Punjab
District-Level Data & Statistics
- PopulationCensus 2011, the latest complete count; Census 2027 results are expected from 2028
- 2.8 Crore
- 2.3% of India
- Projected 2026: 3.1 CroreOfficial projection for 1 March 2026, not a count: Technical Group on Population Projections, National Commission on Population, MoHFW (2020)
- Districts
- 23
- Avg 12.1 Lakh each
- AreaDensity uses the Census 2011 population
- 50,362 km²
- 551 people /km²
- Literacy RateCensus 2011: literates as a share of people aged 7 and above
- 75.8%
- India: 72.9%
- Sex RatioCensus 2011: females per 1,000 males
- 895
- India: 943
- RankBy Census 2011 population
- 16th
- of 36 by population
Punjab is India's 16th most populous state with a population of 2.8 Crore (Census 2011) spread across 23 districts covering 50,362 sq km. The state's literacy rate stands at 75.8%, above the national average of 72.9%. With a sex ratio of 895 females per 1,000 males, it is below the national figure of 943.
Credit Growth (5-Year) in Punjab · district average 71.1%, 33rd of 36 states
MSME Density in Punjab · population-weighted average 60.4 per 1,000 people, 5th of 36 states
Women Literacy in Punjab · population-weighted average 79.5%, 17th of 36 states
Health Insurance in Punjab · population-weighted average 49.7%, 26th of 34 states
Demographics
What changed in Punjab, 2019–21 to 2023–24
NFHS-5 → NFHS-6, changes of 5 points or more. Same districts in both rounds.
Health & Development
NFHS-6 (2023–24, provisional)
State and National are population-weighted averages of districts, not official NFHS figures.
Women & Gender
Economy & Infrastructure
Governance
Safety & Crime
Climate Vulnerability
Punjab districts ranked
Population (Census 2011)
- 1Maler Kotla 4.3 Lakh
- 2Barnala 6 Lakh
- 3Fatehgarh Sahib 6 Lakh
- 4Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar 6.1 Lakh
- 5Faridkot 6.2 Lakh
Population Density (per km²)
- 1Ludhiana 972
- 2Amritsar 950
- 3Sas Nagar (sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar) 934
- 4Jalandhar 851
- 5Pathankot 725
- 1Sri Muktsar Sahib 351
- 2Firozpur 357
- 3Mansa 365
- 4Bathinda 422
- 5Barnala 429
Literacy Rate
- 1Pathankot 84.6%
- 2Hoshiarpur 84.6%
- 3Sas Nagar (sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar) 83.8%
- 4Jalandhar 82.5%
- 5Ludhiana 82.2%
- 1Mansa 61.8%
- 2Sri Muktsar Sahib 65.8%
- 3Sangrur 66.4%
- 4Tarn Taran 67.8%
- 5Barnala 67.8%
Sex Ratio (females per 1,000 males)
- 1Hoshiarpur 961
- 2Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar 954
- 3Jalandhar 915
- 4Rupnagar 915
- 5Kapurthala 912
- 1Bathinda 868
- 2Pathankot 869
- 3Fatehgarh Sahib 871
- 4Ludhiana 873
- 5Barnala 876
Underweight Children
- 1Amritsar 31.7%
- 2Sri Muktsar Sahib 30.7%
- 3Fazilka 27.6%
- 4Mansa 27.3%
- 5Firozpur 25.9%
- 1Sangrur 13.4%
- 2Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar 17.4%
- 3Fatehgarh Sahib 17.6%
- 4Barnala 18.2%
- 5Patiala 18.7%
Electricity Access
- 1Firozpur 100.0%
- 2Barnala 100.0%
- 3Gurdaspur 100.0%
- 4Ludhiana 99.9%
- 5Sas Nagar (sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar) 99.9%
- 1Rupnagar 97.4%
- 2Fazilka 99.3%
- 3Faridkot 99.5%
- 4Mansa 99.5%
- 5Hoshiarpur 99.6%
Small Business Density
- 1Maler Kotla 160.6
- 2Sas Nagar (sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar) 124.3
- 3Ludhiana 82.2
- 4Jalandhar 71.2
- 5Patiala 66.0
- 1Tarn Taran 34.3
- 2Fazilka 36.5
- 3Gurdaspur 38.0
- 4Pathankot 38.5
- 5Mansa 41.3
All Districts
23 districts| District | Population (2011) | Literacy % | Sex Ratio | Density /km² |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ludhiana | 34,98,739 | 82.2% | 873 | 972 |
| Amritsar | 24,90,656 | 76.3% | 889 | 950 |
| Jalandhar | 21,93,590 | 82.5% | 915 | 851 |
