At a glance
- Census 2011 is the last published census. The 16th census, Census 2027, is under way and has published no results yet (October 2026).
- Rajasthan had 5.66% of India's people in 2011, on 10.41% of its area.
- Against India in 2011, Rajasthan was lower in sex ratio, child sex ratio, density, literacy and urban share, and higher in decadal growth.
- Literacy rose at every census from 1951 to 2011.
Census 2011: the state in figures
| Population | 6,85,48,437 (685 lakh): males 3,55,50,997, females 3,29,97,440 |
|---|---|
| Rural | 5,15,00,352 (75.13%) |
| Urban | 1,70,48,085 (24.87%) |
| Scheduled Castes | 17.8% of the population (India 16.6%) |
| Scheduled Tribes | 13.5% of the population (India 8.6%) |
| Work participation rate | 43.6% (India 39.8%) |
The tribes' areas, customs and fairs are on the Tribes of Rajasthan page.
The next census: Census 2027
| Series | The 16th Indian census and the 8th since independence; the census due in 2021 could not be held on schedule because of COVID-19 |
|---|---|
| Notice of intent | Gazette of India, 16 June 2025 |
| Phase I: houselisting and housing census | April to September 2026, in a 30-day period fixed by each state, after an optional 15-day self-enumeration. Rajasthan: self-enumeration 1 to 15 May, house-to-house listing 16 May to 14 June 2026 |
| Phase II: population enumeration | February 2027, with the reference date 00:00 hours of 1 March 2027. Ladakh and the snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand: September 2026, reference date 00:00 hours of 1 October 2026 |
| Caste | Caste enumeration is part of Phase II, decided by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs on 30 April 2025; up to the 2011 census only Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were enumerated by caste |
| Method | The first digital census: data are collected on a mobile app, with an optional self-enumeration portal |
Growth and density
| Decadal growth, 2001 to 2011 | 21.3% (India 17.7%) |
|---|---|
| Density, 2011 | 200 persons per sq km (India 382) |
| 2011 districts | Highest three | Lowest three |
|---|---|---|
| Population (lakh) | Jaipur 66.26 · Jodhpur 36.87 · Alwar 36.74 | Jaisalmer 6.70 · Pratapgarh 8.68 · Sirohi 10.36 |
| Decadal growth, 2001 to 2011 (%) | Barmer 32.5 · Jaisalmer 31.8 · Jodhpur 27.7 | Sri Ganganagar 10.0 · Jhunjhunu 11.7 · Pali 11.9 |
| Density (persons per sq km) | Jaipur 595 · Bharatpur 503 · Dausa 476 | Jaisalmer 17 · Bikaner 78 · Barmer 92 (the only three below 100) |
Sex ratio
| Females per 1,000 males | 2001 | 2011 | India, 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| All ages | 928 | 943 | |
| All ages, rural | 930 | 933 | |
| All ages, urban | 890 | 914 | |
| Child (0 to 6 years) | 888 | 919 | |
| Child, rural | 914 | 892 | |
| Child, urban | 887 | 874 |
| 2011 districts | Highest three | Lowest three |
|---|---|---|
| Sex ratio, all ages | Dungarpur 994 · Rajsamand 990 · Pali 987 | Dholpur 846 · Jaisalmer 852 · Karauli 861 |
| Sex ratio, rural | Pali 1003 · Rajsamand 998 · Dungarpur 996 | Dholpur 841 · Karauli 856 · Jaisalmer 859 |
| Child sex ratio (0 to 6) | Banswara 934 · Pratapgarh 933 · Bhilwara 928 | Jhunjhunu 837 · Sikar 848 · Karauli 852 |
Literacy
Rates are for people aged 7 and above from 1981, and aged 5 and above in 1951, 1961 and 1971.
| Census | Persons (%) | Male (%) | Female (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 8.50 | 13.88 | 2.66 |
| 1961 | 18.12 | 28.08 | 7.01 |
| 1971 | 22.57 | 33.87 | 10.06 |
| 1981 | 30.11 | 44.77 | 14.00 |
| 1991 | 38.55 | 54.99 | 20.44 |
| 2001 | 60.41 | 75.70 | 43.85 |
| 2011 | 66.11 | 79.19 | 52.12 |
| Rural, 2011 | 61.44% (male 76.16, female 45.80) |
|---|---|
| Urban, 2011 | 79.68% (male 87.91, female 70.73) |
| India, 2011 | 73.0% (male 80.9, female 64.6) |
| 2011 districts | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|
| Total literacy (%) | Kota 76.6 · Jaipur 75.5 · Jhunjhunu 74.1 · Sikar 71.9 · Alwar 70.7 | Jalore 54.9 · Sirohi 55.3 · Pratapgarh 56.0 · Banswara 56.3 · Barmer 56.5 |
| Female literacy (%) | Kota 65.9 · Jaipur 64.0 · Jhunjhunu 61.0 (the only three above 60%) | Jalore 38.5 · Jaisalmer 39.7 · Sirohi 39.7 |
| Urban literacy (%) | Udaipur 87.5 · Banswara 85.2 · Pratapgarh 84.8 | Nagaur 70.6 · Jalore 71.1 · Churu 72.6 |
Urbanisation
The urban share of Rajasthan's people was 16.28% in 1961, against 17.97% for India; by 2011 India's share had reached 31.14%.
Projections, not census counts: the Technical Group on Population Projections (National Commission on Population, 2019) puts the state's urban share at 26.33% in 2021 and 27.74% in 2031, and its population at 872 lakh in 2031.
