A district in voices · Census 2011
Kalahandi
More than a single voice.
The largest recorded language group was ODIA, with 15,01,556 people (95.22%). Open the individual entries below: broad groups can contain distinct names and stories.
This is a historical district profile, not a city survey or a present-day forecast. Mother tongue, community identity, ancestry and the languages used at work are different questions.
The whole district
Denominator: 15,76,869 people in Kalahandi · all areas, 2011.
| Group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| ODIA | 15,01,556 | 95.22% |
| KUI | 53,676 | 3.40% |
| HINDI | 13,408 | 0.85% |
| TELUGU | 4,908 | 0.31% |
| BENGALI | 736 | 0.05% |
| PUNJABI | 577 | 0.04% |
| KHOND/KONDH | 543 | 0.03% |
| URDU | 297 | 0.02% |
| SINDHI | 157 | <0.01% |
| GUJARATI | 149 | <0.01% |
| ENGLISH | 98 | <0.01% |
| MALAYALAM | 95 | <0.01% |
| MARATHI | 93 | <0.01% |
| TAMIL | 92 | <0.01% |
| OTHERS | 75 | <0.01% |
| LAHNDA | 69 | <0.01% |
| HO | 66 | <0.01% |
| SANTALI | 48 | <0.01% |
| BHILI/BHILODI | 31 | <0.01% |
| KHARIA | 28 | <0.01% |
| KURUKH/ORAON | 28 | <0.01% |
| GONDI | 27 | <0.01% |
| NEPALI | 20 | <0.01% |
| KONDA | 16 | <0.01% |
| KANNADA | 15 | <0.01% |
| MAITHILI | 14 | <0.01% |
| SANSKRIT | 13 | <0.01% |
| MUNDA | 13 | <0.01% |
| KOYA | 8 | <0.01% |
| GARO | 7 | <0.01% |
| ASSAMESE | 4 | <0.01% |
| MANIPURI | 1 | <0.01% |
| SAVARA | 1 | <0.01% |
Look inside the groups: individual mother-tongue entries
The entries below are already included in their parent groups above. Do not add both tables together. Only positive recorded counts for this residence category are shown; omission is not proof of an absence of speakers today. Residual group OTHERS has no subordinate entries here.
| Entry / parent group | People | Male | Female | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odia Under ODIA · C-16 row 17220 | 14,97,949 | 7,48,235 | 7,49,714 | 95.00% |
| Kui Under KUI · C-16 row 17260 | 53,676 | 25,898 | 27,778 | 3.40% |
| Hindi Under HINDI · C-16 row 17197 | 9,835 | 5,194 | 4,641 | 0.62% |
| Telugu Under TELUGU · C-16 row 17237 | 4,908 | 2,465 | 2,443 | 0.31% |
| Sambalpuri Under ODIA · C-16 row 17222 | 2,197 | 1,114 | 1,083 | 0.14% |
| Chhattisgarhi Under HINDI · C-16 row 17195 | 1,596 | 772 | 824 | 0.10% |
| Banjari Under HINDI · C-16 row 17193 | 1,311 | 656 | 655 | 0.08% |
| Proja (Ori) Under ODIA · C-16 row 17221 | 1,246 | 591 | 655 | 0.08% |
| Bengali Under BENGALI · C-16 row 17188 | 736 | 411 | 325 | 0.05% |
| Punjabi Under PUNJABI · C-16 row 17225 | 577 | 307 | 270 | 0.04% |
| Khond/Kondh Under KHOND/KONDH · C-16 row 17254 | 543 | 271 | 272 | 0.03% |
| Urdu Under URDU · C-16 row 17239 | 297 | 152 | 145 | 0.02% |
| Laria Under HINDI · C-16 row 17199 | 230 | 106 | 124 | 0.01% |
