States of India by Tamil speakers

This is a list of states and territories of India by number of people for whom Tamil is their mother tongue (first language).

State/territory | 1981 census[a][b] | 1991 census[c] | 2001 census | 2011 census

|
|
|
|

Tamil
pop.
[3] | % of
state
[3][4] | % of
Tamil
| Tamil
pop.
[5] | % of
state
[5][6] | % of
Tamil
| Tamil
pop.
[7] | % of
state
[7][8] | % of
Tamil
| Tamil
pop.
[9] | % of
state
[9][10] | % of
Tamil

Tamil Nadu | 41,045,591 | 85.35% | 91.76% | 48,434,744 | 86.71% | 91.38% | 55,798,916 | 89.41% | 91.78% | 63,753,997 | 88.37% | 92.36%
Karnataka | 1,385,313 | 3.76% | 3.10% | 1,728,361 | 3.84% | 3.26% | 1,874,959 | 3.55% | 3.08% | 2,110,128 | 3.45% | 3.06%
Puducherry | 534,560 | 89.18% | 1.20% | 720,473 | 89.19% | 1.36% | 861,502 | 88.42% | 1.42% | 1,100,976 | 88.22% | 1.59%
Andhra Pradesh | 654,463 | 1.23% | 1.46% | 753,484 | 1.13% | 1.42% | 769,685 | 1.01% | 1.27% | 713,848 | 0.84% | 1.03%
Maharashtra | 300,348 | 0.48% | 0.67% | 427,447 | 0.54% | 0.81% | 527,995 | 0.55% | 0.87% | 509,887 | 0.45% | 0.74%
Kerala | 603,188 | 2.39% | 1.35% | 616,010 | 2.12% | 1.16% | 596,971 | 1.87% | 0.98% | 502,516 | 1.50% | 0.73%
Delhi | 54,776 | 0.89% | 0.12% | 84,873 | 0.90% | 0.16% | 92,426 | 0.67% | 0.15% | 82,719 | 0.49% | 0.12%
Andaman & Nicobar | 26,485 | 14.81% | 0.06% | 53,536 | 19.07% | 0.10% | 62,961 | 17.68% | 0.10% | 57,830 | 15.20% | 0.08%
Gujarat | 21,852 | 0.06% | 0.05% | 34,498 | 0.08% | 0.07% | 37,092 | 0.07% | 0.06% | 40,072 | 0.07% | 0.06%
Madhya Pradesh | 32,152 | 0.06% | 0.07% | 38,562 | 0.06% | 0.07% | 24,848 | 0.04% | 0.04% | 20,544 | 0.03% | 0.03%
West Bengal | 19,447 | 0.04% | 0.04% | 25,797 | 0.04% | 0.05% | 20,238 | 0.03% | 0.03% | 15,930 | 0.02% | 0.02%
Jammu & Kashmir | 866 | 0.01% | 0.00% | n/a | n/a | n/a | 9,494 | 0.09% | 0.02% | 14,728 | 0.12% | 0.02%
Uttar Pradesh | 3,455 | 0.00% | 0.01% | 15,569 | 0.01% | 0.03% | 13,665 | 0.01% | 0.02% | 14,444 | 0.01% | 0.02%
Haryana | 4,082 | 0.03% | 0.01% | 5,202 | 0.03% | 0.01% | 10,207 | 0.05% | 0.02% | 12,658 | 0.05% | 0.02%
Punjab | 3,280 | 0.02% | 0.01% | 6,271 | 0.03% | 0.01% | 12,339 | 0.05% | 0.02% | 10,389 | 0.04% | 0.02%
