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District of Uttar Pradesh

Varanasi District Population 2026

Population · 1 March 2026

≈ 43.77 lakh Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection 1 March 2026 How this is made →

43,77,000 4.38 million 1 March 2026

Varanasi district's population is estimated at ≈43.77 lakh (43,77,000) on 1 March 2026. This is our estimate, tied to the official Uttar Pradesh projection; Census 2011, the last count, recorded 36,76,841.

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

Varanasi (municipal limits)

Census 2011
11,98,491
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 13.1 lakh

Metro area (UA)

Varanasi urban agglomeration

Census 2011
14,32,280
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 17 lakh

District

Varanasi district

Census 2011
36,76,841
2026 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
≈ 43.77 lakh

Key figures

Population 2026
≈ 43.77 lakh 43,77,000 Estimate Our estimate, method M1, constrained to the official state projection How this is made →
Census 2011
36.77 lakh 36,76,841 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
Density
2,395per km² 2011
Sex ratio
913 Uttar Pradesh: 912
Child sex ratio (0–6)
885 Uttar Pradesh: 902
Literacy rate
75.6% Male 83.8% · Female 66.7%
Urban share
43.4% Uttar Pradesh: 22.3%
Growth 2001–11
+17.2% Uttar Pradesh: +20.2%
Area
1,535km² Census 2011
Households
5.6 lakh 6.6 people per household
Villages
1,295 Census 2011
Towns
39 Census 2011

Where it ranks

Population over time

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

Varanasi: Population over time
  • Census
  • Estimate
46 L 2026
› Show the numbers as a table
YearPopulation
195110,47,522
196112,41,210
197115,14,420
198119,19,746
199125,08,110
200131,38,671
201136,76,841
2016 *39,49,000
2021 *41,91,000
2026 *43,77,000
2031 *45,09,000
2036 *46,01,000

* Estimate

How Varanasi'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 Varanasi's 2011 population was spread
#
1 Varanasi30,49,54382.9%90176.0%52.0%
2 Pindra6,27,29817.1%97273.8%1.8%

Largest towns in Varanasi (Census 2011)

Largest towns in Varanasi (Census 2011)
  1. Varanasi 11,98,491
  2. Ramnagar 49,132
  3. Lohta CT 25,596
  4. Phulwaria CT 20,466
  5. Shivdaspur CT 16,405
  6. Suzabad CT 15,384
  7. Kotwa CT 14,394
  8. Maruadih Railway Settlement Township 14,298
  9. Varanasi Cantonment 14,119
  10. Benipur CT 12,470

How people in Varanasi worked (Census 2011)

Cultivators

16.2%

Agricultural labourers

14.9%

Household industry

13.8%

Other work

55.0%

Share of all workers, main and marginal. Work participation: 33.2%.

Age structure of Varanasi

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 Varanasi
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
0-41,71,0721,53,425
5-92,23,6201,97,520
10-142,37,7322,15,451
15-192,29,8831,98,430
20-241,86,9011,59,815
25-291,45,8601,40,748
30-341,25,1061,27,353
35-391,20,8621,18,409
40-441,02,24394,341
45-4986,56881,188
50-5470,54260,827
55-5953,68354,456
60-6453,58450,422
65-6939,01635,745
70-7428,65124,591
75-7913,39412,229
80+17,60116,808
Children (0–14)
32.9%
Uttar Pradesh 36.0%
Working age (15–59)
59.1%
Uttar Pradesh 56.2%
Older people (60+)
8.0%
Uttar Pradesh 7.8%
Median age
22.8years
Uttar Pradesh 21.4
Dependency ratio
61.3
children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64
Uttar Pradesh 69.2

Languages spoken in Varanasi

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 44 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Languages spoken in Varanasi
  1. Hindi 95.9%
  2. Urdu 3.2%
  3. Bengali 0.4%
  4. Gujarati 0.1%
  5. Sindhi 0.1%
  6. Punjabi 0.1%
  7. Nepali 0.1%
  8. Marathi 0.0%
  9. All other languages 0.2%

Largest mother tongues

  1. Hindi76.2%
  2. Bhojpuri19.7%
  3. Urdu3.2%
  4. Bengali0.4%
  5. Gujarati0.1%
  6. Sindhi0.1%
  7. Punjabi0.1%
  8. Nepali0.1%