| Others Under HINDI · C-16 row 17204 | 164 | 90 | 74 | 0.01% |
| Others Under ODIA · C-16 row 17223 | 162 | 84 | 78 | 0.01% |
| Sindhi Under SINDHI · C-16 row 17233 | 157 | 84 | 73 | <0.01% |
| Gujarati Under GUJARATI · C-16 row 17190 | 145 | 71 | 74 | <0.01% |
| English Under ENGLISH · C-16 row 17243 | 98 | 58 | 40 | <0.01% |
| Malayalam Under MALAYALAM · C-16 row 17210 | 94 | 43 | 51 | <0.01% |
| Marathi Under MARATHI · C-16 row 17215 | 93 | 47 | 46 | <0.01% |
| Tamil Under TAMIL · C-16 row 17235 | 92 | 55 | 37 | <0.01% |
| Others Under LAHNDA · C-16 row 17264 | 69 | 35 | 34 | <0.01% |
| Haryanvi Under HINDI · C-16 row 17196 | 67 | 35 | 32 | <0.01% |
| Marwari Under HINDI · C-16 row 17200 | 67 | 28 | 39 | <0.01% |
| Lohara Under HO · C-16 row 17250 | 66 | 33 | 33 | <0.01% |
| Sadan/Sadri Under HINDI · C-16 row 17203 | 42 | 20 | 22 | <0.01% |
| Santali Under SANTALI · C-16 row 17230 | 36 | 17 | 19 | <0.01% |
| Bhojpuri Under HINDI · C-16 row 17194 | 35 | 23 | 12 | <0.01% |
| Rajasthani Under HINDI · C-16 row 17202 | 32 | 19 | 13 | <0.01% |
| Baori Under BHILI/BHILODI · C-16 row 17241 | 31 | 12 | 19 | <0.01% |
| Nagpuria Under HINDI · C-16 row 17201 | 28 | 16 | 12 | <0.01% |
| Kharia Under KHARIA · C-16 row 17252 | 28 | 13 | 15 | <0.01% |
| Kurukh/Oraon Under KURUKH/ORAON · C-16 row 17262 | 28 | 14 | 14 | <0.01% |
| Nepali Under NEPALI · C-16 row 17217 | 20 | 14 | 6 | <0.01% |
| Konda Under KONDA · C-16 row 17256 | 16 | 11 | 5 | <0.01% |
| Kannada Under KANNADA · C-16 row 17206 | 15 | 9 | 6 | <0.01% |
| Others Under GONDI · C-16 row 17248 | 15 | 8 | 7 | <0.01% |
| Maithili Under MAITHILI · C-16 row 17208 | 14 | 6 | 8 | <0.01% |
| Others Under SANSKRIT · C-16 row 17227 | 13 | 6 | 7 | <0.01% |
| Munda Under MUNDA · C-16 row 17266 | 13 | 6 | 7 | <0.01% |
| Gondi Under GONDI · C-16 row 17247 | 12 | 6 | 6 | <0.01% |
| Others Under SANTALI · C-16 row 17231 | 11 | 5 | 6 | <0.01% |
| Koya Under KOYA · C-16 row 17258 | 8 | 5 | 3 | <0.01% |
| Others Under GARO · C-16 row 17245 | 7 | 3 | 4 | <0.01% |
| Assamese Under ASSAMESE · C-16 row 17186 | 4 | 0 | 4 | <0.01% |
| Others Under GUJARATI · C-16 row 17191 | 4 | 2 | 2 | <0.01% |
| Bhatri Under ODIA · C-16 row 17219 | 2 | 1 | 1 | <0.01% |
| Khortha/Khotta Under HINDI · C-16 row 17198 | 1 | 1 | 0 | <0.01% |
| Others Under MALAYALAM · C-16 row 17211 | 1 | 0 | 1 | <0.01% |
| Manipuri Under MANIPURI · C-16 row 17213 | 1 | 0 | 1 | <0.01% |
| Mahili Under SANTALI · C-16 row 17229 | 1 | 1 | 0 | <0.01% |
| Savara Under SAVARA · C-16 row 17268 | 1 | 0 | 1 | <0.01% |
Rural and urban: two views within the district
Each share below uses the population of that residence category. Rural and urban counts add to the district total; their percentages use different denominators.
