| Source | 2011 - Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation |
| 2011-36 - Report of The Technical Group On Population Proiecttons (page no 90) | |
| Date | 07 Nov 2026 |
As per the report of the Technical Group of the National Commission, the population of Chandigarh is projected to be 1,270,000, or 1.27 million, or 12.70 lakh, as of July 1, 2026. Chandigarh is the fifth-most populous UT in India and is in 32nd position among 36 states and UTs. Chandigarh’s population is projected to reach 13.62 lakh in 2036.
The size of the population of Chandigarh is equivalent to that of Eswatini, the 159th most populous country in the world.
In 2026, the sex ratio of the total population in Chandigarh will be 115.986 males per 100 females. There are 682,000, or 682K, or 6.82 lakh, males and 588,000, or 588K, or 5.88 lakh, females in Chandigarh. Chandigarh has 94,000, or 94K, more males than females.
Chandigarh accounts for 0.09 percent of India's population. The population growth rate for 2026 is projected at 0.87%, the 4th lowest among UTs and all states and 17th among all states and UTs. Chandigarh will add 11,000 more people in 2026.
According to the Census of India 2011, the population of the state of Chandigarh was 10.55 lakh, increasing from 9.01 lakh in 2001. There were 580,663 males and 474,787 females, with a sex ratio of 122.300 males per 100 females. The percentage of decadal growth during 2001–2011 was 17.19%, 23.09% lower than the 1991–2001 period. The population of Chandigarh increased by 155k during the decade 2001–2011.
The population of Chandigarh, which at the turn of the twentieth century was around 22K, expanded by approximately 58 times in 125 years to reach 1.27 million in 2026. In 1901, Chandigarh was in 34th place among 35 states and UTs, but as of 2026, it has surpassed three states and UTs: Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Ladakh.
| Year | Population | Growth | Share (%) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Male | Female | Net Change | rate (%) | India | |
| 2011 | 1,061,000 | 583,000 | 478,000 | - | - | 0.09 |
| 2012 | 1,077,000 | 591,000 | 486,000 | 16,000 | 1.508 | 0.09 |
| 2013 | 1,093,000 | 599,000 | 494,000 | 16,000 | 1.486 | 0.09 |
| 2014 | 1,109,000 | 607,000 | 503,000 | 16,000 | 1.464 | 0.09 |
| 2015 | 1,125,000 | 615,000 | 511,000 | 16,000 | 1.443 | 0.09 |
| 2016 | 1,141,000 | 622,000 | 519,000 | 16,000 | 1.422 | 0.09 |
| 2017 | 1,155,000 | 629,000 | 526,000 | 14,000 | 1.227 | 0.09 |
| 2018 | 1,170,000 | 636,000 | 534,000 | 15,000 | 1.299 | 0.09 |
| 2019 | 1,184,000 | 642,000 | 541,000 | 14,000 | 1.197 | 0.09 |
| 2020 | 1,198,000 | 649,000 | 549,000 | 14,000 | 1.182 | 0.09 |
| 2021 | 1,212,000 | 656,000 | 556,000 | 14,000 | 1.169 | 0.09 |
| 2022 | 1,223,000 | 661,000 | 563,000 | 11,000 | 0.908 | 0.09 |
| 2023 | 1,235,000 | 666,000 | 569,000 | 12,000 | 0.981 | 0.09 |
| 2024 | 1,247,000 | 672,000 | 575,000 | 12,000 | 0.972 | 0.09 |