Housing and amenities in Varanasi

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

Basic services

  • Electricity for lighting 62.0%

    Uttar Pradesh 36.9%

  • Tap water 34.7%

    Uttar Pradesh 27.3%

  • Water source within premises 51.4%

    Uttar Pradesh 51.9%

  • Toilet within premises 54.5%

    Uttar Pradesh 35.7%

  • Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 43.8%

    Uttar Pradesh 62.9%

  • Bathing area within premises 55.7%

    Uttar Pradesh 55.2%

  • Closed drainage 41.5%

    Uttar Pradesh 13.0%

  • Cooking with LPG/PNG 37.3%

    Uttar Pradesh 19.0%

  • Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 59.0%

    Uttar Pradesh 79.4%

What households own

  • Mobile phone 69.1%

    Uttar Pradesh 63.6%

  • Television 57.2%

    Uttar Pradesh 33.3%

  • Scooter or motorcycle 29.1%

    Uttar Pradesh 19.7%

  • Computer or laptop 10.6%

    Uttar Pradesh 8.1%

  • Car, jeep or van 4.5%

    Uttar Pradesh 3.8%

  • Use banking services 74.5%

    Uttar Pradesh 72.0%

  • None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 6.0%

    Uttar Pradesh 11.3%

The home itself

  • Own their home 92.3%

    Uttar Pradesh 94.7%

  • Rent their home 6.3%

    Uttar Pradesh 4.1%

  • Permanent (pucca) house 77.0%

    Uttar Pradesh 64.9%

  • House in good condition 52.3%

    Uttar Pradesh 42.9%

  • Concrete roof 18.4%

    Uttar Pradesh 17.6%

  • Cement or tiled floor 43.6%

    Uttar Pradesh 22.9%

  • One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 28.5%

    Uttar Pradesh 36.3%

Uttar Pradesh

What the numbers say

  • Varanasi district held 1.8% of Uttar Pradesh's population in 2011, 13th of 75 districts.
  • Literacy is 75.6%, 7.9 points above the Uttar Pradesh average of 67.7%.
  • The gender gap in literacy is wide: 83.8% of men but only 66.7% of women could read and write in 2011.
  • The child sex ratio was just 885 girls per 1,000 boys aged 0–6, among the more skewed in India (national: 918).
  • 43.4% of residents lived in towns in 2011, more urban than Uttar Pradesh as a whole (22.3%).
  • The population grew 17.2% in 2001–11, slower than Uttar Pradesh's 20.2%.
  • Our 2026 estimate, ≈43.77 lakh, implies growth of about 19% since 2011; it is tied to the official Uttar Pradesh projection.
  • Its largest town, Varanasi, had 11.98 lakh people in 2011, 32.6% of the district.

Compare with

All districts of Uttar Pradesh →

Census 2027 status

Results pending

  1. Phase I: houselisting

    Done (22 May 2026 – 20 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 Varanasi, they will appear on this page, at this address. Census 2027 explained →

Population by religion in Varanasi (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 Varanasi (Census 2011)
ReligionPersonsShareUttar Pradesh
Hindu 31,07,681 84.5% 79.7%
Muslim 5,46,987 14.9% 19.3%
Christian 7,696 0.2% 0.2%
Sikh 3,309 0.1% 0.3%
Buddhist 1,146 0.0% 0.1%
Jain 1,898 0.1% 0.1%
Other religions and persuasions 298 0.0% 0.0%
Religion not stated 7,826 0.2% 0.3%
Total36,76,841100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Varanasi district in 2026?
Our estimate for 1 March 2026 is ≈43,77,000 (43.77 lakh). It is not an official figure: it applies Varanasi's 2001–2011 trend, damped, to the official Uttar Pradesh projection (method M1). Census 2011 counted 36,76,841.

What was the population of Varanasi district in Census 2011?
36,76,841: 19,21,857 males and 17,54,984 females, of whom 15,97,051 lived in towns and 20,79,790 in villages.

What is the literacy rate and sex ratio of Varanasi?
Literacy was 75.6% in 2011 (men 83.8%, women 66.7%). The sex ratio was 913 females per 1,000 males, and 885 among children aged 0–6.

Which is the largest town in Varanasi district?
Varanasi, with 11,98,491 people in Census 2011.

How many villages and towns are in Varanasi district?
On today's boundaries the district contains 1,295 Census 2011 villages and 39 towns.

⤓ Download Uttar Pradesh district data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: · Report a correction