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State · Capital: Kolkata

West Bengal Population 2026

Population · 1 March 2026

10.05 crore Official projection RGI Technical Group on Population Projections (2020), as on 1 March 1 March 2026 How this is made →

10,05,22,000 100.52 million 1 March 2026

West Bengal's population is projected at 10.05 crore (10,05,22,000) on 1 March 2026, according to the RGI Technical Group's official projection. Census 2011, the last count, recorded 9,12,76,115.

RGI Technical Group on Population Projections (2020), as on 1 March

Key figures

Population 2026
10.05 crore 10,05,22,000 Official projection RGI Technical Group on Population Projections (2020), as on 1 March How this is made →
Census 2011
9.13 crore 9,12,76,115 Census 2011 Final count, Census of India 2011 (ORGI) How this is made →
Density
1,028per km² 2011 · 2026: 1,133
Sex ratio
950 females per 1,000 males
Child sex ratio (0–6)
956 India 918
Literacy rate
76.3% Male 81.7% · Female 70.5%
Urban share
31.9% 2026: 38.0% (projected)
Growth 2001–11
+13.8% 2011→2026: +10.1%
Area
88,752km²
Households
2.04 crore 4.5 people per household
Work participation
38.1% 2011
Children 0–6
1.06 crore 11.6%

Where it ranks

Population over time

Census counts 1951–2011, then the official projection to 2036.

West Bengal: Population over time
  • Census
  • Official projection
10 cr 2026
› Show the numbers as a table
YearPopulation
19512,62,99,980
19613,49,26,279
19714,43,12,011
19815,45,80,647
19916,80,77,965
20018,01,76,197
20119,12,76,115
2016 *9,50,79,000
2021 *9,81,25,000
2026 *10,05,22,000
2031 *10,21,67,000
2036 *10,29,31,000

* Official projection

Districts (23)

All 23 districts of West Bengal →
All 23 districts of West Bengal
#
1 North 24 Parganas≈ 1.09 crore1,00,09,78195584.1%
2 South 24 Parganas≈ 92.31 lakh81,61,96195677.5%
3 Murshidabad≈ 81.83 lakh71,03,80795866.6%
4 Hooghly≈ 58.92 lakh55,17,73496181.8%
5 Nadia≈ 56.24 lakh51,69,01194775.0%
6 Purba Medinipur≈ 56.6 lakh50,95,87593887.0%
7 Howrah≈ 53.22 lakh48,50,02993983.3%
8 Paschim Medinipur≈ 53.22 lakh48,38,62196479.8%
9 Purba Bardhaman≈ 52.51 lakh48,35,53295874.8%
10 Kolkata≈ 44.31 lakh44,96,69490886.3%
11 Malda≈ 45.99 lakh39,88,84594461.7%
12 Bankura≈ 39.25 lakh35,96,67495770.3%

* 2026 figures are our estimates (method M1), tied to the official West Bengal projection. 4 districts created after 2011 are shown with figures rebuilt on today’s boundaries.

Largest cities in West Bengal

All large cities of West Bengal →

  • Kolkata

    City (2011): 44,96,694

    Metro (2011): 1,40,57,991

  • Howrah

    City (2011): 10,77,075

    Metro (2011): 1,40,57,991

  • Durgapur

    City (2011): 5,66,517

    Metro (2011): 5,80,990

  • Asansol

    City (2011): 5,63,917

    Metro (2011): 12,43,414

  • Siliguri

    City (2011): 5,13,264

  • Maheshtala

    City (2011): 4,48,317

    Metro (2011): 1,40,57,991

  • Rajpur Sonarpur

    City (2011): 4,24,368

    Metro (2011): 1,40,57,991

  • South Dum Dum

    City (2011): 4,03,316

    Metro (2011): 1,40,57,991

Births, deaths and fertility

Birth rate
14.0 (18.4)
per 1,000 people
Death rate
5.7 (6.4)
per 1,000 people
Infant mortality
17 (25)
per 1,000 live births
Fertility rate (TFR)
1.3 (1.9)
children per woman
Sex ratio at birth
931 (917)
females per 1,000 males

SRS 2023 Sample Registration System Statistical Report 2023 (ORGI) How this is made → Sample Registration System 2023. India in brackets.

Age structure of West Bengal

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 West Bengal
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
0-437,43,86235,89,281
5-942,16,76340,31,046
10-1446,77,50644,79,017
15-1947,02,32543,55,706
20-2444,22,63043,35,692
25-2940,44,90439,53,005
30-3434,64,65933,76,931
35-3935,23,36134,89,285
40-4432,19,60429,33,456
45-4928,14,21225,21,507
50-5423,17,23219,40,648
55-5917,46,90315,21,747
60-6414,06,40113,39,053
65-699,91,2809,91,713
70-746,86,8817,03,726
75-793,60,2163,79,551
80+4,06,5364,77,025
Children (0–14)
27.1%
India 30.9%
Working age (15–59)
64.4%
India 60.5%
Older people (60+)
8.5%
India 8.6%
Median age
26.9years
India 24.9
Dependency ratio
48.4
children and 65+ per 100 aged 15–64
India 57.1

Languages spoken in West Bengal

Share of people by mother tongue, grouped into languages as the Census does. 113 languages recorded. Census 2011 Census 2011, as published. How this is made →

Languages spoken in West Bengal
  1. Bengali 86.2%
  2. Hindi 7.0%
  3. Santali 2.7%
  4. Urdu 1.8%
  5. Nepali 1.3%
  6. Kurukh/Oraon 0.2%
  7. Odia 0.2%
  8. Telugu 0.1%
  9. All other languages 0.6%

