## Demographics
West Bengal is one of India’s most populous states, with a strong Bengali cultural majority but substantial linguistic, religious, and ethnic diversity across regions.
### Snapshot - Capital: **Kolkata** - Official language: **Bengali** (with English widely used in administration and higher education; other languages also recognized in practice in different regions) - Population: over **90 million** according to the **2011 Census**, with subsequent estimates higher. - Settlement pattern: densely populated plains and urban belts, with distinct hill, forest, tea-garden, border, and delta communities.
### Demographic table | Category | Notes | |---|---| | Population | About 91.3 million (Census 2011) | | Urbanization | Significant urban population, especially in Kolkata metropolitan region; still majority rural | | Main language | Bengali | | Other languages | Hindi, Urdu, Nepali, Santali, Kurmali, Rajbanshi/Kamtapuri and others depending on district | | Major religions | Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, others | | Tribal communities | Present in western, northern, and some tea-garden regions; includes Santals, Oraons, Mundas, Lepchas, and others |
### Composition by broad community | Dimension | Broad picture | |---|---| | Ethnic/cultural composition | Predominantly Bengali, with large non-Bengali communities and many indigenous/tribal groups | | Religion | Hindu majority; Muslim minority forms a large share of population; smaller Christian, Buddhist, and other communities | | Age structure | Large working-age population, with growing elderly population in urban areas | | Language distribution | Bengali dominant statewide; multilingual districts in the north, west, and metropolitan areas |
### Regional variation - **Kolkata and surroundings**: highly urban, multilingual, diverse by religion and occupation. - **North Bengal**: more Nepali-speaking, Adivasi, Rajbanshi, and tea-garden-linked communities. - **Western districts**: larger tribal populations in some areas. - **Southern delta districts**: rural populations shaped by fisheries, farming, and climate vulnerability. - **Border districts**: often culturally mixed and historically shaped by migration.
### Migration and identity - Partition and later migration profoundly shaped the state’s population and urban culture. - Internal migration from rural districts into Kolkata and other urban centers remains significant. - The state’s social fabric reflects long traditions of literature, labor movements, trade, and refugee settlement.
