India Decadal Population
Pre-Independence Censuses of India
The first modern population census in India was conducted between 1865 and 1872, though it didn't happen simultaneously across all regions
India conducted its first coordinated census in 1881
The Census of 1941 was the last Census of Pre Independence period
Post-Independence Censuses of India
After 1941 Census India got its independence in 1947
The first census of Independent India was conducted in 1951, which was the seventh census in its continuous series
The last decennial population Census of India was conducted during 9th–28th February 2011 with a revisional round during 1st -5th March, 2011
The Census 2011 was the 15th Census as reckoned from 1872 and the seventh since independence
The next Census was due in 2021 but the same was postponed due to Covid-19 pandemic
The Census Act, 1948 and the Census Rules, 1990 provide the legal framework for conduct of Census
On June 16, 2025, the Ministry of Home Affairs officially issued the notification for Census 2027
Decadal Population
Table below captures State-wise decadal population of India from 1901 till the last census, 2011
| Year | India | Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Andhra Pradesh | Arunachal Pradesh | Assam | Bihar | Chandigarh | Chhattisgarh | Dadra and Nagar Haveli | Daman and Diu | Delhi | Goa | Gujarat | Haryana | Himachal Pradesh | Jammu and Kashmir | Jharkhand | Karnataka | Kerala | Lakshadweep | Madhya Pradesh | Maharashtr | Manipur | Meghalaya | Mizoram | Nagaland | Odisha | Puducherry | Punjab | Rajasthan | Sikkim | Tamil Nadu | Tripura | Uttar Pradesh | Uttarakhand | West Bengal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1210.85 | 0.38 | 84.58 | 1.38 | 31.21 | 104.1 | 1.06 | 25.55 | 0.34 | 0.24 | 16.79 | 1.46 | 60.44 | 25.35 | 6.86 | 12.54 | 32.99 | 61.1 | 33.41 | 0.06 | 72.63 | 112.37 | 2.86 | 2.97 | 1.1 | 1.98 | 41.97 | 1.25 | 27.74 | 68.55 | 0.61 | 72.15 | 3.67 | 199.81 | 10.09 | 91.28 |
| 2001 | 1028.74 | 0.36 | 76.21 | 1.1 | 26.66 | 83 | 0.9 | 20.83 | 0.22 | 0.16 | 13.85 | 1.35 | 50.67 | 21.14 | 6.08 | 10.14 | 26.95 | 52.85 | 31.84 | 0.06 | 60.35 | 96.88 | 2.29 | 2.32 | 0.89 | 1.99 | 36.8 | 0.97 | 24.36 | 56.51 | 0.54 | 62.41 | 3.2 | 166.2 | 8.49 | 80.18 |
| 1991 | 846.42 | 0.28 | 66.51 | 0.86 | 22.41 | 64.53 | 0.64 | 17.61 | 0.14 | 0.1 | 9.42 | 1.17 | 41.31 | 16.46 | 5.17 | 7.84 | 21.84 | 44.98 | 29.1 | 0.05 | 48.57 | 78.94 | 1.84 | 1.77 | 0.69 | 1.21 | 31.66 | 0.81 | 20.28 | 44.01 | 0.41 | 55.86 | 2.76 | 132.06 | 7.05 | 68.08 |