Rural population breakdown
Denominator: 14,54,882 people in Kalahandi · rural areas, 2011.
| Group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| ODIA | 13,89,661 | 95.52% |
| KUI | 53,660 | 3.69% |
| HINDI | 6,282 | 0.43% |
| TELUGU | 3,552 | 0.24% |
| KHOND/KONDH | 543 | 0.04% |
| BENGALI | 464 | 0.03% |
| ENGLISH | 84 | <0.01% |
| PUNJABI | 83 | <0.01% |
| HO | 66 | <0.01% |
| TAMIL | 58 | <0.01% |
| OTHERS | 58 | <0.01% |
| GUJARATI | 57 | <0.01% |
| URDU | 44 | <0.01% |
| MALAYALAM | 40 | <0.01% |
| MARATHI | 30 | <0.01% |
| BHILI/BHILODI | 28 | <0.01% |
| KHARIA | 28 | <0.01% |
| GONDI | 27 | <0.01% |
| KURUKH/ORAON | 25 | <0.01% |
| SANTALI | 24 | <0.01% |
| KONDA | 16 | <0.01% |
| SANSKRIT | 13 | <0.01% |
| KOYA | 8 | <0.01% |
| MAITHILI | 7 | <0.01% |
| GARO | 7 | <0.01% |
| MUNDA | 6 | <0.01% |
| ASSAMESE | 4 | <0.01% |
| NEPALI | 3 | <0.01% |
| KANNADA | 2 | <0.01% |
| MANIPURI | 1 | <0.01% |
| SAVARA | 1 | <0.01% |
Look inside the groups: individual mother-tongue entries
The entries below are already included in their parent groups above. Do not add both tables together. Only positive recorded counts for this residence category are shown; omission is not proof of an absence of speakers today. Residual group OTHERS has no subordinate entries here.
| Entry / parent group | People | Male | Female | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odia Under ODIA · C-16 row 17220 | 13,86,082 | 6,91,073 | 6,95,009 | 95.27% |
| Kui Under KUI · C-16 row 17260 | 53,660 | 25,891 | 27,769 | 3.69% |
| Telugu Under TELUGU · C-16 row 17237 | 3,552 | 1,781 | 1,771 | 0.24% |
| Hindi Under HINDI · C-16 row 17197 | 3,050 | 1,603 | 1,447 | 0.21% |
| Sambalpuri Under ODIA · C-16 row 17222 | 2,184 | 1,109 | 1,075 | 0.15% |
| Chhattisgarhi Under HINDI · C-16 row 17195 | 1,347 | 657 | 690 | 0.09% |
| Banjari Under HINDI · C-16 row 17193 | 1,306 | 655 | 651 | 0.09% |
| Proja (Ori) Under ODIA · C-16 row 17221 | 1,231 | 583 | 648 | 0.08% |
| Khond/Kondh Under KHOND/KONDH · C-16 row 17254 | 543 | 271 | 272 | 0.04% |
| Bengali Under BENGALI · C-16 row 17188 | 464 | 258 | 206 | 0.03% |
| Laria Under HINDI · C-16 row 17199 | 220 | 101 | 119 | 0.02% |
| Others Under ODIA · C-16 row 17223 | 162 | 84 | 78 | 0.01% |
| Others Under HINDI · C-16 row 17204 | 148 | 80 | 68 | 0.01% |
| English Under ENGLISH · C-16 row 17243 | 84 | 51 | 33 | <0.01% |
| Punjabi Under PUNJABI · C-16 row 17225 | 83 | 46 | 37 | <0.01% |
| Haryanvi Under HINDI · C-16 row 17196 | 67 | 35 | 32 | <0.01% |
| Lohara Under HO · C-16 row 17250 | 66 | 33 | 33 | <0.01% |
| Tamil Under TAMIL · C-16 row 17235 | 58 | 36 | 22 | <0.01% |
| Gujarati Under GUJARATI · C-16 row 17190 | 57 | 31 | 26 | <0.01% |
| Urdu Under URDU · C-16 row 17239 | 44 | 20 | 24 | <0.01% |
| Sadan/Sadri Under HINDI · C-16 row 17203 | 42 | 20 | 22 | <0.01% |
