Pune's 2026 population is now estimated at 7,888,467. In 1991, the population of Pune was 2,493,987. Pune has grown by 230,326 in the last year, which represents a 3.01% annual change. These population values and projections come from India census city counts via CityPopulation fallback access and World Population Review Internal Projections .
Pune is the second-largest city in Maharashtra, India and the ninth largest city in the country. Pune is located on the Mutha river and it was once the power center of the Maratha Empire. Today, the city is considered Maharashtra’s culture capital. Pune has an estimated population of 3.99 million.
The city proper has a population density of 5,600 people per square kilometer (15,000/square mile) and encompasses a total surface area of 331.26 kilometers squared (127.90 square miles). The larger metropolitan area has a population of 5 million, which makes it the 7th largest metro area by population in India.
Pune is now emerging as a manufacturing and IT center with the 6th highest per capita income in India. It also has a large automotive industry and it’s the headquarters for the Automotive Research Association of India.
India as a whole has a young population with a median age of just 24 years. In Pune, 62% of the population is under 30 with a larger-than-average share of people in the 25-34 age group. The literacy rate in Pune is 86%, with a higher literacy rate of 90% for men and 81% for women.
Like many cities in India, there is a larger share of men than women. The child sex ratio is 883 girls to every 1,000 boys, compared to 902 girls for every 1,000 boys at the 2011 census. The most recent census has found a worsening sex ratio in most of India’s territories and states due to a preference for boys. It’s not uncommon in the country for female pregnancies to be aborted once the parents learn of the gender. While the country has instituted campaigns against revealing a fetus’s gender and it’s illegal, the law is nearly impossible to enforce.
The most common religion in Pune by far is Hinduism, although there are many Jewish synagogues, churches, Buddhist Viharas, Jain temples, and other religious centers in the city.
Marathi remains the most widely spoken language in Pune due to its Marathi influence. Hindi and English are also widely spoken. The city is also known for its Marathi-speaking Jewish population and renowned Ohel David Synagogue.
Pune is one of the fastest-growing cities in the Asian-Pacific and this has been true for some time. Between 1991 and 2001, the city grew by 40%, increasing from 1.6 million to 2.5 million. The decadal growth rate of Pune for the last 40 years has been at least 40% and it’s estimated that population will hit 5.6 million by 2031 if this trend continues.
The Pune Municipal Corporation has found that about 40% of the city’s population was living in slums in 2011.
| City | 2026 Pop. ↓ | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi | 23,390,383 | 2.42% |
| Mumbai | 21,782,818 | 1.13% |
| Bengaluru | 15,565,994 | 4.1% |
| Kolkata | 15,440,671 | 0.63% |
| Chennai | 13,109,989 | 2.81% |
| Hyderabad | 11,868,136 | 2.95% |
| Ahmedabad | 10,588,126 | 3.46% |
| Surat | 9,580,601 | 5.03% |
| Pune | 7,888,467 | 3.01% |
| Ghaziabad | 5,029,611 | 5.13% |
| Jaipur | 4,575,390 | 2.75% |
| Kozhikode | 4,294,121 | 5.13% |
| Lucknow | 4,266,929 | 2.6% |
| Kochi | 4,143,068 | 4.57% |
| Thrissur | 3,940,307 | 5.13% |
| Coimbatore | 3,779,472 | 3.87% |
| Indore | 3,754,331 | 3.72% |
| Malappuram | 3,596,910 | 5.13% |
| Thiruvananthapuram | 3,556,039 | 5.13% |
| Kannur | 3,473,967 | 5.13% |
