# Delhi – Districts List, Cities, Population & Literacy (Census 2011)

> Source: https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/

Union territory · India 

# Delhi

Delhi is a union territory of India with its capital at New Delhi. At the 2011 Census it was home to **16,787,941 people** — 1.4% of India and 19th of 36 states and union territories — in 9 districts, 124 towns and 112 villages. 98% lived in towns, and literacy was 86.2% (above the national 73.0%).

- 16,787,941people (2011)
- 9districts (2011)
- 124towns
- 86.2%literacy

## Who lives in Delhi?

Delhi had **16,787,941 people** at the 2011 Census — 1.4% of India's population and 19th of 36 states and union territories by population. There were 868 women for every 1,000 men (below the India figure of 943; 33rd of 36 states and union territories). Among children under 7 the ratio was 871 girls per 1,000 boys (the India figure is 918). An average household had 4.9 people, against 4.9 across India.

## How literate is Delhi?

86.2% of people aged 7 and over could read and write in 2011 (above India's 73.0%), 7th of 36 states and union territories. Men were at 90.9% and women at 80.8% — a gap of 10.2 points (it is 16.2 points across India). Among its districts, literacy is highest in [East](https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/east/) (89.3%) and lowest in [North East](https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/north-east/) (83.1%).

Source: [Census of India 2011, Primary Census Abstract (town, village and ward level), all districts](https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog).

## What do people in Delhi do for a living?

33.3% of people worked in 2011 (women: 10.6%). Of all workers, 0% farmed their own land, 1% were farm labourers, 3% worked in household industry and 91% in other work such as services, trade and factories; 5% were marginal workers with less than six months' work. Farming employs 1% of workers here, against 38% across India. The most farm-dependent of its districts is [North West](https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/north-west/) (2% of workers in farming) and the least is [Central](https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/central/) (0% of workers in farming).

**********

**■** Cultivators (0%) · **■** Farm labourers 1 (1%) · **■** Household industry 3 (3%) · **■** Other work 91 (91%) · **■** Marginal 5 (5%)

Source: [Census of India 2011, Primary Census Abstract (town, village and ward level), all districts](https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog).

## Cities and towns of Delhi

97.5% of people lived in towns and cities (above India's 31.1%), the most urban of 36 states and union territories. The Census counted 124 towns: 14 statutory towns with a municipality and 110 census towns — places urban in character but still governed as villages. 22 cities have 1 lakh (100,000) people or more, and 6 passed 10 lakh: [DMC](https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/north-west/saraswati-vihar/dmc/), [DMC](https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/west/patel-nagar/dmc/), [DMC](https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/south/hauz-khas/dmc/), [DMC](https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/south-west/najafgarh/dmc/), [DMC](https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/east/preet-vihar/dmc/) and [DMC](https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/north-east/seelam-pur/dmc/). The largest is [DMC](https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/north-west/saraswati-vihar/dmc/) with 2,088,846 people, home to 13% of the urban population.

Source: [Census of India 2011, Primary Census Abstract (town, village and ward level), all districts](https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog).

## Villages of Delhi

Delhi had 112 census villages, 103 of them inhabited. The average inhabited village had 4,068 people; 15 villages had 5,000 people or more. The largest: [Holambi Kalan](https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/north-west/narela/holambi-kalan/) (42,392), [Dichaon Kalan](https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/south-west/najafgarh/dichaon-kalan/) (27,255), [Qutab Pur](https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/south-west/najafgarh/qutab-pur/) (26,275), [Mamoor Pur](https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/north-west/narela/mamoor-pur/) (18,937) and [Saoda](https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/north-west/saraswati-vihar/saoda/) (16,309).

Source: [Census of India 2011, Primary Census Abstract (town, village and ward level), all districts](https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog).

## Where is Delhi, and what is it like?

The capital is New Delhi. It covers 1,484 km², so in 2011 there were about 11,313 people per km². It borders [Haryana](https://wherepedia.org/india/haryana/) and [Uttar Pradesh](https://wherepedia.org/india/uttar-pradesh/). Official languages: English, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu.

Source: [Wikidata (CC0) — capital, area, languages, neighbours; retrieved 2026-10-29](https://www.wikidata.org/).

### Weather and best time to visit

At New Delhi, the hottest month is Jun (average 36 °C), the coldest Jan (14 °C), and the wettest Jul (217 mm of rain). The most comfortable months are **October to March**.

- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec

Source: [NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29](https://power.larc.nasa.gov/).

