about 7% since 2011; it is tied to the official Tamil Nadu projection.
  • Its largest town, Salem, had 8.29 lakh people in 2011, 23.8% of the district.

Compare with

All districts of Tamil Nadu →

Census 2027 status

Results pending

  1. Phase I: houselisting

    Done (1 August 2026 – 30 August 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 Salem, they will appear on this page, at this address. Census 2027 explained →

Population by religion in Salem (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 Salem (Census 2011)
ReligionPersonsShareTamil Nadu
Hindu 33,26,357 95.5% 87.6%
Muslim 95,487 2.7% 5.9%
Christian 53,841 1.5% 6.1%
Sikh 412 0.0% 0.0%
Buddhist 174 0.0% 0.0%
Jain 992 0.0% 0.1%
Other religions and persuasions 246 0.0% 0.0%
Religion not stated 4,547 0.1% 0.3%
Total34,82,056100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Salem district in 2026?
Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈37,29,000 (37.29 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Salem's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Tamil Nadu projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 34,82,056.

What was the population of Salem district in Census 2011?
34,82,056: 17,81,571 males and 17,00,485 females, of whom 17,74,122 lived in towns and 17,07,934 in villages.

What is the literacy rate and sex ratio of Salem?
Literacy was 72.9% in 2011 (men 80.2%, women 65.2%). The sex ratio was 954 females per 1,000 males, and 916 among children aged 0–6.

Which is the largest town in Salem district?
Salem, with 8,29,267 people in Census 2011.

How many villages and towns are in Salem district?
On today's boundaries the district contains 585 Census 2011 villages and 68 towns.

⤓ Download Tamil Nadu district data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: · Report a correction