Namakkal

District in Tamil Nadu

PopulationCensus 2011, the latest complete count; Census 2027 results are expected from 2028
17.3 Lakh
State: 6.9 Crore
Area
3,446 km²
2.6% of state
Literacy RateCensus 2011: literates as a share of people aged 7 and above
74.6%
State: 79.7%
Sex RatioCensus 2011: females per 1,000 males
986
State: 997
DensityCensus 2011 population per km²
501 /km²
State: 534 /km²
Population RankBy Census 2011 population
18th of 38
In Tamil Nadu

Credit Growth (5-Year) in Namakkal: 107.4%, 18th highest of 32 districts in Tamil Nadu

MSME Density in Namakkal: 60.5 per 1,000 people, 12th highest of 38 districts in Tamil Nadu

Women Literacy in Namakkal: 87.7%, 8th highest of 32 districts in Tamil Nadu

Health Insurance in Namakkal: 67.3%, 13th highest 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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Namakkal is a district in Tamil Nadu with a population of 17.3 Lakh (Census 2011) spread across 3,446 sq km. Its literacy rate of 74.6% is below the state average of 79.7% and above the national average of 72.9%. The district has a sex ratio of 986 females per 1,000 males, below the state average of 997.


Demographics

IndicatorDistrictState AvgNational
Population Density501 /km²▼534 /km²366 /km²
Sex Ratio986▼997943
Literacy Rate74.6%▼79.7%72.9%
SC Population20.0%▼20.2%16.6%
ST Population3.3%▲1.1%8.7%
Worker Participation52.0%▲45.8%39.8%

What changed in Namakkal, 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
Teen Pregnancy3rd lowest of 371.0%was 6.5%▼4.1%6.5%
Female Work Gap6th lowest of 3818.4 pts▼27.0 pts27.9 pts

Economy & Infrastructure

IndicatorDistrictState AvgNational
MSME Density12th highest of 3860.5 per 1k pop▼61.7 per 1k pop39.8 per 1k pop
Total MSMEs17th highest of 381 Lakh▼1.1 Lakh61.7k
Women Internet Use21st highest of 3859.2%was 42.1%▼60.0%64.4%

Governance

IndicatorDistrictState AvgNational
Pending Cases9th lowest of 371645 per lakh▼2436 per lakh4025 per lakh

Safety & Crime

IndicatorDistrictState AvgNational
Child Abuse (POCSO)20th highest of 377.0 per lakh—7.0 per lakh5.3 per lakh
Cyber Crime (IT Act cases)17th highest of 332.0 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 Namakkal district?

Namakkal has a population of 17.3 Lakh according to the Census 2011, with a density of 501 people per sq km across 3,446 sq km.

What is the population of Namakkal in 2026?

There is no official count or district estimate after 2011. The latest figure is the Census 2011 count of 17.3 Lakh. Census 2027 enumeration takes place in February 2027, with results expected from 2028.

What is the literacy rate of Namakkal?

Namakkal has a literacy rate of 74.6% (Census 2011), which is below the Tamil Nadu average of 79.7% and above the national average of 72.9%.

How does Namakkal compare to Tamil Nadu?

Namakkal is the 18th most populous of 38 districts in Tamil Nadu. Its sex ratio of 986 females per 1,000 males is below the state average of 997 (Census 2011).

How many children in Namakkal are stunted or underweight?

In Namakkal, 16.5% of children under 5 are stunted, 17.4% wasted and 15.6% 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 Namakkal have health insurance?

67.3% of households in Namakkal have at least one member covered by a health insurance or financing scheme (NFHS-6, 2023–24, provisional), down from 68.8% in 2019–21. The Tamil Nadu average is 61.9% and India's 58.1%.

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

Between NFHS-5 (2019–21) and NFHS-6 (2023–24), Namakkal improved most in women internet use (42% to 59%), child stunting (25% to 17%), women owning a mobile phone (77% to 84%), and got worse in child wasting (10% to 17%), male diabetes (24% to 31%). Changes under 5 percentage points are not counted.

What data sources are used for Namakkal?

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.