34.8 lakh people in 9,15,967 households across 9 tehsils, as counted by Census 2011. Market size, development indicators and religious composition in one place — every figure from the official tables.
Religious composition · Census 2011, district-level
Out of every 100 residents
- Hindu95.5%
- Muslim2.7%
- Christian1.5%
- Religion not stated0.1%
- Sikh<0.1%
- Buddhist<0.1%
- Jain<0.1%
- Other religions<0.1%
- Scheduled Castes (SC)16.7%
- Scheduled Tribes (ST)3.4%
Population, urbanisation and the share of households owning key assets — the starting point for sizing a district market.
Households owning (% of households)
What workers do
Main workers 15,61,030, marginal workers 1,33,130. Shares of all workers.
State and India amenity figures are weighted by households from the published district percentages.
Basic-service coverage from the Houselisting & Housing Census 2011, with literacy from the Primary Census Abstract.
Census 2011 counts people by religion and records Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe status. These are district population figures, not voter or constituency figures.
Census 2011, district-level
Population counts from Census 2011 — not voters and not constituency-level figures. There is no official Census data on OBC or General castes. The Census has not published a caste count other than SC and ST since 1931, so this page shows none.Out of every 100 residents
- Hindu95.5%33,26,357
- Muslim2.7%95,487
- Christian1.5%53,841
- Religion not stated0.1%4,547
- Sikh<0.1%412
- Buddhist<0.1%174
- Jain<0.1%992
- Other religions<0.1%246
- Scheduled Castes (SC)16.7%
- Scheduled Tribes (ST)3.4%
Sub-district rows from the Primary Census Abstract and table C-01. Tehsil boundaries are as they stood in 2011.
| Tehsils | Population | Households | Urban population | Literacy | Female literacy | SC | ST | Hindu | Muslim | Christian | Sikh | Religious composition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mettur | 4,19,887 | 1,12,155 | 43.4% | 70.1% | 61.4% | 13.0% | 2.3% | 97.3% | 0.9% | 1.7% | 0.0% | |
| Omalur | 4,94,355 | 1,25,462 | 20.7% | 66.3% | 57.3% | 18.3% | 1.1% | 97.9% | 1.0% | 1.1% | 0.0% | |
| Edappadi | 2,23,756 | 60,916 | 32.9% | 63.0% | 52.8% | 10.2% | 0.1% | 98.4% | 1.0% | 0.6% | 0.0% | |
| Sankari | 2,41,783 | 66,453 | 45.7% | 67.8% | 58.3% | 14.5% | 0.4% | 98.0% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 0.0% | |
| Salem | 12,72,743 | 3,32,749 | 82.9% | 79.6% | 73.6% | 13.9% | 0.9% | 92.7% | 5.2% | 1.8% | 0.0% | |
| Yercaud | 41,869 | 10,772 | 27.7% | 61.5% | 52.3% | 13.1% | 67.2% | 89.9% | 0.9% | 9.1% | 0.0% | |
| Vazhapadi | 1,95,412 | 50,954 | 24.0% | 73.1% | 65.0% | 26.8% | 5.5% | 97.2% | 1.0% | 1.6% | 0.0% | |
| Attur | 4,30,949 | 1,12,668 | 28.7% | 72.5% | 64.3% | 23.8% | 9.6% | 97.1% | 2.1% | 0.7% | 0.0% | |
| Gangavalli | 1,61,302 | 43,838 | 42.0% | 71.7% | 63.6% | 25.4% | 6.6% | 93.7% | 3.3% | 2.9% | 0.0% |
Table scrolls sideways on small screens.
Seats whose area falls in this Census 2011 district, as drawn by the 2008 delimitation (or the Local Government Directory's ward mapping where that is the only link).
- Gangavalli#81 · SC
- Attur#82 · SC
- Yercaud#83 · ST
- Omalur#84
- Mettur#85
- Edappadi#86
- Sankari#87
- Salem (west)#88
- Salem (north)#89
- Salem (south)#90
- Veerapandi#91
Other districts of Tamil Nadu
Census 2011 is the latest official count. For today's numbers, our field teams run verified surveys — pick what you need and we'll call back with scope and a quote.
Answers use Census of India 2011 tables and NITI Aayog's Aspirational Districts list.
What is the population of Salem district?
Census 2011 counted 34,82,056 people in Salem — 17,81,571 men and 17,00,485 women (sex ratio 954 women per 1,000 men). 51.0% of them lived in urban areas.
What is the religious composition of Salem?
By Census 2011, Salem's population was Hindu 95.5%, Muslim 2.7% and Christian 1.5%. These are population shares for the whole district, not voter figures.
What share of Salem is SC and ST?
Scheduled Castes were 16.7% and Scheduled Tribes 3.4% of the district's population in Census 2011. There is no official Census count of OBC or General castes.
What is the literacy rate of Salem?
Census 2011 literacy (age 7 and above) was 72.9%; female literacy was 65.2%.
Why are these 2011 figures?
Census 2011 is the latest completed population census of India. The 2021 Census was postponed; the next Census has been notified with a reference date of 1 March 2027 (1 October 2026 for snow-bound areas), and no results from it have been published yet. Until they are, the 2011 tables remain the official source for district-level population, religion and SC/ST figures.
Source: Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India — Census of India 2011, district code 33-608: Primary Census Abstract, C-01 religion table, HH-14 amenities and assets and A-01 area table (censusindia.gov.in). Aspirational Districts: NITI Aayog list. Seat links: 2008 delimitation district of each assembly seat and the Local Government Directory. Percentages are calculated from the published counts; amenity percentages are as published in table HH-14.
Each page below is built from an official source and credited on the page.
- Gram panchayat list, SalemEvery block, panchayat and village (LGD)
- Gangavalli assembly seatConstituency result and history
- Attur assembly seatConstituency result and history
- Yercaud assembly seatConstituency result and history
- Omalur assembly seatConstituency result and history
- Tamil Nadu state profileSeats, parties and turnout at a glance
- Tamil Nadu assembly election resultsEvery vidhan sabha seat, ECI results
- Tamil Nadu Lok Sabha resultsEvery parliamentary seat, 2024 and earlier
- Tamil Nadu districts: Census 2011Population, religion, SC/ST by district
- Gram panchayat list, Tamil NaduBlocks, panchayats and villages (LGD)
- CSR spend in Tamil NaduCompany CSR spending by year and sector (MCA)
- Urban local bodies in Tamil NaduMunicipal corporations, councils, wards