| Source | 2011 - Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation |
| 2011-36 - Report of The Technical Group On Population Proiecttons (page no 92) | |
| Date | 02 Jul 2024 |
As per the report of the Technical Group by the National Commission, the population of Meghalaya is projected to be 3,387,000, or 3.39 million, or 33.87 lakh, as of July 1, 2024. Meghalaya is the 22nd-most populous state in India. It is the third-largest state in northeastern India in terms of population. Meghalaya’s population is projected to reach 36.92 lakh in 2036.
The size of the population of Meghalaya is equivalent to that of Uruguay, the 134th most populous country in the world.
In 2024, the sex ratio of the total population in Meghalaya will be 100.296 males per 100 females. There are 1,696,000, or 1.70 million, or 16.96 lakh, males and 1,691,000, or 1.69 million, or 16.91 lakh, females in Meghalaya. Meghalaya has 5,000, or 5k, more males than females.
Meghalaya accounts for 0.24 percent of the Indian population, the highest since 1901. The population growth rate in 2024 is projected at 0.92%, the 12th highest among states. Meghalaya will add 31,000 more people in 2024.
According to the Census of India 2011, the population of Meghalaya was 29.67 lakh, increasing from 23.19 lakh in 2001. There were 1,491,832 males and 1,475,057 females, with a sex ratio of 101.137 males per 100 females. The percentage of decadal growth during 2001–2011 was 27.95%, 2.7% lower than the 1991–2001 period. The population of Meghalaya increased by 648k during the decade 2001–2011.
The population of Meghalaya, which at the turn of the twentieth century was around 341k, increased by approximately 9.95 times in 123 years to reach 3.39 million in 2024. In 1901, Meghalaya was the 22nd most populous state, but as of 2024, its rank has remained constant, as it has overtaken Goa and been surpassed by Tripura.
| Year | Population | Growth | Share (%) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Male | Female | Net Change | rate (%) | India | |
| 2011 | 2,975,000 | 1,496,000 | 1,479,000 | - | - | 0.24 |
| 2012 | 3,007,000 | 1,512,000 | 1,496,000 | 32,000 | 1.076 | 0.24 |
| 2013 | 3,040,000 | 1,528,000 | 1,512,000 | 33,000 | 1.097 | 0.24 |
| 2014 | 3,072,000 | 1,543,000 | 1,529,000 | 32,000 | 1.053 | 0.24 |
| 2015 | 3,105,000 | 1,559,000 | 1,545,000 | 33,000 | 1.074 | 0.24 |
| 2016 | 3,137,000 | 1,575,000 | 1,562,000 | 32,000 | 1.031 | 0.24 |
| 2017 | 3,169,000 | 1,590,000 | 1,578,000 | 32,000 | 1.020 | 0.24 |
| 2018 | 3,200,000 | 1,606,000 | 1,595,000 | 31,000 | 0.978 | 0.24 |
| 2019 | 3,232,000 | 1,621,000 | 1,611,000 | 32,000 | 1.000 | 0.24 |
| 2020 | 3,264,000 | 1,637,000 | 1,627,000 | 32,000 | 0.990 | 0.24 |
| 2021 | 3,295,000 | 1,652,000 | 1,644,000 | 31,000 | 0.950 | 0.24 |
| 2022 | 3,326,000 | 1,666,000 | 1,659,000 | 31,000 | 0.941 | 0.24 |
| 2023 | 3,356,000 | 1,681,000 | 1,675,000 | 30,000 | 0.902 | 0.24 |
| 2024 | 3,387,000 | 1,696,000 | 1,691,000 | 31,000 | 0.924 | 0.24 |
| 2025 | 3,417,000 | 1,710,000 | 1,707,000 | 30,000 | 0.886 | 0.24 |
| 2026 | 3,447,000 | 1,724,000 | 1,723,000 | 30,000 | 0.878 | 0.24 |
| 2027 | 3,474,000 | 1,737,000 | 1,737,000 | 27,000 | 0.783 | 0.24 |
| 2028 | 3,502,000 | 1,750,000 | 1,752,000 | 28,000 | 0.806 | 0.24 |
| 2029 | 3,529,000 | 1,763,000 | 1,766,000 | 27,000 | 0.771 | 0.24 |
