Population & Demographics of West Bengal
Population projections, age structure, vital statistics and NFHS-5 district indicators for West Bengal.
NFHS-5 measured West Bengal's total fertility rate at 1.64 children per woman, down from 1.77 in NFHS-4. The RGI projects the population at 10.05 crore in 2026, with a median age of 33.9 years against 27.0 in 2011. This page sets those projections beside SRS birth and death rates and NFHS-5 district indicators.
Key figures & data tables
The RGI projects West Bengal’s population at 10.05 crore on 1 March 2026 (5.12 crore male, 4.93 crore female), the 4th largest among states after Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra. The projection runs from 9.13 crore in 2011 (the Census base) to 10.29 crore in 2036. Projected density in 2026 is 1,133 people per km².
The same projection puts the median age at 33.9 years in 2026, up from 27.0 in 2011, and the share aged 60 and over at 13.3%, up from 8.6%. The 0-4 age group is projected at 6.03 million in 2026, against 7.60 million in 2011. NFHS-5 measured a total fertility rate of 1.64 children per woman, down from 1.77 in NFHS-4.
On the Sample Registration System, West Bengal’s birth rate fell from 16.3 per 1,000 in 2011 to 14.0 in 2023 (India: 18.4). The death rate peaked at 6.8 in 2021 and was 5.7 in 2023. Natural growth was 8.3 per 1,000 (India: 12.0) and infant mortality 17 per 1,000 live births (India: 25).
NFHS-5 (2019-21) state values: sex ratio at birth 973 girls per 1,000 boys, women age 15-49 literate 76.1%, institutional births 91.7%, children 12-23 months with all basic vaccinations 87.9%, children under 5 stunted 33.8% and underweight 32.2%. Of households, 97.0% have electricity, 40.2% cook with clean fuel, 89.0% have access to a toilet and 66.6% use an improved facility that is not shared.
Across the 20 NFHS-5 districts, women’s literacy ranges from 61.0% in Purulia to 87.6% in Kolkata. Child stunting is highest in Uttar Dinajpur (44.8%) and lowest in Purba Medinipur (25.8%). Toilet access is lowest in Purulia at 43.8% of households.
Fact-sheet value (76.1), on the same basis as the district column. The final state report, Table 17, gives 72.9. All basic vaccinations, card or mother's report (state report Table 60). The NFHS-5 India report, Table 9.5, gives 88.2.
The rows behind the charts above — 5 tables
›NFHS-5 indicators for West Bengal districts(20 rows)
NFHS-5 fielded West Bengal as 20 districts (June-November 2019). Alipurduar, Kalimpong and Jhargram have no separate NFHS-5 estimates. Sex ratio at birth and women's literacy come from the district fact sheets; the other columns from the district tables of the state report. Sex ratio at birth is girls per 1,000 boys born in the five years before the survey; district values rest on a few hundred births and swing widely (777 in Purba Medinipur to 1155 in Uttar Dinajpur). Values in parentheses are based on 25-49 unweighted cases. Other columns are percentages.
| District | Sex ratio at birth | Women literate 15-49 (%) | Institutional births (%) | All basic vaccinations, 12-23 months (%) | Children stunted (%) | Children underweight (%) | Households with toilet access (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kolkata | 809 | 87.6 | 97.5 | (80.2) | 29.6 | 32.9 | 98.8 |
| South 24 Parganas | 1,099 | 85.6 | 91 | 91.7 | 36.7 | 32.2 | 96.4 |
| North 24 Parganas | 889 | 85.5 | 97.5 | (92.8) | 32.4 | 23.6 | 99.4 |
| Howrah | 1,062 | 80.5 | 95.5 | (87.8) | 27.5 | 27.2 | 95.7 |
| Cooch Behar | 959 | 79.2 | 93 | 94.2 | 28.7 | 22.5 | 97 |
| Hooghly | 1,025 | 77.4 | 96.9 | (95.4) | 28.9 | 33.4 | 94.7 |
| Darjeeling | 1,059 | 77 | 98.4 | 94.2 | 34.3 | 31.6 | 97.5 |
| Purba Medinipur | 777 | 77 | 91.5 | 88.4 | 25.8 | 30.6 | 96 |
| Nadia | 982 | 76.2 | 97.7 | (89.9) | 26.1 | 25.1 | 96.6 |
| Dakshin Dinajpur | 1,067 | 74.3 | 91.4 | 92.5 | 31.9 | 30.2 | 91.5 |
| Jalpaiguri | 1,099 | 73.6 | 95.8 | 87.9 | 28.9 | 25.4 | 88.7 |
| Paschim Bardhaman | 787 | 73.5 | 89.8 | 62.4 | 39.7 | 41 | 85.1 |
| Purba Bardhaman | 877 | 73.2 | 95.9 | 97.2 | 32.7 | 31.6 | 86.2 |
| Malda | 942 | 72.3 | 87.7 | 87.2 | 40.5 | 35.3 | 90.2 |
| Paschim Medinipur | 1,005 | 70.9 | 87.6 | 76.9 | 31.1 | 40 | 73.5 |
| Birbhum | 934 | 70.8 | 90.3 | 81.5 | 37 | 41.8 | 70.1 |
| Bankura | 1,002 | 68.3 | 93.3 | (85) | 30.3 | 38.8 | 65.9 |
| Murshidabad | 1,054 | 67.6 | 87 | 90 | 39.8 | 32.4 | 92.4 |
| Uttar Dinajpur | 1,155 | 65.4 | 76.9 | 86 | 44.8 | 32 | 77.2 |
| Purulia | 860 | 61 | 89.8 | 84.7 | 36.9 | 46.3 | 43.8 |
›West Bengal state values, NFHS-5 (2019-21)(12 rows)
NFHS-5 (2019-21) State Report: West Bengal, IIPS & ICF; sex ratio at birth and women's literacy from the state fact sheet. Electricity, improved (not shared) sanitation and clean cooking fuel are shares of households (state report Table 4).