| Malayalam Under MALAYALAM · C-16 row 17210 | 39 | 20 | 19 | <0.01% |
| Marwari Under HINDI · C-16 row 17200 | 35 | 15 | 20 | <0.01% |
| Marathi Under MARATHI · C-16 row 17215 | 30 | 13 | 17 | <0.01% |
| Nagpuria Under HINDI · C-16 row 17201 | 28 | 16 | 12 | <0.01% |
| Baori Under BHILI/BHILODI · C-16 row 17241 | 28 | 10 | 18 | <0.01% |
| Kharia Under KHARIA · C-16 row 17252 | 28 | 13 | 15 | <0.01% |
| Rajasthani Under HINDI · C-16 row 17202 | 26 | 16 | 10 | <0.01% |
| Kurukh/Oraon Under KURUKH/ORAON · C-16 row 17262 | 25 | 13 | 12 | <0.01% |
| Konda Under KONDA · C-16 row 17256 | 16 | 11 | 5 | <0.01% |
| Others Under GONDI · C-16 row 17248 | 15 | 8 | 7 | <0.01% |
| Others Under SANSKRIT · C-16 row 17227 | 13 | 6 | 7 | <0.01% |
| Bhojpuri Under HINDI · C-16 row 17194 | 12 | 9 | 3 | <0.01% |
| Santali Under SANTALI · C-16 row 17230 | 12 | 7 | 5 | <0.01% |
| Gondi Under GONDI · C-16 row 17247 | 12 | 6 | 6 | <0.01% |
| Others Under SANTALI · C-16 row 17231 | 11 | 5 | 6 | <0.01% |
| Koya Under KOYA · C-16 row 17258 | 8 | 5 | 3 | <0.01% |
| Maithili Under MAITHILI · C-16 row 17208 | 7 | 4 | 3 | <0.01% |
| Others Under GARO · C-16 row 17245 | 7 | 3 | 4 | <0.01% |
| Munda Under MUNDA · C-16 row 17266 | 6 | 2 | 4 | <0.01% |
| Assamese Under ASSAMESE · C-16 row 17186 | 4 | 0 | 4 | <0.01% |
| Nepali Under NEPALI · C-16 row 17217 | 3 | 3 | 0 | <0.01% |
| Kannada Under KANNADA · C-16 row 17206 | 2 | 2 | 0 | <0.01% |
| Bhatri Under ODIA · C-16 row 17219 | 2 | 1 | 1 | <0.01% |
| Khortha/Khotta Under HINDI · C-16 row 17198 | 1 | 1 | 0 | <0.01% |
| Others Under MALAYALAM · C-16 row 17211 | 1 | 0 | 1 | <0.01% |
| Manipuri Under MANIPURI · C-16 row 17213 | 1 | 0 | 1 | <0.01% |
| Mahili Under SANTALI · C-16 row 17229 | 1 | 1 | 0 | <0.01% |
| Savara Under SAVARA · C-16 row 17268 | 1 | 0 | 1 | <0.01% |
Urban population breakdown
Denominator: 1,21,987 people in Kalahandi · urban areas, 2011.
| Group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| ODIA | 1,11,895 | 91.73% |
| HINDI | 7,126 | 5.84% |
| TELUGU | 1,356 | 1.11% |
| PUNJABI | 494 | 0.40% |
| BENGALI | 272 | 0.22% |
| URDU | 253 | 0.21% |
| SINDHI | 157 | 0.13% |
| GUJARATI | 92 | 0.08% |
| LAHNDA | 69 | 0.06% |
| MARATHI | 63 | 0.05% |
| MALAYALAM | 55 | 0.05% |
| TAMIL | 34 | 0.03% |
| SANTALI | 24 | 0.02% |
| NEPALI | 17 | 0.01% |
| OTHERS | 17 | 0.01% |
| KUI | 16 | 0.01% |
| ENGLISH | 14 | 0.01% |
| KANNADA | 13 | 0.01% |
| MAITHILI | 7 | <0.01% |
| MUNDA | 7 | <0.01% |
| BHILI/BHILODI | 3 | <0.01% |
| KURUKH/ORAON | 3 | <0.01% |
Look inside the groups: individual mother-tongue entries
The entries below are already included in their parent groups above. Do not add both tables together. Only positive recorded counts for this residence category are shown; omission is not proof of an absence of speakers today. Residual group OTHERS has no subordinate entries here.
