Snehasis at 12:36, 25 March 2026

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{{Short description|14th census of India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox census
| name = 14th census of India
| logo =
| logo_size =
| logo_caption =
| image = Stamp of India - 2001 - Colnect 160740 - Census of India.jpeg
| image_size =
| image_caption = 2001 Census logo on a postal stamp
| country = India
| date = {{start date|2001}}
| population = 1,028,737,436
| percent_change = 21.5%
| region_type = state
| most_populous = [[Uttar Pradesh]] (166,053,600)
| least_populous = [[Sikkim]] (541,902)
| previous_census = 1991 census of India
| previous_year = 1991
| next_census = 2011 census of India
| next_year = 2011
}}
The '''2001 census of India''' was the 14th in a series of [[census of India|censuses]] held in [[India]] every decade since [[1871 India Census|1871]].<ref name="ancsdaap">{{cite web|url=http://www.ancsdaap.org/cencon98/papers/india/india.pdf|title=Planning for the 2001 Census of India based on the 1991 Census |author=Vijayanunni, M. |date= 26–29 August 1998 |work=18th Population Census Conference |location= Honolulu, Hawaii, US | publisher= Association of National Census and Statistics Directors of America, Asia, and the Pacific |archive-date=19 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081119080707/http://www.ancsdaap.org/cencon98/papers/india/india.pdf |access-date=17 December 2014}}</ref>

The population of India was counted as 1,028,737,436 consisting of 532,223,090 males and 496,514,346 females.<ref name="glance2001">{{cite web| url= http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/India_at_glance/glance.aspx | title= Home/Census Data 2001/India at a glance | year=2001 | publisher= Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India, [[Ministry of Home Affairs (India)|Ministry of Home Affairs]] | location= New Delhi| access-date= 8 November 2013}}</ref> The total population increased by 182,310,397, 21.5% more than the 846,427,039 people counted during the [[1991 Census of India|1991 census]].<ref name="glance2001"/>

==Religious demographics==
Hindus comprise 82.75 [[crore]] (80.45%) and Muslims were 13.8 crore (13.4%) in the 2001 census.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/census-hindu-share-dips-below-80-muslim-share-grows-but-slower/| title= Census: Hindu share dips below 80%, Muslim share grows but slower| author= Abantika Ghosh, Vijaita Singh | work=Indian Express| date= 24 January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://scroll.in/article/694975/with-current-trends-it-will-take-220-years-for-indias-muslim-population-to-equal-hindu-numbers|title=With current trends, it will take 220 years for India's Muslim population to equal Hindu numbers|first=Dilip|last=D’Souza|website=Scroll.in|date=16 December 2014 }}</ref> Census 2001 showed 108 faiths under the head "Other Religions and Persuasion" (ORP) in India.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/india-religion-census-fewer-minor-faiths-in-india-now-finds-census-number-of-their-adherents-up-2946824/|title=Fewer minor faiths in India now, finds Census; number of their adherents up|date=1 August 2016}}</ref> 700,000 people did not state their religion.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/govind-pansare-mm-kalburgi-gauri-lankesh-murder-5316465/|title=Indian rationalism, Charvaka to Narendra Dabholkar|date=21 August 2018}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto;"
|+ Population trends for major religious groups in India (2001)
|-
! Religious<br />group
! Population <br />%
|-
! style="background:orange;"| [[Hinduism|Hindu]]
| {{percentage bar|80.45}}
|-
! style="background:green;"| [[Islam|Muslim]]
| {{percentage bar|13.4}}
|-
! style="background:DodgerBlue;"| [[Christianity|Christian]]
| {{percentage bar|2.34}}
|-
! style="background:DarkKhaki;"| [[Sikhism|Sikh]]
| {{percentage bar|1.89}}
|-
! style ="background: gold;"| [[Buddhism|Buddhist]]
| {{percentage bar|0.74}}
|-
! style="background:#b4a28e;"| [[Animism|Animist]], others
| {{percentage bar|0.43}}
|-
! style="background:LightCoral;"| [[Jainism|Jain]]
| {{percentage bar|0.46}}
|}
{{Clear}}

