Kolkata Population
Kolkata is the Indian state capital of West Bengal. Formally called Calcutta, served as capital of India between 1773-1911 during British rule. As per the Urban Agglomeration of UN World Population Prospects, Kolkata population in 2023 is estimated to be 15.5 million (1.55 crores), while the suburb population taken into consideration for UA with an area of 1887 sq. km., and ranked third most populous metropolitan city in India. According to 2011 census of India, Population of Kolkata is 4.4 million under Kolkata Municipal Corporation with mega city area of 205 sq km. Since 19th century, Kolkata was serving the capital of India and this capital has long been a paradise for the migrants and the people who are in search of work, it was known to have drawn scores of thousands of migrants, both from adjoining districts of Bengal as well as from far flung states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa and Assam. It was the capital centre of India during British Colonial rule till 1911, when the capital shifted to New Delhi. Most of the migrants were single males, who had left their family behind in the villages. This happened due to extreme housing shortages as due to most of the migrants were from long distance areas of northern India who came to work in the industries of jute, textile, hosiery, iron and steel, paper and other industries.
Kolkata city UN Urban Agglomeration Population Prospects - 1950 to 2035Year | Kolkata Population |
1950 | 4,604,143 |
1955 | 5,219,086 |
1960 | 5,910,210 |
1965 | 6,589,384 |
1970 | 7,329,372 |
1975 | 8,165,629 |
1980 | 9,100,166 |
1985 | 10,003,665 |
1990 | 10,974,177 |
1995 | 11,992,194 |
2000 | 13,097,153 |
2005 | 13,595,152 |
2010 | 14,002,798 |
2011 | 14,085,783 |
2015 | 14,422,670 |
2020* | 14,850,066 |
2025* | 15,845,219 |
2035* | 19,564,170 |
Kolkata Population Ranking & Density
Kolkata City(2011) | Kolkata UA(2020) | |
---|---|---|
Population | 4.5 million | 14.8 million |
Area | 205 sq km | 1887 sq km |
Rank | 3 (India) | 16 (World) |
Religion wise Kolkata Population
Kolkata population religion wise, being a cosmopolitan city it represents a blend of different religions in the eastern part of the country. Majority of the kolkata people inhabiting are Hindus. Muslims are in minority, other minority religions include Christians, Buddhist, Sikhs and Jains.
Source: 2011 Census: Language and Mother Tongue
Kolkata Language demographics
Major language spoken in Kolkata is Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, English, Maithili and Bhojpuri.
Disability
Disable population of Kolkata represented as per the table below.
Type of disability | Total Persons | Males | Females |
---|---|---|---|
In Seeing | 84,289 | 44,589 | 39,700 |
In Hearing | 63,739 | 33,617 | 30,122 |
In Speech | 28,580 | 15,540 | 13,040 |
In Movement | 37,031 | 22,536 | 14,495 |
Mental Retardation | 22,406 | 12,554 | 9,852 |
Mental Illness | 9,954 | 5,726 | 4,228 |
Others | 77,714 | 42,732 | 34,982 |
Total disabled population | 342,319 | 187,359 | 154,960 |
Kolkata Population age wise
The gender ratio of Kolkata city is gradully improving over the period of last 70 years, 899 per 1000 males in 2011, compared to 893 in 2001, 858 in 1991, 819 in 1981, 751 in 1971, 701 in 1961, 660 in 1951. Kolkata population pyramid shows the gender difference between female and male. The population is more in the age group of 5-14 years and 40-49 years. The least population observed in the age group of 70-74, 75-79 and 80+ years. The population is stable in the age group of 20-40 years.
Kolkata History
As on 1897 San Francisco call, the Calcutta population in 1897 was estimated to be 771,144. The Calcutta city and its port were bombed several times by the Japanese between 1942 and 1944, during World War II. The partition of Bengal happened in 1905 along religious lines of Muslim and Hindu that led to mass protests, making Calcutta a less hospitable place for the British, due to the massive protests in Calcutta, The capital was moved to New Delhi in 1911. According to United Nations Population Fund 1988, Calcutta's 1980 population density was 31,779 persons per sq. km.
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