Chennai district
Chennai in Tamil Nadu had 46.47 lakh people (46,46,732) in the 2011 Census, the 29th most populous of India's 640 districts and the largest in Tamil Nadu. 90.2% of people aged seven and over could read and write, against 73.0% nationally.
Population, 2011
46.47 lakh
29th of 640 in India, 1st of 32 in Tamil Nadu
Literacy rate
90.2%
20th in India, 2nd in Tamil Nadu
Sex ratio
989
females per 1,000 males; India 943
Child sex ratio (0-6)
950
girls per 1,000 boys; India 918
Urban population
100.0%
46.47 lakh in towns and cities
Households
11.55 lakh
4.0 people per household
Chennai against Tamil Nadu and India
| Measure, 2011 | Chennai | Tamil Nadu | India |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 46,46,732 | 7,21,47,030 | 1,21,08,54,977 |
| Literacy rate (age 7+) | 90.2% | 80.1% | 73.0% |
| Male literacy | 93.7% | 86.8% | 80.9% |
| Female literacy | 86.6% | 73.4% | 64.6% |
| Sex ratio (females per 1,000 males) | 989 | 996 | 943 |
| Child sex ratio (age 0-6) | 950 | 943 | 918 |
| Urban population | 100.0% | 48.4% | 31.1% |
| Scheduled Castes | 16.8% | 20.0% | 16.6% |
| Scheduled Tribes | 0.2% | 1.1% | 8.6% |
| Workers, share of population | 39.1% | 45.6% | 39.8% |
| Women who work, share of women | 19.4% | 31.8% | 25.5% |
| Children aged 0-6, share of population | 9.9% | 10.3% | 13.6% |
| Persons per household | 4.02 | 3.89 | 4.85 |
Literacy in Chennai, Tamil Nadu and India
People aged 7 and over who can read and write, per cent, 2011
What workers do in Chennai
Share of all workers (main and marginal), per cent, 2011
Other districts in Tamil Nadu
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chennai | 46,46,732 | 90.2% | 989 | 100.0% |
| 2 | Kancheepuram | 39,98,252 | 84.5% | 986 | 63.5% |
| 3 | Vellore | 39,36,331 | 79.2% | 1007 | 43.2% |
| 4 | Thiruvallur | 37,28,104 | 84.0% | 987 | 65.1% |
| 5 | Salem | 34,82,056 | 72.9% | 954 | 51.0% |
| 6 | Viluppuram | 34,58,873 | 71.9% | 987 | 15.0% |
| 7 | Coimbatore | 34,58,045 | 84.0% | 1000 | 75.7% |
| 8 | Tirunelveli | 30,77,233 | 82.5% | 1023 | 49.4% |
| 9 | Madurai | 30,38,252 | 83.5% | 990 | 60.8% |
| 10 | Tiruchirappalli | 27,22,290 | 83.2% | 1013 | 49.1% |
| 11 | Cuddalore | 26,05,914 | 78.0% | 987 | 34.0% |
| 12 | Tiruppur | 24,79,052 | 78.7% | 989 | 61.4% |
| 13 | Tiruvannamalai | 24,64,875 | 74.2% | 994 | 20.1% |
| 14 | Thanjavur | 24,05,890 | 82.6% | 1035 | 35.4% |
| 15 | Erode | 22,51,744 | 72.6% | 993 | 51.4% |
All districts of Tamil Nadu · All districts of India · Population by state
Questions
What is the population of Chennai district?
Chennai district had 46,46,732 people in the 2011 Census (23,35,844 males and 23,10,888 females). It was the 29th most populous of India's 640 districts and 1st of 32 in Tamil Nadu.
What is the literacy rate of Chennai?
90.18% in 2011: 93.70% for men and 86.64% for women, counting people aged seven and over. The Tamil Nadu rate was 80.09% and India's 72.98%.
What is the sex ratio of Chennai?
989 females per 1,000 males in 2011, against 996 in Tamil Nadu and 943 in India. Among children aged 0 to 6 it was 950 girls per 1,000 boys.
How urban is Chennai?
100.0% of its people lived in towns and cities in 2011, more than the Tamil Nadu share of 48.4%.
Is this the latest data?
Yes for district-level counts of population, literacy and workers: the 2011 Census is the latest completed census. Census 2027 will replace these figures. District boundaries are as they were in 2011.
Use this data
Download the figures on this page. If you use them, please credit India in Data and the original source.
Cite this
India in Data, "Chennai district, Tamil Nadu: Census 2011 population, literacy and workers". https://indiaindata.online/districts/tamil-nadu/chennai. Original source: Census of India 2011, Primary Census Abstract (Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India).
About these figures
All figures are from the 2011 Census, the most recent completed census of India, published in the Primary Census Abstract by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner. The next census, Census 2027, will replace them.
Districts are shown as they were in 2011. Many states have created new districts since, so a district today may be smaller than the one shown here. Districts are grouped under today's states and union territories: the ten 2011 districts now in Telangana are under Telangana, Leh and Kargil are under Ladakh, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu are shown together. Districts renamed since 2011 carry their current name, with the Census name in brackets.
Literacy rate is the share of people aged seven and over who can read and write with understanding. Sex ratio is females per 1,000 males; child sex ratio is the same for children aged 0 to 6. Workers include main workers (six months or more of work in the year) and marginal workers (less than six months).