==Language demographics==
{{Main|Languages of India}}
[[Hindi]] is the most widely spoken language in [[North India|northern parts of India]]. The Indian census takes the widest possible definition of "Hindi" as a broad variety of "[[Hindi languages]]". According to 2001 census, 53.6% of Indian population know Hindi, in which 41% of them have declared Hindi as their native language or mother tongue.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://qz.com/india/239073/these-four-charts-break-down-indias-complex-relationship-with-hindi/|title=These four charts break down India's complex relationship with Hindi|first=John Samuel Raja|last=D|website=Quartz|date=24 July 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/nearly-60-of-indians-speak-a-language-other-than-hindi/articleshow/36922157.cms|title=Nearly 60% of Indians speak a language other than Hindi | India News – Times of India|website=The Times of India|date=21 June 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement5.aspx|title=Census of India: Comparative speaker's strength of Scheduled Languages-1971, 1981, 1991 and 2001|website=www.censusindia.gov.in}}</ref> [[Indian English|English]] is known to 12.18% Indians in the 2001 census. The number of bilingual speakers in India is 25.50 crore, which is 24.8% of the population in 2001.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/hindi-migrants-speaking-marathi-rise-to-60-lakh/articleshow/66061624.cms|title=Hindi migrants speaking Marathi rise to 60 lakh | Mumbai News – Times of India|website=The Times of India|date=4 October 2018 }}</ref> India (780) has the world's second highest number of languages, after [[Papua New Guinea]] (839).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/seven-decades-after-independence-many-small-languages-in-india-facing-extinction-threat/articleshow/60038323.cms|title=Seven decades after Independence, many small languages in India face extinction threat|first=G.|last=Seetharaman|newspaper=The Economic Times|date=13 August 2017 }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ First, second, and third languages by number of speakers in India (2001 census)
!rowspan=2| Language
!colspan=2| First language speakers
!rowspan=2| Second language<br />speakers<ref name="thehindu"/>
!rowspan=2| Third language<br />speakers<ref name="thehindu"/>
!colspan=2| Total speakers
|-
! number <ref name="1971-2001">{{cite web |last=ORGI |title=Census of India: Comparative speaker's strength of Scheduled Languages-1971, 1981, 1991 and 2001 |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement5.aspx |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="thehindu">{{cite news |last=S |first=Rukmini |date=24 November 2014 |title=Sanskrit and English: there's no competition |url=http://www.thehindu.com/data/sanskrit-and-english-theres-no-competition/article6630269.ece |url-status=dead |website=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref>
! % of total pop.<ref name="pop">{{Cite web |title=Census of India : India at a glance / Population |url=https://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/India_at_glance/popu1.aspx |url-status=dead |website=www.censusindia.gov.in}}</ref>
! number <ref name="timesofindia">{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indiaspeak-English-is-our-2nd-language/articleshow/5680962.cms|title=Indiaspeak: English is our 2nd language|work=The Times of India|date=14 March 2010 }}</ref><ref name="thehindu"/>
! % of total pop.<ref name="pop" />
|-
|[[Hindi language|Hindi]]
|align=right|422,048,642
|{{percentage bar|41.03}}
|align=right|98,207,180
|align=right|31,160,696
|align=right|551,416,518
|{{percentage bar|53.60}}
|-
|[[English language|English]]
|align=right|226,449
|{{percentage bar|0.02}}
|align=right|86,125,221
|align=right|38,993,066
|align=right|125,344,736
|{{percentage bar|12.18}}
|-
|[[Bengali language|Bengali]]
|align=right|83,369,769
|{{percentage bar|8.10}}
|align=right|6,637,222
|align=right|1,108,088
|align=right|91,115,079
|{{percentage bar|8.86}}
|-
|[[Telugu language|Telugu]]
|align=right|74,002,856
|{{percentage bar|7.19}}
|align=right|9,723,626
|align=right|1,266,019
|align=right|84,992,501
|{{percentage bar|8.26}}
|-
|[[Marathi language|Marathi]]
|align=right|71,936,894
|{{percentage bar|6.99}}
|align=right|9,546,414
|align=right|2,701,498
|align=right|84,184,806
|{{percentage bar|8.18}}
|-
|[[Tamil language|Tamil]]
|align=right|60,793,814
|{{percentage bar|5.91}}
|align=right|4,992,253
|align=right|956,335
|align=right|66,742,402
|{{percentage bar|6.49}}
|-
|[[Urdu]]
|align=right|51,536,111
|{{percentage bar|5.01}}
|align=right|6,535,489
|align=right|1,007,912
|align=right|59,079,512
|{{percentage bar|5.74}}
|-
|[[Kannada]]
|align=right|37,924,011
|{{percentage bar|3.69}}
|align=right|11,455,287
|align=right|1,396,428
|align=right|50,775,726
|{{percentage bar|4.94}}
|-
|[[Gujarati language|Gujarati]]
|align=right|46,091,617
|{{percentage bar|4.48}}
|align=right|3,476,355
|align=right|703,989
|align=right|50,271,961
|{{percentage bar|4.89}}
|-
|[[Odia language|Odia]]
|align=right|33,017,446
|{{percentage bar|3.21}}
|align=right|3,272,151
|align=right|319,525
|align=right|36,609,122
|{{percentage bar|3.56}}
|-
|[[Malayalam]]
|align=right|33,066,392
|{{percentage bar|3.21}}
|align=right|499,188
|align=right|195,885
|align=right|33,761,465
|{{percentage bar|3.28}}
|-
|[[Sanskrit]]
|align=right|14,135
|{{percentage bar|0.01|<0.01%}}
|align=right|1,234,931
|align=right|3,742,223
|align=right|4,991,289
|{{percentage bar|0.49}}
|}

==Graphical summaries==
<gallery heights=150px mode=packed>
India Muslim census 2001 pyramid.jpg|Overview of 2001 population, separated by gender and age bracket.
Demographics of India.jpg|2001 overview based on religious affiliation and language.
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[1991 census of India]]
* [[2011 census of India]]
* [[Demographics of India]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|28em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{Official website|https://censusindia.gov.in/census.website/}}

{{Census of India}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:2001 in India|Census of India, 2001]]
[[Category:Censuses in India]]
[[Category:Political history of India]]
[[Category:2001 censuses|India]]

2001 census of India-261287 - Revision history

Snehasis at 12:36, 25 March 2026