Population and Demographics of Odisha

Population Size and Growth Trends

As per the 2011 Census of India, Odisha’s total population was 41.97 million (4.19 crore), accounting for approximately 3.47 per cent of India’s total population and ranking the state 11th among Indian states and union territories by population. The projected population for 2026 is approximately 47-48 million. The decadal growth rate between 2001 and 2011 was 14.05 per cent, significantly lower than the national average of 17.70 per cent, indicating a declining fertility rate and comparatively lower in-migration. The population growth rate in Odisha has been declining steadily since the 1970s, with the total fertility rate (TFR) currently estimated at about 1.9 children per woman — slightly below the replacement level, suggesting that Odisha is on a trajectory towards population stabilisation earlier than many other Indian states.

Spatial Distribution and Density

The spatial distribution of population in Odisha is markedly uneven and closely mirrors the physiographic divisions of the state. The 2011 population density of Odisha was 270 persons per square kilometre — significantly below the national average of 382.

The coastal plains are the demographic core of Odisha, supporting the highest population densities. The districts of Cuttack, Khordha (which includes the capital Bhubaneswar), Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, and Balasore, together covering roughly a quarter of the state’s area, house about half of the state’s population, with densities often exceeding 500-600 persons per square kilometre. The Central Tablelands — Sambalpur, Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Bolangir, Sonepur — have moderate population densities in the range of 200-350, concentrated in the canal-irrigated agricultural tracts and the industrial towns. The Northern Plateau and the Eastern Ghats — the districts of Sundargarh (excluding Rourkela), Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Kandhamal, Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Nabarangpur — have the lowest densities, typically below 150 persons per square kilometre, with vast forested and hilly tracts that are very sparsely inhabited.

Demographic Composition

Scheduled Tribes (STs) constitute a very significant proportion of Odisha’s population — 22.85 per cent as per the 2011 Census, making Odisha one of the states with the highest ST percentage. The tribal population is concentrated in the districts of the Northern Plateau and the Eastern Ghats: Mayurbhanj (highest absolute ST population), Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Koraput, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, and Kandhamal. In several of these districts, tribes constitute 50-70 per cent of the total population. The major tribes include the Santal, Munda, Oraon, Gond, Khond (Kondh), Saura (Saora), Bhumij, Bonda, Gadaba, and Juang, with the last few being Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).

Scheduled Castes (SCs), at 17.13 per cent, are more evenly distributed but have higher concentrations in the coastal and central districts. The overall sex ratio of Odisha, at 979, is above the national average (943), indicating relatively better status for women compared to many other states. However, the child sex ratio (0-6 years) at 941 is a matter of concern, reflecting a degree of son preference. The literacy rate, at 72.87 per cent, is close to the national average, but with a substantial gender gap (male 81.59%, female 64.01%) and an even starker urban-rural gap, especially in the tribal districts where female literacy rates can fall below 50 per cent.

Urbanisation and Migration

Odisha is one of the least urbanised states in India. The proportion of urban population, as per the 2011 Census, was 16.69 per cent, compared to the national average of 31.14 per cent. The level of urbanisation has increased gradually — from 14.97 per cent in 2001 to 16.69 per cent in 2011 — but remains low. The urban population is concentrated in a relatively small number of cities and towns: Bhubaneswar (the only city with over 1 million population as per 2011 census municipal limits), Cuttack, Rourkela, Berhampur, Sambalpur, and Puri being the major urban centres.

Odisha has historically been a state of net out-migration, with labourers, particularly from the western and interior districts, migrating to the construction, agriculture, and industrial sectors of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. The distress migration from the KBK (Kalahandi-Bolangir-Koraput) region has been a long-standing socio-economic issue, with thousands of families migrating seasonally to work as labourers in brick kilns, construction sites, and sugarcane fields of western and southern India. The State Government and civil society organisations have been working to address the root causes of distress migration — agrarian distress, lack of employment opportunities, water scarcity — through watershed development, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), and livelihood programmes, but the phenomenon persists, albeit with reduced intensity, as a reflection of the economic vulnerabilities of the poorest sections in the tribal and interior regions.