| Patiala | 18,95,686 | 75.3% | 891 | 587 |
| Gurdaspur | 16,21,725 | 78.0% | 907 | 635 |
| Hoshiarpur | 15,86,625 | 84.6% | 961 | 479 |
| Bathinda | 13,88,525 | 68.3% | 868 | 422 |
| Sangrur | 12,25,415 | 66.4% | 881 | 431 |
| Fazilka | 12,03,445 | 68.5% | 896 | 430 |
| Tarn Taran | 11,19,627 | 67.8% | 900 | 474 |
| Moga | 9,95,746 | 70.7% | 893 | 454 |
| Sas Nagar (sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar) | 9,94,628 | 83.8% | 879 | 934 |
| Sri Muktsar Sahib | 9,01,896 | 65.8% | 896 | 351 |
| Firozpur | 8,25,629 | 69.5% | 889 | 357 |
| Kapurthala | 8,15,168 | 79.1% | 912 | 511 |
| Mansa | 7,69,751 | 61.8% | 883 | 365 |
| Rupnagar | 6,84,627 | 82.2% | 915 | 510 |
| Pathankot | 6,76,598 | 84.6% | 869 | 725 |
| Faridkot | 6,17,508 | 69.6% | 890 | 434 |
| Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar | 6,12,310 | 79.8% | 954 | 496 |
| Fatehgarh Sahib | 6,00,163 | 79.4% | 871 | 535 |
| Barnala | 5,95,527 | 67.8% | 876 | 429 |
| Maler Kotla | 4,29,754 | 72.6% | 896 | 647 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Punjab in crore?
Punjab has a population of 2.8 Crore (2,77,43,338) according to the Census 2011, making it India's 16th most populous state, across 23 districts.
What is the total area of Punjab in sq km?
Punjab covers a total area of 50,362 sq km, divided into 23 districts.
What is the literacy rate of Punjab?
Punjab's literacy rate is 75.8% (Census 2011), above the national average of 72.9%. Pathankot has the highest literacy rate (84.6%) and Mansa the lowest (61.8%). Female literacy is lowest in Mansa (55.7%).
What is the population density of Punjab?
Punjab has 551 people per sq km, against a national average of 366. Ludhiana has the highest population density and Sri Muktsar Sahib the lowest.
What is the sex ratio of Punjab?
Punjab has a sex ratio of 895 females per 1,000 males, below the national average of 943. Hoshiarpur has the highest sex ratio (961) and Bathinda the lowest (868).
Which district of Punjab has the highest and lowest population?
Ludhiana has the highest population in Punjab (35 Lakh) and Maler Kotla the lowest (4.3 Lakh), per the Census 2011.
Which is the largest district of Punjab by area?
Ludhiana is the largest district of Punjab by area, and Maler Kotla the smallest.
How many children in Punjab are stunted or underweight?
In Punjab, 20.5% of children under 5 are stunted, 18.1% wasted and 23.8% underweight (NFHS-6, 2023–24, provisional). Stunting compares with an India average of 28.0%.
How many households in Punjab have health insurance?
49.7% of households in Punjab have at least one member covered by a health insurance or financing scheme (NFHS-6, 2023–24, provisional). The India average is 58.1%.
What changed in Punjab between NFHS-5 and NFHS-6?
Between NFHS-5 (2019–21) and NFHS-6 (2023–24), Punjab improved most in health insurance (25% to 52%), women internet use (53% to 75%), pre-school attendance (41% to 58%), and got worse in male diabetes (14% to 22%), child wasting (11% to 17%), women diabetes (15% to 21%). Changes under 5 percentage points are not counted.
Is there newer population data for Punjab than the Census 2011?
Not yet. The Census 2011 is the latest complete count. Census 2027 is under way: the population count uses a reference date of 1 March 2027, with provisional results expected by late 2028. Until then, the official projection for Punjab on 1 March 2026 is 3.1 Crore (Technical Group on Population Projections, National Commission on Population, MoHFW, 2020); it is a projection, not a count. Census 2027 timeline
Data Sources
Each indicator keeps its own source and vintage. How they are crosswalked onto one district geography is on the methodology page, with the per-source limits on the caveats page.