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Most populated states and union territories

The 2011 census counted every state and union territory separately. The spread is extreme: the largest state holds more people than most countries, while several union territories are smaller than a single district elsewhere.

Most populated states and union territories according to the Census of India 2011
# State or UT Most populated states a… Population
1 Uttar Pradesh 199,812,341 199,812,341
2 Maharashtra 112,374,333 112,374,333
3 Bihar 104,099,452 104,099,452
4 West Bengal 91,276,115 91,276,115
5 Andhra Pradesh 84,580,777 84,580,777
6 Madhya Pradesh 72,626,809 72,626,809
7 Tamil Nadu 72,147,030 72,147,030
8 Rajasthan 68,548,437 68,548,437
9 Karnataka 61,095,297 61,095,297
10 Gujarat 60,439,692 60,439,692
11 Odisha 41,974,218 41,974,218
12 Telangana 35,193,978 35,193,978
13 Kerala 33,406,061 33,406,061
14 Jharkhand 32,988,134 32,988,134
15 Assam 31,205,576 31,205,576
16 Punjab 27,743,338 27,743,338
17 Chhattisgarh 25,545,198 25,545,198
18 Haryana 25,351,462 25,351,462
19 Delhi 16,787,941 16,787,941
20 Jammu and Kashmir 12,541,302 12,541,302
21 Uttarakhand 10,086,292 10,086,292
22 Himachal Pradesh 6,864,602 6,864,602
23 Tripura 3,673,917 3,673,917
24 Meghalaya 2,966,889 2,966,889
25 Manipur 2,855,794 2,855,794
26 Nagaland 1,978,502 1,978,502
27 Goa 1,458,545 1,458,545
28 Arunachal Pradesh 1,383,727 1,383,727
29 Puducherry 1,247,953 1,247,953
30 Mizoram 1,097,206 1,097,206
31 Chandigarh 1,055,450 1,055,450
32 Sikkim 610,577 610,577
33 Andaman and Nicobar Islands 380,581 380,581
34 Dadra and Nagar Haveli 343,709 343,709
35 Daman and Diu 243,247 243,247
36 Lakshadweep 64,473 64,473

Questions about this ranking

Uttar Pradesh, at 199,812,341 people according to the Census of India 2011.

Maharashtra, at 112,374,333 people.

All figures come from the Census of India 2011, the most recent completed census. Nothing here is estimated or projected forward.

They describe 2011. Populations have grown since, unevenly, and many states have created new districts by splitting old ones, so a district in this table may no longer exist with the same boundary.

Union territories range from single cities to island groups, so they sit at both extremes of most of these tables. The census counts them alongside states, which is why they appear here.

Source: Census of India 2011. Figures are reproduced as published. Read more on our about the data page, and see the glossary for what these measures mean.