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District of Tamil Nadu

Thoothukkudi District Population 2026

Population · 1 March 2026

≈ 17.83 lakh Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection 1 March 2026 How this is made →

17,83,000 1.78 million 1 March 2026

Thoothukkudi district's population is estimated at ≈17.83 lakh (17,83,000) on 1 March 2026. This is our estimate, tied to the official Tamil Nadu projection; Census 2011, the last count, recorded 17,28,330 on the district’s present boundaries.

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

Thoothukudi (municipal limits)

Census 2011
2,37,830
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 2.5 lakh

Metro area (UA)

Thoothukudi urban agglomeration

Census 2011
4,11,628
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 4.2 lakh

District

Thoothukkudi district

Census 2011
17,28,330
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 17.83 lakh

Key figures

Population 2026
≈ 17.83 lakh 17,83,000 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
Census 2011
17.28 lakh 17,28,330 Reconstructed Census figures re-added on today’s boundaries How this is made →
Density
≈ 374per km² 2011
Sex ratio
1023 Tamil Nadu: 996
Child sex ratio (0–6)
963 Tamil Nadu: 943
Literacy rate
86.3% Male 91.2% · Female 81.5%
Urban share
50.7% Tamil Nadu: 48.4%
Growth 2001–11
+9.9% Tamil Nadu: +15.6%
Area
≈ 4,626km² approx., from 2011 sub-district areas
Households
4.56 lakh 3.8 people per household
Villages
427 Census 2011
Towns
35 Census 2011

Where it ranks

Population over time

Census figures re-added on today’s boundaries (parts of earlier districts apportioned by their 2011 population), then our estimate to 2036.

Thoothukkudi: Population over time
  • Reconstructed
  • Estimate
17 L 2026
› Show the numbers as a table
YearPopulation
199114,57,450
200115,72,888
201117,28,330
2016 *17,64,000
2021 *17,82,000
2026 *17,83,000
2031 *17,71,000
2036 *17,45,000

* Estimate

How Thoothukkudi'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 Thoothukkudi's 2011 population was spread
#
1 Thoothukkudi4,78,32827.7%99991.0%86.1%
2 Tiruchendur3,10,94518.0%104590.6%54.6%
3 Kovilpatti(part)2,99,47717.3%103681.7%63.7%
4 Srivaikuntam2,02,96211.7%102185.3%22.3%
5 Vilathikulam1,39,5818.1%100779.6%17.3%
6 Ottapidaram1,23,3567.1%99980.7%6.5%
7 Sathankulam98,6905.7%107389.6%14.4%
8 Ettayapuram74,9914.3%105576.6%17.0%

Largest towns in Thoothukkudi (Census 2011)

Largest towns in Thoothukkudi (Census 2011)
  1. Thoothukkudi 2,37,830
  2. Kovilpatti 95,057
  3. Milavittan CT 45,863
  4. Kayalpattinam 40,588
  5. Mappilaiurani CT 40,035
  6. Muttayyapuram CT 32,494
  7. Tiruchendur 32,171
  8. Arumuganeri 27,266
  9. Athimarapatti CT 22,218
  10. Sankaraperi CT 19,844

How people in Thoothukkudi worked (Census 2011)

Cultivators

6.4%

Agricultural labourers

26.3%

Household industry

3.1%

Other work

64.2%

Share of all workers, main and marginal. Work participation: 42.6%.

Age structure of Thoothukkudi

Population in five-year age groups, Census 2011. Men on the left, women on the right. Census 2011, approx. Census 2011 on today’s boundaries; approximate, because some 2011 units were split between districts and are apportioned by population. How this is made →

Age structure of Thoothukkudi
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
0-465,06662,884
5-971,38469,226
10-1479,03275,535
15-1975,64374,400
20-2473,10276,339
25-2976,45777,570
30-3466,82967,047
35-3963,07767,718
40-4458,71260,879
45-4954,17854,704
50-5442,75243,453
55-5935,68438,267
60-6431,78035,790
65-6923,84228,231
70-7417,85620,283
75-799,60510,518
80+8,36910,434
Children (0–14)
24.5%
Tamil Nadu 23.6%
Working age (15–59)
64.1%
Tamil Nadu 66.0%
Older people (60+)
11.4%
Tamil Nadu 10.4%
Median age
29.6years
Tamil Nadu 29.8
Dependency ratio
47.0
children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64
Tamil Nadu 43.2

Languages spoken in Thoothukkudi

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 23 languages recorded. Census 2011, approx. Census 2011 on today’s boundaries; approximate, because some 2011 units were split between districts and are apportioned by population. How this is made →

Languages spoken in Thoothukkudi
  1. Tamil 97.0%
  2. Telugu 2.5%
  3. Kannada 0.1%
  4. Urdu 0.1%
  5. Malayalam 0.1%
  6. Hindi 0.1%
  7. Marathi 0.0%
  8. Others 0.0%