| 2025 | 1,259,000 | 677,000 | 582,000 | 12,000 | 0.962 | 0.09 |
| 2026 | 1,270,000 | 682,000 | 588,000 | 11,000 | 0.874 | 0.09 |
| 2027 | 1,281,000 | 687,000 | 594,000 | 11,000 | 0.866 | 0.09 |
| 2028 | 1,291,000 | 692,000 | 599,000 | 10,000 | 0.781 | 0.09 |
| 2029 | 1,301,000 | 696,000 | 605,000 | 10,000 | 0.775 | 0.09 |
| 2030 | 1,311,000 | 701,000 | 611,000 | 10,000 | 0.769 | 0.09 |
| 2031 | 1,321,000 | 705,000 | 616,000 | 10,000 | 0.763 | 0.09 |
| 2032 | 1,329,000 | 709,000 | 621,000 | 8,000 | 0.606 | 0.09 |
| 2033 | 1,337,000 | 712,000 | 625,000 | 8,000 | 0.602 | 0.09 |
| 2034 | 1,346,000 | 716,000 | 630,000 | 9,000 | 0.673 | 0.09 |
| 2035 | 1,354,000 | 719,000 | 635,000 | 8,000 | 0.594 | 0.09 |
| 2036 | 1,362,000 | 723,000 | 639,000 | 8,000 | 0.591 | 0.09 |
| Year | Population | Growth | Share (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Change | rate (%) | to India | ||
| 1901 | 21,967 | - | - | 0.01 |
| 1911 | 18,437 | -3,530 | -16.07 | 0.01 |
| 1921 | 18,133 | -304 | -1.65 | 0.01 |
| 1931 | 19,783 | 1,650 | 9.10 | 0.01 |
| 1941 | 22,574 | 2,791 | 14.11 | 0.01 |
| 1951 | 24,261 | 1,687 | 7.47 | 0.01 |
| 1961 | 119,881 | 95,620 | 394.13 | 0.03 |
| 1971 | 257,251 | 137,370 | 114.59 | 0.05 |
| 1981 | 451,610 | 194,359 | 75.55 | 0.07 |
| 1991 | 642,015 | 190,405 | 42.16 | 0.08 |
| 2001 | 900,635 | 258,620 | 40.28 | 0.09 |
| 2011 | 1,055,450 | 154,815 | 17.19 | 0.09 |
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | M per 100 F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persons | Share (%) | ||||
| 00-04 | 43,347 | 38,507 | 81,854 | 7.76 | 112.569 |
| 05-09 | 49,255 | 41,939 | 91,194 | 8.64 | 117.444 |
| 10-14 | 52,140 | 41,324 | 93,464 | 8.86 | 126.174 |
| 15-19 | 60,521 | 43,897 | 104,418 | 9.89 | 137.870 |
| 20-24 | 68,467 | 52,777 | 121,244 | 11.49 | 129.729 |
| 25-29 | 60,694 | 49,543 | 110,237 | 10.44 | 122.508 |
| 30-34 | 49,625 | 41,178 | 90,803 | 8.60 | 120.513 |
| 35-39 | 45,566 | 38,106 | 83,672 | 7.93 | 119.577 |
| 40-44 | 37,268 | 31,653 | 68,921 | 6.53 | 117.739 |
| 45-49 | 32,893 | 27,459 | 60,352 | 5.72 | 119.790 |
| 50-54 | 26,108 | 20,834 | 46,942 | 4.45 | 125.314 |
| 55-59 | 19,745 | 15,180 | 34,925 | 3.31 | 130.072 |
| 60-64 | 13,530 | 12,271 | 25,801 | 2.44 | 110.260 |
| 65-69 | 8,250 | 7,589 | 15,839 | 1.50 | 108.710 |
| 70-74 | 5,998 | 5,387 | 11,385 | 1.08 | 111.342 |
| 75-79 | 3,255 | 3,167 | 6,422 | 0.61 | 102.779 |
| 80-84 | 2,112 | 2,095 | 4,207 | 0.40 | 100.811 |
| 85-89 | 970 | 939 | 1,909 | 0.18 | 103.301 |
| 90-94 | 423 | 461 | 884 | 0.08 | 91.757 |
| 95-99 | 177 | 201 | 378 | 0.04 | 88.060 |
| 100+ | 118 | 135 | 253 | 0.02 | 87.407 |
| Age not stated | 201 | 145 | 346 | 0.03 | 138.621 |
| Total | 580,663 | 474,787 | 1,055,450 | 122.300 | |
| District | Rank | Population | Rural (%) | Urban (%) | Sex ratio | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Total | Share (%) | F per 1000 M | M per 100 F | ||||
| Chandigarh | 1 | 580,663 | 474,787 | 1,055,450 | 100.00 | 2.75 | 97.25 | 818 | 122.300 |