| 2030 | 3,557,000 | 1,776,000 | 1,781,000 | 28,000 | 0.793 | 0.24 |
| 2031 | 3,583,000 | 1,789,000 | 1,795,000 | 26,000 | 0.731 | 0.24 |
| 2032 | 3,605,000 | 1,798,000 | 1,807,000 | 22,000 | 0.614 | 0.24 |
| 2033 | 3,626,000 | 1,808,000 | 1,819,000 | 21,000 | 0.583 | 0.24 |
| 2034 | 3,648,000 | 1,818,000 | 1,830,000 | 22,000 | 0.607 | 0.24 |
| 2035 | 3,670,000 | 1,828,000 | 1,842,000 | 22,000 | 0.603 | 0.24 |
| 2036 | 3,692,000 | 1,838,000 | 1,854,000 | 22,000 | 0.599 | 0.24 |
| Year | Population | Growth | Share (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Change | rate (%) | to India | ||
| 1901 | 340,524 | - | - | 0.14 |
| 1911 | 394,005 | 53,481 | 15.71 | 0.16 |
| 1921 | 422,403 | 28,398 | 7.21 | 0.17 |
| 1931 | 480,837 | 58,434 | 13.83 | 0.17 |
| 1941 | 555,820 | 74,983 | 15.59 | 0.17 |
| 1951 | 605,674 | 49,854 | 8.97 | 0.17 |
| 1961 | 769,380 | 163,706 | 27.03 | 0.18 |
| 1971 | 1,011,699 | 242,319 | 31.50 | 0.18 |
| 1981 | 1,335,819 | 324,120 | 32.04 | 0.20 |
| 1991 | 1,774,778 | 438,959 | 32.86 | 0.21 |
| 2001 | 2,318,822 | 544,044 | 30.65 | 0.23 |
| 2011 | 2,966,889 | 648,067 | 27.95 | 0.25 |
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | M per 100 F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persons | Share (%) | ||||
| 00-04 | 205,846 | 200,308 | 406,154 | 13.69 | 102.765 |
| 05-09 | 197,585 | 191,597 | 389,182 | 13.12 | 103.125 |
| 10-14 | 193,473 | 189,133 | 382,606 | 12.90 | 102.295 |
| 15-19 | 164,716 | 161,472 | 326,188 | 10.99 | 102.009 |
| 20-24 | 139,140 | 145,872 | 285,012 | 9.61 | 95.385 |
| 25-29 | 124,676 | 126,605 | 251,281 | 8.47 | 98.476 |
| 30-34 | 95,786 | 93,871 | 189,657 | 6.39 | 102.040 |
| 35-39 | 87,320 | 87,386 | 174,706 | 5.89 | 99.924 |
| 40-44 | 73,377 | 72,073 | 145,450 | 4.90 | 101.809 |
| 45-49 | 63,043 | 60,072 | 123,115 | 4.15 | 104.946 |
| 50-54 | 45,910 | 42,833 | 88,743 | 2.99 | 107.184 |
| 55-59 | 30,692 | 29,417 | 60,109 | 2.03 | 104.334 |
| 60-64 | 25,421 | 25,287 | 50,708 | 1.71 | 100.530 |
| 65-69 | 17,482 | 18,292 | 35,774 | 1.21 | 95.572 |
| 70-74 | 11,161 | 12,537 | 23,698 | 0.80 | 89.024 |
| 75-79 | 5,848 | 6,997 | 12,845 | 0.43 | 83.579 |
| 80-84 | 3,683 | 4,534 | 8,217 | 0.28 | 81.231 |
| 85-89 | 1,556 | 2,107 | 3,663 | 0.12 | 73.849 |
| 90-94 | 963 | 1,280 | 2,243 | 0.08 | 75.234 |
| 95-99 | 532 | 599 | 1,131 | 0.04 | 88.815 |
| 100+ | 293 | 330 | 623 | 0.02 | 88.788 |
| Age not stated | 3,329 | 2,455 | 5,784 | 0.19 | 135.601 |
| Total | 1,491,832 | 1,475,057 | 2,966,889 | 101.137 | |
| District | Rank | Population | Rural (%) | Urban (%) | Sex ratio | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Total | Share (%) | F per 1000 M | M per 100 F | ||||
| West Garo Hills | 2 | 324,159 | 319,132 | 643,291 | 21.68 | 88.36 | 11.64 | 984 | 101.575 |
| East Garo Hills | 5 | 161,223 | 156,694 | 317,917 | 10.72 | 86.10 | 13.90 | 972 | 102.890 |
| South Garo Hills | 7 | 73,170 | 69,164 | 142,334 | 4.80 | 90.77 | 9.23 | 945 | 105.792 |
| West Khasi Hills | 4 | 193,715 | 189,746 | 383,461 | 12.92 | 88.76 | 11.24 | 980 | 102.092 |
| Ribhoi | 6 | 132,531 | 126,309 | 258,840 | 8.72 | 90.24 | 9.76 | 953 | 104.926 |
| East Khasi Hills | 1 | 410,749 | 415,173 | 825,922 | 27.84 | 55.63 | 44.37 | 1,011 | 98.934 |
| Jaintia Hills | 3 | 196,285 | 198,839 | 395,124 | 13.32 | 92.80 | 7.20 | 1,013 | 98.716 |