## Delhi in history

The 11th edition of the *Encyclopaedia Britannica* (1911) described Delhi as follows. Its wording reflects its time; spellings are as printed.

> DELHI, Dehli or Dilli, the ancient capital of the Mogul empire in India, and a modern city which gives its name to a district and division of British India. The city of Delhi is situated in 28° 38′ N., 77° 13′ E., very nearly due north of Cape Comorin, and practically in a latitudinal line with the more ancient cities of Cairo and Canton. It lies in the south-east corner of the province of the Punjab, to which it was added in 1858, and abuts on the right bank of the river Jumna. Though Lahore, the more ancient city, remains the official capital of the Punjab, Delhi is historically more famous, and is now more important as a commercial and railway centre. Though the remains of earlier cities are scattered round Delhi over an area estimated to cover some 45 sq. m., modern Delhi dates only from the middle of the 17th century, when Shah Jahan rebuilt the city on its present site, adding the title Shah-jahanabad from his own name. It extends for nearly 2 m. along the right bank of the Jumna from the Water bastion to the Wellesley bastion in the south-east corner, nearly one-third of the frontage being occupied by the river wall of the palace. The northern wall, famous in the siege of Delhi in 1857, extends three-quarters of a mile from the Water bastion to the Shah, commonly known as the Mori, bastion; the length of the west wall from this bastion to the Ajmere gate is 1 m. and of the south wall to the Wellesley bastion again almost exactly the same distance, the whole land circuit being thus 3 m. The complete circuit of Delhi is 5 m. In the north wall is situated the famous Kashmir gate, while the Mori or Drain gate, which was built by a Mahratta governor, has now been removed.

Source: [Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th edition (1911) — public domain; transcription via Wikisource](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica).

Boundaries in 1901 may differ from today's; sentences describing castes or communities are omitted.

## Population of Delhi compared with India

■ Delhi · ■ India

Literacy (age 7+) ****86.2%**

**73.0%

Sex ratio (F per 1,000 M) ****868**

**943

Child sex ratio (0–6) ****871**

**918

Working population ****33.3%**

**39.8%

Source: [Census of India 2011, Primary Census Abstract (town, village and ward level), all districts](https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog).

## Districts of Delhi

District People Sub-districts Towns Literacy 

[North West](https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/north-west/) 3,656,539 3 34 84.4% 

[South](https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/south/) 2,731,929 3 25 86.6% 

[West](https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/west/) 2,543,243 3 12 87.0% 

[South West](https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/south-west/) 2,292,958 3 20 88.3% 

[North East](https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/north-east/) 2,241,624 3 16 83.1% 

[East](https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/east/) 1,709,346 3 8 89.3% 

[North](https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/north/) 887,978 3 5 86.9% 

[Central](https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/central/) 582,320 3 2 85.1% 

[New Delhi](https://wherepedia.org/india/delhi/new-delhi/) 142,004 3 2 88.3% 

Source: [Census of India 2011, Primary Census Abstract (town, village and ward level), all districts](https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog).

Boundaries and names as at the 2011 Census; districts created since then are not shown separately.

## Largest cities and towns in Delhi

- DMC · 2,088,846
- DMC · 1,879,263
- DMC · 1,836,759
- DMC · 1,578,568
- DMC · 1,286,264
- DMC · 1,181,607
- DMC · 600,943
- DMC · 579,429
- Kirari Suleman Nagar · 283,211
- Karawal Nagar · 224,281
- Nangloi Jat · 205,596
- Bhalswa Jahangir Pur · 197,148
- Sultan Pur Majra · 181,554
- Hastsal · 176,877
- Deoli · 169,122
- Dallo Pura · 154,791
- Burari · 146,190
- NDMC · 139,128
- Mustafabad · 127,167
- Gokal Pur · 121,870

## Quick answers

- What is the capital of Delhi?New Delhi
- What is the area of Delhi?1,484 km²
- Which states border Delhi?Haryana and Uttar Pradesh
- What language is spoken in Delhi?English, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu (official)
- When is the best time to visit Delhi?October to March
- What is the literacy rate of Delhi?86.2% (Census 2011)
- What is the sex ratio of Delhi?868 women per 1,000 men (Census 2011)
- How many districts are in Delhi?9 (Census 2011)
- What is the population of Delhi?16,787,941 (Census 2011)
- Which is the most populous district of Delhi?North West
- Which is the largest city in Delhi?DMC