Browse the place directories and read the reference tables below. Search and interactive comparisons need JavaScript.
Languages and mother tongues
Language classifications and historical speaker distributions, without treating them as current fluency counts.
Read the data articles
Selected checked indicators
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Measure | Value | Who or what is counted? | Period and evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population in the Hindi language group, by mother tongueIndia · Languages and mother tongues | 43.63% | All Census 2011 persons; mother-tongue returns grouped under Hindi | 2011 Official source ↗Statement 4, printed p.15 / PDF p.17, Hindi row Definition and limitsC-16 classifies mother-tongue returns; it does not measure everyone who can speak a language, bilingual ability, preferred advertising language, reading proficiency or ethnicity. The Hindi language-group total includes multiple mother tongues grouped under Hindi. It is different from the narrower Hindi mother-tongue entry. Only the 22 scheduled language groups are in this ranking. The full publication contains 121 language groups and also explains grouped, unclassified and small returns. Sanskrit’s percentage is marked N in the source, not zero. |
| Population within the 22 scheduled language groupsIndia · Languages and mother tongues | 96.71% | All Census 2011 persons; classified mother-tongue returns | 2011 Official source ↗General Note paragraph 8, printed p.4 / PDF p.6 Definition and limitsC-16 classifies mother-tongue returns; it does not measure everyone who can speak a language, bilingual ability, preferred advertising language, reading proficiency or ethnicity. The Hindi language-group total includes multiple mother tongues grouped under Hindi. It is different from the narrower Hindi mother-tongue entry. Only the 22 scheduled language groups are in this ranking. The full publication contains 121 language groups and also explains grouped, unclassified and small returns. Sanskrit’s percentage is marked N in the source, not zero. |
| Language groups in the Census 2011 publicationIndia · Languages and mother tongues | 121published language groups | Census language classification after scrutiny and grouping of mother-tongue returns | 2011 Official source ↗General Note paragraphs 4–5, printed p.4 / PDF p.6 Definition and limitsC-16 classifies mother-tongue returns; it does not measure everyone who can speak a language, bilingual ability, preferred advertising language, reading proficiency or ethnicity. The Hindi language-group total includes multiple mother tongues grouped under Hindi. It is different from the narrower Hindi mother-tongue entry. Only the 22 scheduled language groups are in this ranking. The full publication contains 121 language groups and also explains grouped, unclassified and small returns. Sanskrit’s percentage is marked N in the source, not zero. This is not an exhaustive count of every language or dialect spoken in India. |
Definitions and evidence to use
Language classifications and historical speaker distributions, without treating them as current fluency counts.
Start with the geographic unit, observation period and denominator. Compare counts with counts, rates with rates and spending at compatible prices. Read the original table’s coverage before calculating a total or interpreting a difference.
Next questions and clear gaps
The full coverage map separates delivered analysis, verified inputs and work still requiring extraction or suitable evidence. It is a research plan, not a claim that every proposed result is already published.
Open this subject in the coverage map