| 1981 | 683.33 | 0.19 | 53.55 | 0.63 | 18.04 | 52.3 | 0.45 | 14.01 | 0.1 | 0.08 | 6.22 | 1.01 | 34.09 | 12.92 | 4.28 | 5.99 | 17.61 | 37.14 | 25.45 | 0.04 | 38.17 | 62.78 | 1.42 | 1.34 | 0.49 | 0.77 | 26.37 | 0.6 | 16.79 | 34.26 | 0.32 | 48.41 | 2.05 | 105.14 | 5.73 | 54.58 |
| 1971 | 548.16 | 0.12 | 43.5 | 0.47 | 14.63 | 42.13 | 0.26 | 11.64 | 0.07 | 0.06 | 4.07 | 0.8 | 26.7 | 10.04 | 3.46 | 4.62 | 14.23 | 29.3 | 21.35 | 0.03 | 30.02 | 50.41 | 1.07 | 1.01 | 0.33 | 0.52 | 21.94 | 0.47 | 13.55 | 25.77 | 0.21 | 41.2 | 1.56 | 83.85 | 4.49 | 44.31 |
| 1961 | 439.23 | 0.06 | 35.98 | 0.34 | 10.84 | 34.84 | 0.12 | 9.15 | 0.06 | 0.04 | 2.66 | 0.59 | 20.63 | 7.59 | 2.81 | 3.56 | 11.61 | 23.59 | 16.9 | 0.02 | 23.22 | 39.55 | 0.78 | 0.77 | 0.27 | 0.37 | 17.55 | 0.37 | 11.14 | 20.16 | 0.16 | 33.69 | 1.14 | 70.14 | 3.61 | 34.93 |
| 1951 | 361.09 | 0.03 | 31.12 | 0 | 8.03 | 29.09 | 0.02 | 7.46 | 0.04 | 0.05 | 1.74 | 0.55 | 16.26 | 5.67 | 2.39 | 3.25 | 9.7 | 19.4 | 13.55 | 0.02 | 18.61 | 32 | 0.58 | 0.61 | 0.2 | 0.21 | 14.65 | 0.32 | 9.16 | 15.97 | 0.14 | 30.12 | 0.64 | 60.27 | 2.95 | 26.3 |
| 1941 | 318.66 | 0.03 | 27.29 | 0 | 6.69 | 26.3 | 0.02 | 6.81 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.92 | 0.54 | 13.7 | 5.27 | 2.26 | 2.95 | 8.87 | 16.26 | 11.03 | 0.02 | 17.18 | 26.83 | 0.51 | 0.56 | 0.15 | 0.19 | 13.77 | 0.29 | 9.6 | 13.86 | 0.12 | 26.27 | 0.51 | 53.92 | 2.61 | 23.23 |
| 1931 | 278.98 | 0.03 | 24.2 | 0 | 5.56 | 23.44 | 0.02 | 6.03 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.64 | 0.51 | 11.49 | 4.56 | 2.03 | 2.67 | 7.91 | 14.63 | 9.51 | 0.02 | 15.33 | 23.96 | 0.45 | 0.48 | 0.12 | 0.18 | 12.49 | 0.26 | 8.01 | 11.75 | 0.11 | 23.47 | 0.38 | 47.48 | 2.3 | 18.9 |
| 1921 | 251.32 | 0.03 | 21.42 | 0 | 4.64 | 21.36 | 0.02 | 5.26 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.49 | 0.47 | 10.17 | 4.26 | 1.93 | 2.42 | 6.77 | 13.38 | 7.8 | 0.01 | 13.91 | 20.85 | 0.38 | 0.42 | 0.1 | 0.16 | 11.16 | 0.24 | 7.15 | 10.29 | 0.08 | 21.63 | 0.3 | 44.56 | 2.12 | 17.47 |
| 1911 | 252.09 | 0.03 | 21.45 | 0 | 3.85 | 21.57 | 0.02 | 5.19 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.41 | 0.49 | 9.8 | 4.17 | 1.9 | 2.29 | 6.75 | 13.53 | 7.15 | 0.01 | 14.25 | 21.47 | 0.35 | 0.39 | 0.09 | 0.15 | 11.38 | 0.26 | 6.73 | 10.98 | 0.09 | 20.9 | 0.23 | 46.01 | 2.14 | 18 |
| 1901 | 238.4 | 0.02 | 19.07 | 0 | 3.29 | 21.24 | 0.02 | 4.18 | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.41 | 0.48 | 9.09 | 4.62 | 1.92 | 2.14 | 6.07 | 13.05 | 6.4 | 0.01 | 12.68 | 19.39 | 0.28 | 0.34 | 0.08 | 0.1 | 10.3 | 0.25 | 7.54 | 10.29 | 0.06 | 19.25 | 0.17 | 46.65 | 1.98 | 16.94 |