Demographics
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1871 | 44,444 | — |
| 1881 | 50,098 | +12.7% |
| 1891 | 54,307 | +8.4% |
| 1901 | 59,673 | +9.9% |
| 1911 | 64,647 | +8.3% |
| 1921 | 60,700 | −6.1% |
| 1931 | 62,317 | +2.7% |
| 1941 | 67,008 | +7.5% |
| 1951 | 91,648 | +36.8% |
| 1961 | 92,581 | +1.0% |
| 1971 | 113,130 | +22.2% |
| 1981 | 132,832 | +17.4% |
| 1991 | 139,449 | +5.0% |
| 2001 | 140,021 | +0.4% |
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According to the 2001 census, Kumbakonam had a population of 140,021. The male population was 69,607 while the female population was 70,414, making the sex ratio to 1,006. Kumbakonam town and its suburbs constitute the 15th largest urban agglomeration in Tamil Nadu and the 290th in India. There were a total of 31,082 households. The total children under the age of six was 14,375. A total of 7,539 people constituting 6% of the total population belonged to Scheduled Castes (SC) and 70 people constituting 0.06% of the population belonged to Scheduled tribes (ST). The town had 108,502 literates, making the literacy rate of the town to 86.47%. The male literacy rate was 82.18% and the female literacy rate was 76.76%. There were a total of 46,730 workers, comprising 395 cultivators, 868 main agricultural labourers, 5186 in house hold industries, 38,097 other workers, 2,184 marginal workers, 20 marginal cultivators, 237 marginal agricultural labourers, 351 marginal workers in household industries and 1,576 other marginal workers.
Kumbakonam has a strong Hindu majority; but it also has sizeable Muslim and Christian populations. Among Hindus, Kallars, Thondaimandala Mudaliars, Brahmins and Dalits are the numerically dominant Tamil-speaking groups. Brahmins are more numerous and affluent in Kumbakonam than in other parts of Tamil Nadu. There are also large populations of Moopanars, Vanniyars, Konars and Nadars. Amongst Muslims, the Sunnis are dominant. However, there is also a significant Shia minority. Most of the Muslims are Marakkayars or Labbays. The majority of Muslims in Kumbakonam are involved in commerce or maritime trade. Kumbakonam also has a large population of Protestant Christians largely due to the efforts of the German missionary Christian Friedrich Schwarz. The Catholics in Kumbakonam are mainly affiliated to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kumbakonam which was separated from the Archdiocese of Pondicherry in 1899.
The population of Kumbakonam is predominantly Tamil-speaking. The commonly used dialects is the Central Tamil dialect. There are significant minorities speaking Thanjavur Marathi, Telugu, Kannada and Saurashtrian as their mother tongue.
Residential areas make up 32.09% of the town's total area while commercial enterprises and industrial units make up 2.75% and 1.21% respectively. The non-urban portion of the town constitutes about 44.72% of the total area. Kumbakonam has a total of 45 slums with a population of 49,117.
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