Chhattisgarh | - | - | - | - | - | - | 13,241 | 0.06% | 0.02% | 10,334 | 0.04% | 0.01%
Jharkhand | - | - | - | - | - | - | 12,913 | 0.05% | 0.02% | 10,061 | 0.03% | 0.01%
Rajasthan | 5,117 | 0.01% | 0.01% | 12,461 | 0.03% | 0.02% | 11,852 | 0.02% | 0.02% | 8,939 | 0.01% | 0.01%
Goa | 3,884 | 0.37% | 0.01% | 6,818 | 0.58% | 0.01% | 7,903 | 0.59% | 0.01% | 6,947 | 0.48% | 0.01%
Odisha | 8,906 | 0.03% | 0.02% | 11,502 | 0.04% | 0.02% | 8,709 | 0.02% | 0.01% | 6,155 | 0.01% | 0.01%
Chandigarh | 3,426 | 0.78% | 0.01% | 5,318 | 0.83% | 0.01% | 5,716 | 0.63% | 0.01% | 5,579 | 0.53% | 0.01%
Assam | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1,770 | 0.01% | 0.00% | 5,672 | 0.02% | 0.01% | 5,229 | 0.02% | 0.01%
Uttarakhand | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2,215 | 0.03% | 0.00% | 2,584 | 0.03% | 0.00%
Manipur | 1,832 | 0.13% | 0.00% | 2,600 | 0.14% | 0.00% | 2,279 | 0.11% | 0.00% | 1,657 | 0.06% | 0.00%
Arunachal Pradesh | 548 | 0.09% | 0.00% | 887 | 0.10% | 0.00% | 1,595 | 0.15% | 0.00% | 1,246 | 0.09% | 0.00%
Nagaland | 258 | 0.03% | 0.00% | 1,166 | 0.10% | 0.00% | 1,441 | 0.07% | 0.00% | 1,127 | 0.06% | 0.00%
Himachal Pradesh | 458 | 0.01% | 0.00% | 569 | 0.01% | 0.00% | 1,066 | 0.02% | 0.00% | 1,038 | 0.02% | 0.00%
Bihar | 15,351 | 0.02% | 0.03% | 16,304 | 0.02% | 0.03% | 1,453 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 986 | 0.00% | 0.00%
Tripura | 131 | 0.01% | 0.00% | 423 | 0.02% | 0.00% | 1,312 | 0.04% | 0.00% | 929 | 0.03% | 0.00%
Meghalaya | 290 | 0.02% | 0.00% | 642 | 0.04% | 0.00% | 834 | 0.04% | 0.00% | 913 | 0.03% | 0.00%
Sikkim | 133 | 0.04% | 0.00% | 169 | 0.04% | 0.00% | 484 | 0.09% | 0.00% | 762 | 0.12% | 0.00%
Dadra & Nagar Haveli | 54 | 0.05% | 0.00% | 199 | 0.14% | 0.00% | 666 | 0.30% | 0.00% | 739 | 0.22% | 0.00%
Lakshadweep | 35 | 0.09% | 0.00% | 282 | 0.55% | 0.00% | 386 | 0.64% | 0.00% | 364 | 0.56% | 0.00%
Daman & Diu | - | - | - | 100 | 0.10% | 0.00% | 348 | 0.22% | 0.00% | 320 | 0.13% | 0.00%
Mizoram | 108 | 0.02% | 0.00% | 331 | 0.05% | 0.00% | 431 | 0.05% | 0.00% | 306 | 0.03% | 0.00%
India | 44,730,389 | 6.76% | 100.00% | 53,006,368 | 6.32% | 100.00% | 60,793,814 | 5.91% | 100.00% | 69,026,881 | 5.70% | 100.00%

