Thanjavur

District in Tamil Nadu

PopulationCensus 2011, the latest complete count; Census 2027 results are expected from 2028
24.1 Lakh
State: 6.9 Crore
Area
3,456 km²
2.6% of state
Literacy RateCensus 2011: literates as a share of people aged 7 and above
82.6%
State: 79.7%
Sex RatioCensus 2011: females per 1,000 males
1,035
State: 997
DensityCensus 2011 population per km²
696 /km²
State: 534 /km²
Population RankBy Census 2011 population
9th of 38
In Tamil Nadu

Credit Growth (5-Year) in Thanjavur: 112.8%, 15th highest of 32 districts in Tamil Nadu

MSME Density in Thanjavur: 47.6 per 1,000 people, 27th highest of 38 districts in Tamil Nadu

Women Literacy in Thanjavur: 83.8%, 16th highest of 32 districts in Tamil Nadu

Health Insurance in Thanjavur: 60.6%, 25th 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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Thanjavur is a district in Tamil Nadu with a population of 24.1 Lakh (Census 2011) spread across 3,456 sq km. Its literacy rate of 82.6% is above the state average of 79.7% and above the national average of 72.9%. The district has a sex ratio of 1,035 females per 1,000 males, above the state average of 997.


Demographics

IndicatorDistrictState AvgNational
Population Density696 /km²▲534 /km²366 /km²
Sex Ratio1,035▲997943
Literacy Rate82.6%▲79.7%72.9%
SC Population18.9%▼20.2%16.6%
ST Population0.1%▼1.1%8.7%
Worker Participation40.5%▼45.8%39.8%

What changed in Thanjavur, 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 Literacy Gap9th lowest of 3812.5 pts▼13.6 pts16.5 pts
Female Work Gap4th highest of 3833.6 pts▲27.0 pts27.9 pts

Economy & Infrastructure

IndicatorDistrictState AvgNational
MSME Density27th highest of 3847.6 per 1k pop▼61.7 per 1k pop39.8 per 1k pop
Total MSMEs13th highest of 381.1 Lakh—1.1 Lakh61.7k
Women Internet Use5th highest of 3868.2%was 44.8%▲60.0%64.4%

Governance

IndicatorDistrictState AvgNational
Pending Cases28th highest of 371698 per lakh▼2436 per lakh4025 per lakh

Safety & Crime

IndicatorDistrictState AvgNational
Child Abuse (POCSO)24th highest of 376.1 per lakh▼7.0 per lakh5.3 per lakh
Cyber Crime (IT Act cases)13th highest of 332.4 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 Thanjavur district?

Thanjavur has a population of 24.1 Lakh according to the Census 2011, with a density of 696 people per sq km across 3,456 sq km.

What is the population of Thanjavur in 2026?

There is no official count or district estimate after 2011. The latest figure is the Census 2011 count of 24.1 Lakh. Census 2027 enumeration takes place in February 2027, with results expected from 2028.

What is the literacy rate of Thanjavur?

Thanjavur has a literacy rate of 82.6% (Census 2011), which is above the Tamil Nadu average of 79.7% and above the national average of 72.9%.

How does Thanjavur compare to Tamil Nadu?

Thanjavur is the 9th most populous of 38 districts in Tamil Nadu. Its sex ratio of 1,035 females per 1,000 males is above the state average of 997 (Census 2011).

How many children in Thanjavur are stunted or underweight?

In Thanjavur, 20.3% of children under 5 are stunted, 15.6% wasted and 21.1% 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 Thanjavur have health insurance?

60.6% of households in Thanjavur have at least one member covered by a health insurance or financing scheme (NFHS-6, 2023–24, provisional), down from 70.6% in 2019–21. The Tamil Nadu average is 61.9% and India's 58.1%.

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

Between NFHS-5 (2019–21) and NFHS-6 (2023–24), Thanjavur improved most in women internet use (45% to 68%), pre-school attendance (46% to 65%), women 10+ year schooling (54% to 68%), and got worse in health insurance (71% to 61%), child wasting (8% to 16%), 4+ antenatal visits (94% to 88%). Changes under 5 percentage points are not counted.

What data sources are used for Thanjavur?

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.