Demographics of Karnataka

Karnataka, with a total population of 61,100,000, is one of the major states in South India. Kannada is the official state language,^[1] while other linguistic minorities in the state include Kodava, Konkani, Tulu and Urdu.^[2] Karnataka is also at the forefront of population control measures, with the first two birth control clinics in history opening in 1930 in the Mandya district.^[3]

Population

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, the total population in Karnataka was 6.25 crores (an amount equating to 10 million), with 50.9% being males and 49.1% females. There was a decadal population increase of 17.3% between 1991 and 2001. As per the 2011 census, the population density is 319 per km², the sex ratio is 973 females to 1,000 males, and 38.67% of the people in Karnataka live in urban areas.

The literacy rate in Karnataka was 75.4% at the time of the 2001 census; the eight most-populous cities of the state, in-order from highest to lowest total population, were Bengaluru, Hubballi-Dharwad, Mysuru, Belagavi, Kalburgi, Mangaluru, Davanagere and Ballari.^[4] Bengaluru Urban and Belagavi are the most populous Districts, each of them having a population of more than three million. Gadaga, Chamarajanagara and Kodagu districts have a population of less than one million. Karnataka has one of the largest populations of Anglo-Indians in India. Seen below is a composite table of languages and religions of the state at the census of 2001.

Religion

Religion in Karnataka[5]
Hindu			84.00%
Muslim			13.00%
Christian			1.80%
Others			1.20%

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 84.0% of the population were Hindu, 13.00% Muslim, 1.80% Christian, 0.7% Jain, 0.2% Buddhist, <0.1% Sikhs, with the remaining percentage belonging to other religions.^[5] Karnataka is also the location of some tribes, such as the Nayaka, Soliga, and Yerava. The joint family system is prevalent in the rural areas of Karnataka; there are extreme cases, like the Narasinganavars, who reside in the Dharwad district, and are recognised as one of the largest undivided families in the world.

Religion in Karnataka

Religion	2001[6]	2011[7]
Hinduism	44,321,279	51,317,472
Islam	6,463,127	7,893,065
Christianity	1,009,164	1,142,647
Jainism	412,659	440,280
Buddhism	393,300	95,710
Sikhism	15,326	28,773
Other	115,460	11,263
Not stated	n/a	166,087
Total	52,850,562	61,095,297

Religion in Karnataka (%)

Religion	2001[6]	2011[6]
Hinduism	83.86	84.00
Islam	12.23	12.92
Christianity	1.91	1.87
Jainism	0.78	0.72
Buddhism	0.74	0.16
Sikhism	0.03	0.05
Other	0.22	0.02
Not specified	n/a	0.27

Caste and Communities

Just like other Ethnolinguistic groups in India, Kannada speaking people also form a number of distinct communities. The two single biggest communities numerically are the Lingayat and the Vokkaliga from North and South Karnataka respectively,^[8] while Scheduled Castes make up the largest cohesive group of communities. There are also numerous OBC (other backward communities) including the former pastoralist community of Kuruba, Scheduled Tribes like the Boya/Valmiki, scheduled castes like Banjara and Adi Karnataka. Kannada Brahmins are divided into several communities.^[9][10] Although historically Jainism in Karnataka had dominant presence, Kannada Jains today form a small minority.^[11] In Karnataka, 5 communities — Brahmin, Jain, Aryavaishya, Nagarthas and Modaliars — are outside the existing reservation matrix.

Languages

Government Census (2001)^[12] Kannada 68.5 %, Telugu 10.9 %, Urdu 10.5 %, Tamil 3.2 %, Tulu 2.1 %, Hindi 2.6%, Konkani 1.0 %, Beary 1.3 %, other 4.1 %.^[13]

Districts

Population of districts of Karnataka as per 2001 census
District	Population	Decadal %age growth 1991 -> 2001
Bangalore Urban	6,537,124	34.8
Bangalore Rural	1,881,514	12.2
Chitradurga	1,517,896	15.1
Davanagere	1,790,952	14.8
Kolar	2,536,069	13.8
Shimoga	1,642,545	12.9
Tumkur	2,584,711	11.9
Bagalkot	1,651,892	18.8
Belgaum	4,214,505	17.4
Bijapur	1,806,918	17.6
Dharwad	1,604,253	16.7
Gadag	971,835	13.1
Haveri	1,439,116	13.3
Uttara Kannada	1,353,644	10.9
Bellary	2,027,140	22.3
Bidar	1,502,373	19.6
Gulbarga	3,130,922	21.0
Koppal	1,196,089	24.6
Raichur	1,669,762	21.9
Chamarajanagar	965,462	9.2
Chikmagalur	1,140,905	12.0
Dakshina Kannada	1,897,730	14.5
Hassan	1,721,669	9.7
Kodagu	548,561	11.6
Mandya	1,763,705	7.1
Mysore	2,641,027	15.0
Udupi	1,112,243	6.9

See also

• Karnataka ethnic groups
• Kannada people

Footnotes

Official Census Portal of Mysore District

1. "The Karnataka Official Language Act" (PDF). Official website of Department of Parliamentary Affairs and Legislation. Government of Karnataka. Retrieved 2007-06-29.
2. "Urdu in Karnataka". A. R. Fatihi, PhD on Language in India. Central Institute of Indian Languages. Retrieved 2007-06-29.
3. "Envisaging a healthy growth". Online Webpage of the Frontline. The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2007-06-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
4. "Population of Corporation/CMC/TMC/TP, Population 2001 Census". Online Webpage of the Directorate of Municipal Administration. Government of Karnataka. Archived from the original on 2009-04-10. Retrieved 2007-05-05.
5. "Population by religion community – 2011". Census of India, 2011. The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Archived from the original on 25 August 2015.
6. "Total population by religious communities". Censusindia.gov.in. Archived from the original on 19 January 2008. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
7. "Indian Census 2011". Census Department, Government of India. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
8. "In Karnataka, five communities with 4% population will fall under EWS quota". The Hindu. 8 November 2022.
9. Harish Ramaswamy (2007). Karnataka Government and Politics. Concept Publishing Company. pp. 398–399. ISBN 978-81-8069-397-7.
10. Karnataka State Gazetteer: Mysore. Director of Print, Stationery and Publications at the Government Press. 1988. p. 157.
11. Jainism and Karnataka Culture by Shripad Rama Sharma|page 13|2017
12. Indischer Zensus 2001 Government Census (2011)
13. Government Census (2011)