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Excludes Assam where no census was carried out due to separatist insurgency.[1]
2. ^ Household population only i.e. excludes people in institutions.
3. ^ Excludes Jammu and Kashmir where no census was carried out due to separatist insurgency.[2]

## See also

[edit]

* List of countries and territories where Tamil is an official language
* Tamil population by nation
* Tamil population by cities

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Census shows drop in Assam population". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 30 March 2001. Retrieved 7 October 2018.[dead link]
2. ^ Sugden, Joanna; Seervai, Shanoor (9 January 2015). "Where Are India's 2011 Census Figures on Religion?". The Wall Street Journal. New York, U.S.A. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
3. ^ a b Padmanabha, P. (1987). Census of India 1981: Series 1 India Paper 1 of 1987 - Households and Household Population by Language Mainly Spoken in the Household (PDF). New Delhi, India: Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. p. 38. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
4. ^ Padmanabha, P. (1987). Census of India 1981: Series 1 India Paper 1 of 1987 - Households and Household Population by Language Mainly Spoken in the Household (PDF). New Delhi, India: Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
5. ^ a b "Tabulations Plan of Census Year - 1991: Social & Cultural Tables - C-7 : Mother Tongue - C-7 Part A (i): Distribution of the 18 Scheduled Languages". Census of India. New Delhi, India: Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
6. ^ "Tabulations Plan of Census Year - 1991: Primary Census Abstract - Primary Census Abstract Total : Primary Census Abstract Total". Census of India. New Delhi, India: Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
7. ^ a b "Census Data Online - 2001: Data on Language - Part A: Distribution of the 22 Scheduled Languages – India, States & Union Territories – 2001 Census". Census of India. New Delhi, India: Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. Archived from the original on 17 March 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
8. ^ "Census Data Online - 2001: Data on Language - Statement 2: Distribution of population by Scheduled and Other Languages - India, States and Union Territories - 2001". Census of India. New Delhi, India: Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
9. ^ a b "2011 Census Data: Data on Language and Mother Tongue - Part A : Distribution of the 22 scheduled languages - India/States/Union Territories - 2011 census" (PDF). Census of India. New Delhi, India: Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
10. ^ "2011 Census Data: Data on Language and Mother Tongue - Statement 2 : Distribution of population by Scheduled and other Languages India, States and Union Territories - 2011" (PDF). Census of India. New Delhi, India: Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. Retrieved 1 October 2018.

* v
* t
* e

Tamil language

History|

* Old Tamil
* Middle Tamil
* Modern Tamil
* Manipravalam
* Proto-Dravidian
* Proto-South Dravidian
* Tamil Sangams
* First Sangam
* Second Sangam
* Third Sangam

Dialects|

| Indian|

* Bangalore Tamil dialects
* Central Tamil dialect
* Kongu Tamil
* Madras Bashai
* Madurai Tamil
* Nellai Tamil

|

Sri Lankan|

* Negombo
* Batticaloa
* Jaffna

Southeast Asian|

* Malaysian Tamil

Sociolects|

* Arwi
* Brahmin Tamil

Literature|

| Constructs and
themes|

* Akam
* Iraichchi
* Kural
* Puram
* Thinai
* Ullurai
* Ula
* Venpa

|

Classics|

* Athichudi
* Five Great Epics
* Five Minor Epics
* Ponniyin Selvan
* Sangam literature
* Eighteen Lesser Texts
* Ettuthokai
* Pathupattu
* Poets
* Tamil books of Law
* Thirukkural

Devotional|

* Cirappuranam
* Ganapthi texts
* Vinayagar Agaval
* Kanda Puranam
* Naalayira Divya Prabhandham
* Ramavataram
* Thembavani
* Tirumurai
* Tirumurukarruppatai
* Thiruppugal
* Thiruvilaiyadal Puranam
* Tirumurai

Grammar and
dictionaries|

* Agattiyam
* Caturakarati
* Nannul
* Purapporul Venbamaalai
* Tamil Lexicon
* Tolkappiyam

Science|

* Asthana Kolahalam
* Kaṇakkatikāram
* Kaṇita Tīpikai
* Yerambam

Others|

* Commentaries
* Yalpana Vaipava Malai

Scripts|

* Kolezhuthu
* Megalithic graffiti symbols
* Modern script
* Pallava grantha
* Simplified Tamil script
* Standardisation of Tamil script
* Tamil-Brahmi
* Tamil Braille
* Vatteluttu

Lexis and grammar|

* Tamil grammar
* Tamil honorifics
* Tamil numerals

Phonology|

* Tamil phonology
* Tamil onomatopoeia
* Tamil prosody

Tamil and other languages|

* Dravido-Korean
* Words of Tamil origin
* English
* Sinhala
* Loanwords
* Indo-Aryan
* Malay

Transliteration|

* ISO
* Mozhi

Institutions|

* Central Institute of Classical Tamil
* Tamil Heritage Foundation
* Tamil Virtual University

Projects and events|

* Tanittamil Iyakkam
* Project Madurai
* World Classical Tamil Conference 2010
* World Tamil Conference

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template