Largest mother tongues

  1. Tamil97.0%
  2. Telugu2.5%
  3. Kannada0.1%
  4. Urdu0.1%
  5. Malayalam0.1%
  6. Hindi0.1%
  7. Marathi0.0%
  8. Saurashtra/Saurashtri0.0%

Housing and amenities in Thoothukkudi

Share of households, Houselisting Census 2011. Reconstructed Census 2011, added up on today’s boundaries from village, town or sub-district records. How this is made →

Basic services

  • Electricity for lighting 94.3%

    Tamil Nadu 93.4%

  • Tap water 85.8%

    Tamil Nadu 79.8%

  • Water source within premises 30.9%

    Tamil Nadu 35.1%

  • Toilet within premises 50.7%

    Tamil Nadu 48.5%

  • Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 45.3%

    Tamil Nadu 45.5%

  • Bathing area within premises 62.6%

    Tamil Nadu 64.3%

  • Closed drainage 16.9%

    Tamil Nadu 25.6%

  • Cooking with LPG/PNG 43.4%

    Tamil Nadu 48.1%

  • Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 49.2%

    Tamil Nadu 44.1%

What households own

  • Mobile phone 69.8%

    Tamil Nadu 69.3%

  • Television 87.9%

    Tamil Nadu 87.0%

  • Scooter or motorcycle 27.1%

    Tamil Nadu 32.4%

  • Computer or laptop 7.8%

    Tamil Nadu 10.7%

  • Car, jeep or van 3.2%

    Tamil Nadu 4.3%

  • Use banking services 53.8%

    Tamil Nadu 52.6%

  • None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 5.2%

    Tamil Nadu 5.1%

The home itself

  • Own their home 71.8%

    Tamil Nadu 74.4%

  • Rent their home 26.4%

    Tamil Nadu 23.5%

  • Permanent (pucca) house 71.5%

    Tamil Nadu 70.8%

  • House in good condition 70.0%

    Tamil Nadu 70.2%

  • Concrete roof 45.0%

    Tamil Nadu 43.8%

  • Cement or tiled floor 87.7%

    Tamil Nadu 79.8%

  • One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 38.8%

    Tamil Nadu 48.1%

Tamil Nadu

What the numbers say

  • Thoothukkudi district held 2.4% of Tamil Nadu's population in 2011, 18th of 38 districts.
  • Literacy is 86.3%, 6.2 points above the Tamil Nadu average of 80.1%.
  • The sex ratio of 1023 females per 1,000 males is higher than the state's 996.
  • The population grew 9.9% in 2001–11, slower than Tamil Nadu's 15.6% (on today’s boundaries).
  • Our 2026 estimate, ≈17.83 lakh, implies growth of about 3% since 2011; it is tied to the official Tamil Nadu projection.
  • Its largest town, Thoothukkudi, had 2.38 lakh people in 2011, 13.8% of the district.

How this district was formed

Thoothukkudi covers land that was part of these districts in Census 2011:

  • Thoothukkudi (2011) 100.0% of this district
    98.8% of the 2011 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 Thoothukkudi, they will appear on this page, at this address. Census 2027 explained →

Population by religion in Thoothukkudi (Census 2011)

Official figures as published by the Office of the Registrar General. Shown without commentary. Reconstructed Census 2011 on today’s boundaries; approximate, because some 2011 units were split between districts and are apportioned by population. How this is made →

Population by religion in Thoothukkudi (Census 2011)
ReligionPersonsShareTamil Nadu
Hindu ≈ 13,54,000 78.3% 87.6%
Muslim ≈ 80,300 4.6% 5.9%
Christian ≈ 2,90,500 16.8% 6.1%
Sikh ≈ 100 0.0% 0.0%
Buddhist ≈ 300 0.0% 0.0%
Jain ≈ 100 0.0% 0.1%
Other religions and persuasions ≈ 100 0.0% 0.0%
Religion not stated ≈ 3,000 0.2% 0.3%
Total17,28,330100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Thoothukkudi district in 2026?
Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈17,83,000 (17.83 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Thoothukkudi's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Tamil Nadu projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 17,28,330.

What was the population of Thoothukkudi district in Census 2011?
17,28,330: 8,54,282 males and 8,74,048 females, of whom 8,76,802 lived in towns and 8,51,528 in villages. These figures are on the district’s current boundaries, rebuilt from Census 2011 village and town records.

What is the literacy rate and sex ratio of Thoothukkudi?
Literacy was 86.3% in 2011 (men 91.2%, women 81.5%). The sex ratio was 1023 females per 1,000 males, and 963 among children aged 0–6.

Which is the largest town in Thoothukkudi district?
Thoothukkudi, with 2,37,830 people in Census 2011.

How many villages and towns are in Thoothukkudi district?
On today's boundaries the district contains 427 Census 2011 villages and 35 towns.

⤓ Download Tamil Nadu district data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: · Report a correction