Envis Centre, Ministry of Environment & Forest, Govt. of India
Printed Date: Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Language and its percentage
Comparative ranking of Scheduled Language in descending order of speaker’s strength
Language and its percentage to total population
|
1971
|
1981*
|
1991***
|
2001****
|
Language %
|
Language %
|
Language %
|
Language %
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
1
|
Hindi
|
36.99
|
Hindi
|
38.74
|
Hindi *2
|
39.29
|
Hindi
|
41.03
|
|
2
|
Bengali
|
8.17
|
Bengali
|
7.71
|
Bengali
|
8.30
|
Bengali
|
8.11
|
|
3
|
Telugu
|
8.16
|
Telugu
|
7.61
|
Telugu
|
7.87
|
Telugu
|
7.19
|
|
4
|
Marathi
|
7.61
|
Marathi
|
7.43
|
Marathi
|
7.45
|
Marathi
|
6.99
|
|
5
|
Tamil
|
6.88
|
Urdu
|
5.25
|
Tamil
|
6.32
|
Tamil
|
5.91
|
|
6
|
Urdu
|
5.22
|
Gujarati
|
4.97
|
Urdu
|
5.18
|
Urdu
|
5.01
|
|
7
|
Gujarati
|
4.72
|
Kannada
|
3.86
|
Gujarati
|
4.85
|
Gujarati
|
4.48
|
|
8
|
Malayalam
|
4.00
|
Malayalam
|
3.86
|
Kannada
|
3.91
|
Kannada
|
3.69
|
|
9
|
Kannada
|
3.96
|
Oriya
|
3.46
|
Malayalam
|
3.62
|
Malayalam
|
3.21
|
|
10
|
Oriya
|
3.62
|
Punjabi
|
2.95
|
Oriya
|
3.35
|
Oriya
|
3.21
|
|
11
|
Punjabi
|
2.57
|
Maithili1
|
1.13
|
Punjabi
|
2.79
|
Punjabi
|
2.83
|
|
12
|
Assamese
|
1.63
|
Santali1
|
0.65
|
Assamese
|
1.56
|
Assamese
|
1.28
|
|
13
|
Maithili1
|
1.12
|
Kashmiri
|
0.48
|
Maithili1
|
0.93
|
Maithili 1 @
|
1.18
|
|
14
|
Santali1
|
0.69
|
Sindhi
|
0.31
|
Santali1
|
0.62
|
Santali 1
|
0.63
|
|
15
|
Kashmiri
|
0.46
|
Konkani2
|
0.24
|
Nepali2
|
0.25
|
Kashmiri (+)
|
0.54
|
|
16
|
Sindhi
|
0.31
|
Dogri1
|
0.23
|
Sindhi
|
0.25
|
Nepali2
|
0.28
|
|
17
|
Konkani2
|
0.28
|
Nepali2
|
0.20
|
Konkani2
|
0.21
|
Sindhi
|
0.25
|
|
18
|
Nepali2
|
0.26
|
Manipuri2
|
0.14
|
Bodo1
|
0.15
|
Konkani2
|
0.24
|
|
19
|
Dogri1
|
0.24
|
Sanskrit
|
0.00
|
Manipuri2
|
0.15
|
Dogri 1 (+)
|
0.22
|
|
20
|
Manipuri2
|
0.14
|
Assamese**
|
**
|
Sanskrit
|
0.01
|
Manipuri2 $
|
0.14
|
|
21
|
Bodo1
|
0.10
|
Bodo1
|
**
|
Kashmiri
|
***
|
Bodo 1
|
0.13
|
|
22
|
Sanskrit
|
0.00
|
Tamil**
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Source: http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement6.aspx