| Indicator | West Bengal |
|---|---|
| Total fertility rate (children per woman) | 1.64 |
| Total fertility rate, NFHS-4 (2015-16) | 1.77 |
| Sex ratio at birth (girls per 1,000 boys) | 973 |
| Women age 15-49 literate (%) | 76.1 |
| Institutional births (%) | 91.7 |
| Children 12-23 months with all basic vaccinations (%) | 87.9 |
| Children under 5 stunted (%) | 33.8 |
| Children under 5 underweight (%) | 32.2 |
| Households with electricity (%) | 97 |
| Households using clean cooking fuel (%) | 40.2 |
| Households with access to a toilet (%) | 89 |
| Households using an improved, not shared, sanitation facility (%) | 66.6 |
›West Bengal vital statistics, SRS: birth rate, death rate, natural growth, IMR(13 rows)
Sample Registration System, via RBI Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Tables 2, 3, 4, 11. Rates per 1,000 population; IMR per 1,000 live births.
| Year | Birth rate | Death rate | Natural growth | IMR | India birth rate | India death rate | India natural growth | India IMR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,011 | 16.3 | 6.2 | 10.1 | 32 | 21.8 | 7.1 | 14.7 | 44 |
| 2,012 | 16.1 | 6.3 | 9.7 | 32 | 21.6 | 7 | 14.5 | 42 |
| 2,013 | 16 | 6.4 | 9.6 | 31 | 21.2 | 7 | 14.4 | 40 |
| 2,014 | 15.6 | 6.1 | 9.5 | 28 | 21 | 6.7 | 14.3 | 39 |
| 2,015 | 15.5 | 5.9 | 9.6 | 26 | 20.8 | 6.5 | 14.3 | 37 |
| 2,016 | 15.4 | 5.8 | 9.6 | 25 | 20.4 | 6.4 | 14 | 34 |
| 2,017 | 15.2 | 5.8 | 9.4 | 24 | 20.2 | 6.3 | 13.9 | 33 |
| 2,018 | 15 | 5.6 | 9.3 | 22 | 20 | 6.2 | 13.8 | 32 |
| 2,019 | 14.9 | 5.3 | 9.6 | 20 | 19.7 | 6 | 13.8 | 30 |
| 2,020 | 14.6 | 5.5 | 9.1 | 19 | 19.5 | 6 | 13.5 | 28 |
| 2,021 | 14.6 | 6.8 | 7.8 | 18 | 19.3 | 7.5 | 11.8 | 27 |
| 2,022 | 14.5 | 6.3 | 8.2 | 17 | 19.1 | 6.8 | 12.3 | 26 |
| 2,023 | 14 | 5.7 | 8.3 | 17 | 18.4 | 6.4 | 12 | 25 |
›West Bengal projected population, 2011-2036 (thousands)(6 rows)
Report of the Technical Group on Population Projections for India and States 2011-2036 (NCP, MoHFW, July 2020), Table 8 and T-17. Population on 1 March; 2011 is the Census count.
| Year | Total | Male | Female | Median age | Aged 60+ (%) | Density (per km²) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,011 | 91,276 | 46,809 | 44,467 | 27.02 | 8.6 | 1,028 |
| 2,016 | 95,079 | 48,656 | 46,423 | 29.17 | 9.7 | 1,071 |
| 2,021 | 98,125 | 50,095 | 48,029 | 31.54 | 11.3 | 1,106 |
| 2,026 | 1,00,522 | 51,180 | 49,342 | 33.94 | 13.3 | 1,133 |
| 2,031 | 1,02,167 | 51,858 | 50,309 | 36.4 | 15.7 | 1,151 |
| 2,036 | 1,02,931 | 52,080 | 50,851 | 38.84 | 18.3 | 1,160 |
›West Bengal population by age and sex, 2011 and 2026 (thousands)(17 rows)
Report of the Technical Group on Population Projections for India and States 2011-2036 (NCP, MoHFW, July 2020), Table 18.
| Age group | Male 2011 | Female 2011 | Male 2026 | Female 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 3,861 | 3,735 | 3,105 | 2,920 |
| 5-9 | 4,219 | 4,037 | 3,256 | 3,060 |
| 10-14 | 4,575 | 4,341 | 3,484 | 3,271 |
| 15-19 | 4,633 | 4,386 | 3,788 | 3,670 |
| 20-24 | 4,404 | 4,250 | 4,133 | 3,947 |
| 25-29 | 4,000 | 3,909 | 4,465 | 4,233 |
| 30-34 | 3,629 | 3,553 | 4,504 | 4,282 |
| 35-39 | 3,437 | 3,326 | 4,264 | 4,162 |
| 40-44 | 3,199 | 2,973 | 3,843 | 3,817 |
| 45-49 | 2,795 | 2,482 | 3,444 | 3,444 |
| 50-54 | 2,302 | 1,983 | 3,203 | 3,184 |
| 55-59 | 1,807 | 1,583 | 2,885 | 2,784 |
| 60-64 | 1,390 | 1,299 | 2,390 | 2,230 |
| 65-69 | 1,020 | 1,008 | 1,798 | 1,646 |
| 70-74 | 784 | 815 | 1,228 | 1,156 |
| 75-79 | 490 | 473 | 763 | 787 |
| 80+ | 264 | 315 | 626 | 749 |