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Chennai district, Tamil Nadu

Chennai is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu. Its headquarters is the town of the same name. At the 2011 census it had about 46.5 lakh people.

Facts at a glance

State or union territory
Tamil Nadu
Headquarters
Chennai
Name in Hindi
चेन्नई जिला
Population (2011 census)
46,46,732
Rank in Tamil Nadu by population
1st of 37
Area
174 sq km
People per sq km (2011)
26,705
Official website
chennai.tn.nic.in
Map
Open on OpenStreetMap
Check or correct
Wikidata entry Q15116
All districts of Tamil Nadu

Population in context

With 46,46,732 people in 2011, Chennai ranks 1st among the 37 districts of Tamil Nadu for which we have a 2011 figure. That makes it the most populous of them. The least populous is Perambalur (5,65,223).

District boundaries change. If Chennai has been divided or redrawn since 2011, the figure is for the district as it was then.

Nearby districts

Straight-line distance from the map point of Chennai to the map points of the nearest districts. Road distances are longer.

All 38 districts of Tamil Nadu

AriyalurChengalpattuChennaiCoimbatoreCuddaloreDharmapuriDindigulErodeKallakurichiKancheepuramKanniyakumariKarurKrishnagiriMaduraiMayiladuthuraiNagapattinamNamakkalPerambalurPudukkottaiRamanathapuramRanipetSalemSivagangaTenkasiThanjavurThe NilgirisTheniThiruvallurThiruvarurThoothukkudiTiruchirappalliTirunelveliTirupathurTiruppurTiruvannamalaiVelloreViluppuramVirudhunagar

Questions people ask

Which state is Chennai district in?

Chennai district is in Tamil Nadu, India.

What is the headquarters of Chennai district?

The headquarters of Chennai district is Chennai, as recorded on Wikidata.

What is the population of Chennai district?

Chennai district had a population of 46,46,732 at the 2011 census, as recorded on Wikidata. A newer census figure is not yet available.

About these facts. The list of districts is the official one from iGOD, the Government of India web directory, as on 11 November 2026. Headquarters, 2011 population, area and other details are from Wikidata, an open database edited by volunteers, read on 11 November 2026. They can contain mistakes. For anything important, check the district's official website. This is not a government site.