| Entry / parent group | People | Male | Female | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odia Under ODIA · C-16 row 17220 | 1,11,867 | 57,162 | 54,705 | 91.70% |
| Hindi Under HINDI · C-16 row 17197 | 6,785 | 3,591 | 3,194 | 5.56% |
| Telugu Under TELUGU · C-16 row 17237 | 1,356 | 684 | 672 | 1.11% |
| Punjabi Under PUNJABI · C-16 row 17225 | 494 | 261 | 233 | 0.40% |
| Bengali Under BENGALI · C-16 row 17188 | 272 | 153 | 119 | 0.22% |
| Urdu Under URDU · C-16 row 17239 | 253 | 132 | 121 | 0.21% |
| Chhattisgarhi Under HINDI · C-16 row 17195 | 249 | 115 | 134 | 0.20% |
| Sindhi Under SINDHI · C-16 row 17233 | 157 | 84 | 73 | 0.13% |
| Gujarati Under GUJARATI · C-16 row 17190 | 88 | 40 | 48 | 0.07% |
| Others Under LAHNDA · C-16 row 17264 | 69 | 35 | 34 | 0.06% |
| Marathi Under MARATHI · C-16 row 17215 | 63 | 34 | 29 | 0.05% |
| Malayalam Under MALAYALAM · C-16 row 17210 | 55 | 23 | 32 | 0.05% |
| Tamil Under TAMIL · C-16 row 17235 | 34 | 19 | 15 | 0.03% |
| Marwari Under HINDI · C-16 row 17200 | 32 | 13 | 19 | 0.03% |
| Santali Under SANTALI · C-16 row 17230 | 24 | 10 | 14 | 0.02% |
| Bhojpuri Under HINDI · C-16 row 17194 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 0.02% |
| Nepali Under NEPALI · C-16 row 17217 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 0.01% |
| Others Under HINDI · C-16 row 17204 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 0.01% |
| Kui Under KUI · C-16 row 17260 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 0.01% |
| Proja (Ori) Under ODIA · C-16 row 17221 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 0.01% |
| English Under ENGLISH · C-16 row 17243 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0.01% |
| Kannada Under KANNADA · C-16 row 17206 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 0.01% |
| Sambalpuri Under ODIA · C-16 row 17222 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 0.01% |
| Laria Under HINDI · C-16 row 17199 | 10 | 5 | 5 | <0.01% |
| Maithili Under MAITHILI · C-16 row 17208 | 7 | 2 | 5 | <0.01% |
| Munda Under MUNDA · C-16 row 17266 | 7 | 4 | 3 | <0.01% |
| Rajasthani Under HINDI · C-16 row 17202 | 6 | 3 | 3 | <0.01% |
| Banjari Under HINDI · C-16 row 17193 | 5 | 1 | 4 | <0.01% |
| Others Under GUJARATI · C-16 row 17191 | 4 | 2 | 2 | <0.01% |
| Baori Under BHILI/BHILODI · C-16 row 17241 | 3 | 2 | 1 | <0.01% |
| Kurukh/Oraon Under KURUKH/ORAON · C-16 row 17262 | 3 | 1 | 2 | <0.01% |
Follow a voice into its story
These introductions connect to individual mother-tongue entries recorded here. They are a selection from our growing collection, not a complete list of the district’s languages.
Take curiosity into a conversation
Ask which name a speaker uses for their language and which language they prefer for your conversation. A family memory, a local publication or a song they choose can add context that a table cannot supply.
Read about multilingual Odisha → · Share a source or correction →
Sources, geography & interpretation
Census C-16, Odisha, 2011. District code 395; source name Kalahandi. All figures derive from the original workbook retained in our KB. Parent groups contain their individual entries; classification does not determine community-preferred naming.
District figures cannot establish the languages of a particular town, accommodation provider or individual. C-17 multilingualism is statewide and is not apportioned to this district. No migration or ancestry claim is inferred.
Prepared with AI assistance under Ahimanikya Satapathy, Founder & Editor-in-Chief. Community naming and visual review remain open.