Madurai

District in Tamil Nadu

PopulationCensus 2011, the latest complete count; Census 2027 results are expected from 2028
30.4 Lakh
State: 6.9 Crore
Area
3,779 km²
2.9% of state
Literacy RateCensus 2011: literates as a share of people aged 7 and above
83.5%
State: 79.7%
Sex RatioCensus 2011: females per 1,000 males
990
State: 997
DensityCensus 2011 population per km²
804 /km²
State: 534 /km²
Population RankBy Census 2011 population
4th of 38
In Tamil Nadu

Credit Growth (5-Year) in Madurai: 118.5%, 13th highest of 32 districts in Tamil Nadu

MSME Density in Madurai: 58.8 per 1,000 people, 15th highest of 38 districts in Tamil Nadu

Women Literacy in Madurai: 83.9%, 15th highest of 32 districts in Tamil Nadu

Health Insurance in Madurai: 45.1%, lowest of 38 districts in Tamil Nadu

60%85%110%140%200%+No data
RBI Bank Credit (BSR-1) · 2026
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5204080150+No data
Udyam Registration (MSME) · 2026
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40%55%65%80%90%+No data
National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) · 2019–21
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5%20%40%60%85%+No data
National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) · 2023–24
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Madurai is a district in Tamil Nadu with a population of 30.4 Lakh (Census 2011) spread across 3,779 sq km. Its literacy rate of 83.5% is above the state average of 79.7% and above the national average of 72.9%. The district has a sex ratio of 990 females per 1,000 males, below the state average of 997.


Demographics

IndicatorDistrictState AvgNational
Population Density804 /km²▲534 /km²366 /km²
Sex Ratio990▼997943
Literacy Rate83.5%▲79.7%72.9%
SC Population13.5%▼20.2%16.6%
ST Population0.4%▼1.1%8.7%
Worker Participation44.6%▼45.8%39.8%

What changed in Madurai, 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

IndicatorDistrictState AvgNational
Female Work Gap15th highest of 3829.2 pts▲27.0 pts27.9 pts

Economy & Infrastructure

IndicatorDistrictState AvgNational
MSME Density15th highest of 3858.8 per 1k pop▼61.7 per 1k pop39.8 per 1k pop
Total MSMEs5th highest of 381.8 Lakh▲1.1 Lakh61.7k
Women Internet Use26th highest of 3854.5%was 46.9%▼60.0%64.4%

Governance

IndicatorDistrictState AvgNational
Pending Cases11th highest of 372620 per lakh▲2436 per lakh4025 per lakh

Safety & Crime

IndicatorDistrictState AvgNational
Child Abuse (POCSO)5th highest of 3710.4 per lakh▲7.0 per lakh5.3 per lakh
Cyber Crime (IT Act cases)Highest of 336.4 per lakh▲2.2 per lakh2.7 per lakh

Climate Vulnerability

IndicatorDistrictState AvgNational
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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the population of Madurai district?

Madurai has a population of 30.4 Lakh according to the Census 2011, with a density of 804 people per sq km across 3,779 sq km.

What is the population of Madurai in 2026?

There is no official count or district estimate after 2011. The latest figure is the Census 2011 count of 30.4 Lakh. Census 2027 enumeration takes place in February 2027, with results expected from 2028.

What is the literacy rate of Madurai?

Madurai has a literacy rate of 83.5% (Census 2011), which is above the Tamil Nadu average of 79.7% and above the national average of 72.9%.

How does Madurai compare to Tamil Nadu?

Madurai is the 4th most populous of 38 districts in Tamil Nadu. Its sex ratio of 990 females per 1,000 males is below the state average of 997 (Census 2011).

How many children in Madurai are stunted or underweight?

In Madurai, 18.0% of children under 5 are stunted, 22.4% wasted and 30.8% 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 Madurai have health insurance?

45.1% of households in Madurai have at least one member covered by a health insurance or financing scheme (NFHS-6, 2023–24, provisional), down from 66.3% in 2019–21. The Tamil Nadu average is 61.9% and India's 58.1%.

What changed in Madurai between NFHS-5 and NFHS-6?

Between NFHS-5 (2019–21) and NFHS-6 (2023–24), Madurai improved most in pre-school attendance (36% to 67%), child stunting (32% to 18%), women internet use (47% to 55%), and got worse in 4+ antenatal visits (90% to 51%), health insurance (66% to 45%), child wasting (10% to 22%). Changes under 5 percentage points are not counted.

What data sources are used for Madurai?

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.