- Most urbanised districts (2011): Kota 60.31% · Jaipur 52.40% · Ajmer 40.08% · Jodhpur 34.30% · Bikaner 33.86%
- Least urbanised districts (2011): Dungarpur 6.39% · Barmer 6.98% · Banswara 7.10% · Pratapgarh 8.27% · Jalore 8.30%
- Census 2011 counted 30 cities and urban agglomerations of one lakh or more in Rajasthan (15 urban agglomerations and 15 towns).
| City or urban agglomeration, 2011 | Population (lakh) |
|---|---|
| Jaipur | 30.46 |
| Jodhpur | 11.38 |
| Kota | 10.02 |
| Bikaner | 6.44 |
| Banswara | 1.01 (the smallest of those with one lakh or more) |
- Migration: Rajasthan had 32 lakh rural-to-urban migrants in 2011, about 4% of the country's. Among male migrants 49.16% moved for work, and among female migrants 59.11% moved on marriage (India: 45.06% and 51.80%).
- Slums: 20.68 lakh people lived in slums in 2011; the largest number, 3.23 lakh, was in the Jaipur Municipal Corporation area.
2011 districts on today's map
Census 2011 counted 33 districts. All 33 still exist, but the eight districts made in 2023 and kept in December 2024 (Balotra, Beawar, Deeg, Didwana-Kuchaman, Khairthal-Tijara, Kotputli-Behror, Phalodi, Salumbar) were formed from parts of them. A 2011 figure for Barmer (now partly Balotra district) or Jodhpur (now partly Phalodi district) therefore covers area that today lies in a newer district. The notification of 31 December 2025 reorganised Barmer and Balotra again: Balotra district now has the Dhorimanna and Gudamalani sub-divisions, and Barmer the Baytu sub-division.
The full list of today's 41 districts is on the Location, extent and districts page.
Remember: often mixed up
- Provisional or final 2011 figuresthe provisional totals gave 6,86,21,012 people and literacy of 67.06% (male 80.51, female 52.66), and some pages still use them · the final figures are 6,85,48,437 and 66.11% (79.19, 52.12)
- Sex ratio or child sex ratio: highest sex ratio Dungarpur, lowest Dholpur · highest child sex ratio Banswara, lowest Jhunjhunu
- Kota and JaloreKota is both the most literate and the most urbanised district · Jalore is the least literate, Dungarpur the least urbanised
Test yourself: asked in exams
BSTC 2026 (shift I) · Q79
Consider the following statements regarding Census 2011 of Rajasthan - (I) Out of total population of Rajasthan, 24.9% people lived in urban area. (II) Female Literacy Rate in Rajasthan was 60.1%.
- (1)Only (I) is correct
- (2)Only (II) is correct
- (3)Both (I) and (II) are correct
- (4)Neither (I) nor (II) is correct
Show answer
✓ (1) Only (I) is correct
See the full paperCET Graduation Level 2022 · Q47
According to Census 2011, the sex ratio in Rajasthan is -
- (1)15 points lower than the national average.
- (2)6 points higher than the national average.
- (3)6 points lower than the national average.
- (4)11 points lower than the national average.
Show answer
✓ (1) 15 points lower than the national average.
See the full paperCET Graduation Level 2022 · Q48
According to 2011 Census, the percentage of scheduled tribe population to total population in Rajasthan is –
- (1)14.8
- (2)16.9
- (3)13.5
- (4)13.3
Show answer
✓ (3) 13.5
See the full paperCET Graduation Level 2022 · Q56
In which districts of Rajasthan, population density is found to be less than 100 persons per square kilometre (According to Census - 2011)?
- (1)Jaisalmer, Barmer and Jodhpur
- (2)Jaisalmer, Barmer and Bikaner
- (3)Jaisalmer, Pali and Barmer
- (4)Jaisalmer, Pali and Jodhpur
Show answer
✓ (2) Jaisalmer, Barmer and Bikaner
See the full paperProtection Officer 2022 · Q48
Consider the following statements about Rajasthan Economy : (A) The sex-ratio in urban region has improved by 24 females per thousand males between year 2001 to 2011. (B) The literacy rate has continuously witnessed an upward trend from 1961 to 2011. Choose the correct option :
- (1)Both (A) and (B) are true.
- (2)Both (A) and (B) are false.
- (3)Only (A) is true.
- (4)Only (B) is true.
Show answer
✓ (1) Both (A) and (B) are true.
See the full paperProtection Officer 2024 · Q59
As per Census 2011, how many districts of Rajasthan were having female literacy rate above 60%?
- (1)Two
- (2)Four
- (3)Three
- (4)One
Show answer
✓ (3) Three
See the full paperRAS Prelims 2023 · Q9
Choose the district of Rajasthan which had the lowest decadal population growth rate between 2001-2011.
- (1)Barmer
- (2)Sri Ganganagar
- (3)Pali
- (4)Bundi
Show answer
✓ (2) Sri Ganganagar
See the full paperRAS Prelims 2024 · Q15
The correct descending order of districts in Rajasthan based on total literacy rate (census 2011) is
- (1)Jaipur, Jhunjhunu, Kota, Sikar, Alwar
- (2)Kota, Jaipur, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Alwar
- (3)Jhunjhunu, Kota, Sikar, Jaipur, Alwar
- (4)Kota, Jhunjhunu, Jaipur, Alwar, Sikar
Show answer
✓ (2) Kota, Jaipur, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Alwar
See the full paperCET Graduation Level 2022 · Q59
According to the Census 2011, which district of Rajasthan had the lowest rural sex ratio?
- (1)Jaisalmer
- (2)Pali
- (3)Tonk
- (4)Dholpur
Show answer
✓ (4) Dholpur
See the full paperProtection Officer 2022 · Q42
As per Census 2011, how many cities and towns were there in Rajasthan with population one lakh and above ?
- (1)22
- (2)26
- (3)30
- (4)32
Show answer
✓ (3) 30
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