The Provisional Population Totals of Census 2011 puts Punjab's population at 27,704,236, of which 17,316,800 are rural and 10,387,436 urban.
Releasing district level provisional totals on rural-urban distribution of population of Punjab for Census 2011, Seema Jain, director census operations, Punjab, said the share of urban population has increased to 37.49 per cent as compared to 33.92 per cent in 2001.
During 2001-2011, urban population in the state has recorded a growth rate of 25.72 per cent, which is more than three times that of the rural growth rate of 7.58 per cent. Of all the districts in the state, Ludhiana (59.14 per cent), SAS Nagar(55.17per cent), Amritsar (53.64 per cent) and Jalandhar (53.18 per cent) are predominantly urban.
More than half of their population lives in urban areas. Every fifth (19.86 per cent) urban dweller in Punjab resides in Ludhiana. SAS Nagar (55.17 per cent) is the second most urbanised district.
The literacy rate in the state has increased from 69.65 per cent in 2001 to 76.68 in 2011. Rural literacy for males has increased from 71.05 per cent in 2001 to 77.92 per cent in 2011, which is an increase of 6.87 per cent and literacy rate for females has increased from 57.72 per cent in 2001 to 66.47 in 2011.
Similarly, urban literacy for males has increased from 83.05 per cent in 2001 to 87.28 per cent in 2011 registering an increase of 4.23 per cent and that of females has increased from 74.49 per cent in 2001 and 79.62 in 2011 recording an increase of 5.13 per cent during this decade.