Indore's 2026 population is now estimated at 3,754,331. In 1991, the population of Indore was 1,109,056. Indore has grown by 134,695 in the last year, which represents a 3.72% annual change. These population values and projections come from India census city counts via CityPopulation fallback access and World Population Review Internal Projections .
The city of Indore is known as the commercial hub of India as well as the leader in education for the entire country. Indore is also the most populated city in the Madhya Pradesh state of India. The city has been growing throughout its long history and, according to census figures, it shows no indication of slowing down.
The city of Indore covers a sizeable area totaling 530 square kilometers (approximately 204.6 square miles). The overall population density in the metro area comes to 3,800 residents per square kilometer (about 9,700 residents per square mile).
The population of Indore is divided between those who live within the city and those residing in the surrounding areas. The population living in and around the city metro area totals 2,170,295 people, with 1,042,385 women and 1,127,385 men. The interior population is those that reside within the city limits, and this number equals 1,994,397 people, with 1,020,057 women and 944,029 men.
Religion is not of huge importance in many cities throughout the world these days - with religious affiliation rates falling consistently across the globe - but India is a significant exception to that growing trend.
Religion has always been an essential part of Indian life and Indore remains primarily Hindu. Within the population of Indore, 80.18% of all people claim that they are of the Hindu religion. The second most practiced religion in the city is Islam at 14.09% of the population, followed by the Jain belief with 3.25% of the population. The remaining religions for the city of Indore are Sikhs at 1.09%, Christians at .65%, and Buddhists at .51% of the population. There is a small number (.21%) that claim no religious affiliation and the remaining .03% practice other religions.
Education is a crucial focus for the population of Indore. The statistics show that Indore has one of the highest literacy rates in the world. With 85.87% of the total population being literate, the city has no choice but to be among the educational hubs in India. The literacy rates can be further broken down into males and female. The female population reflects a lower literacy rating than the male, with females at 81.48% and males at 89.9%. In terms of actual numbers, 885,014 men can read, while 739,648 of women are literate.
The unemployment rate of a city is quite remarkable. Although the focus on education tends to draw in new people to Indore each year with hopes for a better life, the unemployment rate might keep some away. The current unemployment rate for the city of Indore is 12.4%. That is quite high even for India, but the city has a history of the erratic unemployment rate. In contrast, the average unemployment rate for the whole of India is 5%. While there are many programs in place within the city, change takes time and progress can be slow.
| City | 2026 Pop. ↓ | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi | 23,390,383 | 2.42% |
| Mumbai | 21,782,818 | 1.13% |
| Bengaluru | 15,565,994 | 4.1% |
| Kolkata | 15,440,671 | 0.63% |
| Chennai | 13,109,989 | 2.81% |
| Hyderabad | 11,868,136 | 2.95% |
| Ahmedabad | 10,588,126 | 3.46% |
| Surat | 9,580,601 | 5.03% |
| Pune | 7,888,467 | 3.01% |
| Ghaziabad | 5,029,611 | 5.13% |
| Jaipur | 4,575,390 | 2.75% |
| Kozhikode | 4,294,121 | 5.13% |
| Lucknow | 4,266,929 | 2.6% |
| Kochi | 4,143,068 | 4.57% |
| Thrissur | 3,940,307 | 5.13% |
| Coimbatore | 3,779,472 | 3.87% |
| Indore | 3,754,331 | 3.72% |
| Malappuram | 3,596,910 | 5.13% |
| Thiruvananthapuram | 3,556,039 | 5.13% |
| Kannur | 3,473,967 | 5.13% |
