Regions of India: population and official figures
India is divided into 36 regions. The largest by population is Uttar Pradesh with 243,466,000 people (17.1% of the total); the smallest is Lakshadweep with 70,000. Population figures are the official projections for 1 July 2026 made from the 2011 census by the Technical Group on Population Projections; each page adds poverty, income, jobs, prices, health, schooling and state-budget figures from the Reserve Bank of India's Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, which compiles the figures of national ministries, NITI Aayog and the RBI.
Who governs India's regions?
States (28) and union territories (8): Elected state assembly and chief minister; governor appointed by the President. Most union territories are run by an administrator or lieutenant governor appointed by the President.. Local government is a state subject: each state writes its own panchayat and municipal laws.
How local power works in India · Level 5: devolved and state governments worldwide
All 36 regions, largest first
| # | Region | Population | Year | Growth (1 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uttar Pradesh | 243,466,000 | 2026 | +0.9% |
| 2 | Bihar | 132,850,000 | 2026 | +1.4% |
| 3 | Maharashtra | 129,584,000 | 2026 | +0.7% |
| 4 | West Bengal | 100,631,000 | 2026 | +0.4% |
| 5 | Madhya Pradesh | 89,965,000 | 2026 | +1.1% |
| 6 | Rajasthan | 83,879,000 | 2026 | +1.0% |
| 7 | Tamil Nadu | 77,582,000 | 2026 | +0.2% |
| 8 | Gujarat | 74,343,000 | 2026 | +1.1% |
| 9 | Karnataka | 69,074,000 | 2026 | +0.6% |
| 10 | Andhra Pradesh | 53,740,000 | 2026 | +0.3% |
| 11 | Odisha | 44,699,000 | 2026 | +0.2% |
| 12 | Jharkhand | 41,108,000 | 2026 | +1.2% |
| 13 | Telangana | 38,665,000 | 2026 | +0.4% |
| 14 | Assam | 36,815,000 | 2026 | +0.9% |
| 15 | Kerala | 36,239,000 | 2026 | +0.3% |
| 16 | Haryana | 31,409,000 | 2026 | +1.1% |
| 17 | Punjab | 31,370,000 | 2026 | +0.6% |
| 18 | Chhattisgarh | 31,311,000 | 2026 | +1.1% |
| 19 | Delhi | 22,674,000 | 2026 | +1.8% |
| 20 | Jammu and Kashmir | 13,927,000 | 2026 | +0.7% |
| 21 | Uttarakhand | 12,028,000 | 2026 | +1.0% |
| 22 | Himachal Pradesh | 7,588,000 | 2026 | +0.4% |
| 23 | Tripura | 4,268,000 | 2026 | +0.8% |
| 24 | Meghalaya | 3,447,000 | 2026 | +0.9% |
| 25 | Manipur | 3,318,000 | 2026 | +0.9% |
| 26 | Nagaland | 2,299,000 | 2026 | +0.9% |
| 27 | Puducherry | 1,771,000 | 2026 | +2.3% |
| 28 | Arunachal Pradesh | 1,608,000 | 2026 | +0.9% |
| 29 | Goa | 1,601,000 | 2026 | +0.5% |
| 30 | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | 1,593,000 | 2026 | +7.7% |
| 31 | Mizoram | 1,275,000 | 2026 | +0.9% |
| 32 | Chandigarh | 1,270,000 | 2026 | +0.9% |
| 33 | Sikkim | 709,000 | 2026 | +0.8% |
| 34 | Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 406,000 | 2026 | +0.3% |
| 35 | Ladakh | 306,000 | 2026 | +0.7% |
| 36 | Lakshadweep | 70,000 | 2026 | +1.4% |
Cities: the largest cities of India.
More on India: official statistics · government and power · local power
Sources
- National Commission on Population, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: Population Projections for India and States 2011-2036 (Report of the Technical Group on Population Projections), Table 11: projected total population on 1 July, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 9a9031c9c75d…)
- Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 10: State-wise Poverty Estimates - Multi-dimensional Poverty Index, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c0d6483061a8…)
- Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 19: Per Capita Net State Domestic Product (Current Prices), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1f90818b79f1…)
- Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 21: Gross State Domestic Product (Current Prices), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 307860e934ba…)
- Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 20: Per Capita Net State Domestic Product (Constant Prices), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0861a3b6a0df…)
- Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 8: State-wise Unemployment Rate: Usual Status (Adjusted) (Rural), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 2e943a3b61d5…)
- Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 9: State-wise Unemployment Rate: Usual Status (Adjusted) (Urban), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4eef6c004595…)
- Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 7: State-wise Life Expectancy, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 2d87cfcb6759…)
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