Chennai
District in Tamil Nadu
Credit Growth (5-Year) in Chennai: 80.2%, 8th lowest of 32 districts in Tamil Nadu
MSME Density in Chennai: 97.2 per 1,000 people, 2nd highest of 38 districts in Tamil Nadu
Women Literacy in Chennai: 94.8%, 2nd highest of 32 districts in Tamil Nadu
Health Insurance in Chennai: 64.8%, 16th highest of 38 districts in Tamil Nadu
Chennai is a district in Tamil Nadu with a population of 46.5 Lakh (Census 2011) spread across 427 sq km. Its literacy rate of 90.2% is above the state average of 79.7% and above the national average of 72.9%. The district has a sex ratio of 989 females per 1,000 males, below the state average of 997. Some values for this district are estimates: area-proportional, or copied from the district it was carved from.
Demographics
What changed in Chennai, 2019–21 to 2023–24
NFHS-5 → NFHS-6, changes of 5 points or more.
Health & Development
NFHS-6 (2023–24, provisional) · “was”: the 2019–21 value, where it moved 5 points or more
State Avg and National are population-weighted averages, not official NFHS figures. “Was” is NFHS-5 as reprinted on the NFHS-6 sheet, which can differ from the NFHS-5 layer. Small districts can swing on sampling noise.
Women & Gender
Economy & Infrastructure
Governance
Safety & Crime
More Indicators
| Indicator | District | State Avg | National Avg | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women 10+ Yr Schooling | 76.5% | 63.8% | 46.7% | National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) (2023–24) |
| Male Tobacco Use | 7.7% | 17.8% | 37.0% | National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) (2023–24) |
| Menstrual Hygiene | 98.5% | 97.6% | 81.2% | National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) (2023–24) |
| Child Sex Ratio (0–6) | 950 | 944 | 926 | Census 2011 (2011) |
| Average Holding Size | — | 0.8 | 1.4 | Agricultural Census 2015-16 (2015–16) |
| Marginal Farmers (%) | — | 74.6% | 66.3% | Agricultural Census 2015-16 (2015–16) |
| MGNREGA Days per Household | — | 50.4 | 43.4 | Climate Vulnerability Index (2021) |
| Women's Court Cases | 10.2 | 12.0 | 9.2 | National Judicial Data Grid (2024) |
| Banking | 998 | 143 | 81.1 | Town Amenities Census 2011 (2011) |
| Explore all indicators for Chennai on the live map → | ||||
More Districts in Tamil Nadu
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Chennai district?
Chennai has a population of 46.5 Lakh according to the Census 2011, with a density of 10,879 people per sq km across 427 sq km.
What is the population of Chennai in 2026?
There is no official count or district estimate after 2011. The latest figure is the Census 2011 count of 46.5 Lakh. Census 2027 enumeration takes place in February 2027, with results expected from 2028.
What is the literacy rate of Chennai?
Chennai has a literacy rate of 90.2% (Census 2011), which is above the Tamil Nadu average of 79.7% and above the national average of 72.9%.
How does Chennai compare to Tamil Nadu?
Chennai is the 1st most populous of 38 districts in Tamil Nadu. Its sex ratio of 989 females per 1,000 males is below the state average of 997 (Census 2011).
How many children in Chennai are stunted or underweight?
In Chennai, 17.5% of children under 5 are stunted, 16.5% wasted and 20.8% underweight (NFHS-6, 2023–24, provisional). Stunting compares with a Tamil Nadu average of 20.7% and an India average of 28.0%.
How many households in Chennai have health insurance?
64.8% of households in Chennai have at least one member covered by a health insurance or financing scheme (NFHS-6, 2023–24, provisional), up from 58.2% in 2019–21. The Tamil Nadu average is 61.9% and India's 58.1%.
What changed in Chennai between NFHS-5 and NFHS-6?
Between NFHS-5 (2019–21) and NFHS-6 (2023–24), Chennai improved most in pre-school attendance (38% to 63%), 4+ antenatal visits (90% to 98%), women internet use (71% to 79%), and got worse in male diabetes (22% to 29%), child marriage (2% to 7%). Changes under 5 percentage points are not counted.
What data sources are used for Chennai?
Data comes from Census 2011, NFHS-5 (2019–21), NFHS-6 (2023–24), NJDG (2024), Udyam/MSME (2026), NCRB SLL (2022), CVI (2021), Ag Census 2015–16, RBI BSR (2026), and other official sources.
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.