Darjeeling District - Demographics

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Darjeeling district has a population of 1,842,034, roughly equal to the nation of Kosovo or the US state of West Virginia. This gives it a ranking of 257th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 585 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,520 /sq mi) . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 14.47%. Darjiling has a sex ratio of 971 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 79.92%.

See also: List of West Bengal districts ranked by literacy rate

In 2001, the total population of the district was 1,609,172. The total rural population was 1,088,740 and total urban population was 520,432. Total males were 830,644 and total females were 778,528. The density of population was 511 per km2. The decennial population growth rate (1991–2001) was 23.79%.

The original inhabitants of the Darjeeling Hills were the Lepchas or Rongpa (the ravine folks) as they prefer themselves to be known as. They are decidedly Mongolian in physical features. The Limbus are another ancient inhabitants of this district. The greater bulk of the people in the hills today are the Gorkhas. They are industrious and enterprising as a race and speak Nepali and various other dialects. Among the population are the Sherpas. They are well known for their contributions to mountaineering. Also much in evidence in the hills are the Bhutias. There is also a sizable population of Tibetans who arrived from Tibet since the 1950s. In the plains, one will find several communities like the Gorkhas, the adivasi people originally from Chotanagpur and Santhal Parganas, and a greater bulk of Bengali people.