According to the **2011 Census of India**, Karnataka had a population of **61,095,297**, making it one of India’s more populous states. Since 2011, the population has certainly grown, but a newer official national census figure is not yet available. Population distribution is uneven: Bengaluru Urban is one of the most densely settled districts, while some forested and dry interior districts remain more sparsely populated.
### Demographic profile - **Urbanization:** Karnataka is significantly urbanized by Indian standards, led by Bengaluru, Mysuru, Hubballi-Dharwad, Mangaluru, Belagavi, Kalaburagi, and other municipal centers. - **Rural population:** Large rural populations remain important, especially in agriculture-dependent districts. - **Gender:** Like much of India, the sex ratio varies by district; the state-level figure is available from the Census of India. - **Age structure:** Karnataka has a relatively young population, though major cities show growing professional and student populations with migration from across India.
### Languages - **Official language:** Kannada - **Widely spoken additional languages:** Urdu, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Tulu, Konkani, Kodava Takk, Hindi, and English in education, business, and administration - Linguistic diversity is especially visible in border districts and coastal regions.
### Social and cultural composition - Karnataka is religiously and culturally diverse, with major **Hindu**, **Muslim**, **Christian**, **Jain**, **Buddhist**, and **Sikh** communities, along with smaller tribal and local faith traditions. - Caste, community, and regional identities remain important in politics and social organization. - Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes form significant shares of the population in several districts.
### Education and work - Literacy has improved substantially over time, though urban-rural and gender disparities remain in some areas. - Employment spans agriculture, services, manufacturing, construction, trade, transport, information technology, and government employment. - Bengaluru’s labor market has attracted migrants from throughout India and abroad, while many rural districts continue to depend on seasonal agriculture and informal work.
### Income and employment _Statewide median-income style figures are not consistently presented in the same way across official Indian sources._
Income, education, and employment conditions vary widely between high-growth urban centers and less-developed rural districts. Bengaluru and a few industrial clusters have much higher average earnings than many agrarian districts.