Largest mother tongues

  1. Bengali85.6%
  2. Hindi5.0%
  3. Santali2.7%
  4. Urdu1.8%
  5. Nepali1.3%
  6. Sadan/Sadri0.8%
  7. Surjapuri0.4%
  8. Rajbangsi0.3%

Housing and amenities in West Bengal

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

Basic services

  • Electricity for lighting 54.7%

    India 67.4%

  • Tap water 25.6%

    India 43.7%

  • Water source within premises 38.7%

    India 46.7%

  • Toilet within premises 59.0%

    India 47.1%

  • Open defecation (no latrine) (Lower is better for this one.) 38.5%

    India 49.6%

  • Bathing area within premises 36.1%

    India 58.6%

  • Closed drainage 9.4%

    India 18.3%

  • Cooking with LPG/PNG 18.2%

    India 28.7%

  • Cooking with wood, crop waste or dung (Lower is better for this one.) 68.4%

    India 65.6%

What households own

  • Mobile phone 47.1%

    India 59.3%

  • Television 35.5%

    India 47.3%

  • Scooter or motorcycle 8.6%

    India 21.1%

  • Computer or laptop 8.4%

    India 9.5%

  • Car, jeep or van 2.3%

    India 4.7%

  • Use banking services 48.9%

    India 58.8%

  • None of the listed assets (Lower is better for this one.) 22.7%

    India 17.8%

The home itself

  • Own their home 89.2%

    India 86.5%

  • Rent their home 7.4%

    India 11.1%

  • Permanent (pucca) house 50.7%

    India 62.0%

  • House in good condition 41.0%

    India 53.2%

  • Concrete roof 25.7%

    India 29.1%

  • Cement or tiled floor 37.6%

    India 42.1%

  • One room or less (Lower is better for this one.) 55.7%

    India 41.0%

India

Per capita income of West Bengal

Per capita Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) at current prices, the standard measure of state per capita income. NSO National Statistical Office (MoSPI), compiled in the RBI Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25 How this is made →

Per capita income 2024-25
₹1,63,467
#24 of 33 States/UTs in 2023-24
Real growth, latest year (2024-25)
+6.2%
per capita, constant 2011-12 prices
Average real growth a year since 2011-12 (13 years)
+3.7%
GSDP 2024-25
₹18.2 lakh crore
Gross State Domestic Product, current prices
Per capita income of West Bengal
› Show the numbers as a table
YearCurrent prices (₹)Constant 2011-12 prices (₹)
2011-1251,54351,543
2012-1358,19553,157
2013-1465,93253,811
2014-1568,87654,520
2015-1675,99257,255
2016-1782,29160,618
2017-1891,40164,007
2018-191,03,92068,195
2019-201,10,31669,548
2020-211,05,10862,852
2021-221,22,88370,100
2022-231,37,90973,793
2023-241,49,51577,933
2024-251,63,46782,781

Median State/UT 2023-24: ₹2,34,721. Financial years (April–March). Latest years are advance or quick estimates and get revised.

What the numbers say

  • West Bengal is home to 7.06% of India's people and is the 4th most populous of the 36 States and Union Territories.
  • The official projection has West Bengal growing 10.1% between Census 2011 and 1 March 2026, slower than India's 17.6%.
  • Literacy in 2011 was 76.3%, 3.3 points above the national rate of 73.0%.
  • There were 950 females for every 1,000 males in 2011 (India: 943).
  • 31.9% of people lived in towns in 2011; the official projection puts the urban share at 38.0% in 2026.
  • A woman in West Bengal has 1.3 children on average (SRS 2023), below the replacement level of 2.1.
  • North 24 Parganas is the most populous district, with 1 crore people in 2011 (11.0% of the state).
  • At 1028 people per km² in 2011, West Bengal is 2.7 times as crowded as India as a whole (382).

Compare with

Census 2027 status

Results pending

  1. Phase I: houselisting

    Done (16 August 2026 – 14 September 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 West Bengal, they will appear on this page, at this address. Census 2027 explained →

Population by religion in West Bengal (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 West Bengal (Census 2011)
ReligionPersonsShareIndia
Hindu 6,43,85,546 70.5% 79.8%
Muslim 2,46,54,825 27.0% 14.2%
Christian 6,58,618 0.7% 2.3%
Sikh 63,523 0.1% 1.7%
Buddhist 2,82,898 0.3% 0.7%
Jain 60,141 0.1% 0.4%
Other religions and persuasions 9,42,297 1.0% 0.7%
Religion not stated 2,28,267 0.3% 0.2%
Total9,12,76,115100%

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of West Bengal in 2026?
The official projection by the RGI Technical Group puts West Bengal's population at 10,05,22,000 (10.05 crore) on 1 March 2026. No census count exists after 2011; Census 2027 results will replace this projection.

What was the population of West Bengal in Census 2011?
Census 2011 counted 9,12,76,115 people in West Bengal: 4,68,09,027 males and 4,44,67,088 females.

Which district of West Bengal has the largest population?
North 24 Parganas had the most people in 2011 (1,00,09,781). The least populous was Kalimpong (2,51,642).

What is the sex ratio and literacy rate of West Bengal?
In Census 2011 West Bengal had 950 females per 1,000 males (child sex ratio 956) and a literacy rate of 76.3% (men 81.7%, women 70.5%).

When will Census 2027 figures for West Bengal be released?
Counting of people takes place in February 2027 with a reference date of 1 March 2027. The government has not announced a release date; in 2011 provisional totals came out on 31 March 2011, about a month after counting ended. This page will switch to Census 2027 figures as soon as they are published.

⤓ Download West Bengal data (CSV)

Sources and method

Data updated: · Report a correction