According to the 2011 census of India, the total population of Odisha is 41,947,358, of which 21,201,678 (50.54%) are male and 20,745,680 (49.46%) are female, or 978 females per 1000 males. This represents a 13.97% increase over the population in 2001. The population density is 269 per km2.
The dominant ethnic group is the Odia people, and Odia is the official language; it is spoken as a native language by 81.8% of the population. Linguistic minorities in the state are Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Telugu, Santali. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes form 16.53% and 22.13% of the state population, constituting 38.66% of the State population. Some of the important tribes are Santhal, Bonda, Munda, Oraon, Kandha, Mahali and Kora.
The literacy rate is 73%, with 82% of males and 64% of females being literate, according to the 2011 census.
The proportion of people living below the poverty line in 1999-2000 was 47.15% which is nearly double the Indian average of 26.10%.
Data of 1996-2001 showed the life expectancy in the state was 61.64 years, higher than the national value of years. The state has a birth rate of 23.2 per 1,000 people per year, a death rate of 9.1 per 1,000 people per year, an infant mortality rate of 65 per 1000 live birth and a maternal mortality rate of 358 per 1,000,000 live births. Odisha has a Human Development Index of 0.579 in 2004.
| District | Population | Male population | Female population | Growth | Sex ratio | Literacy | Density |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anugul | 1271703 | 654898 | 616805 | 11.55 | 942 | 78.96 | 199 |
| Balangir | 1648574 | 831349 | 817225 | 23.29 | 983 | 65.5 | 251 |
| Baleshwar | 2317419 | 1184371 | 1133048 | 14.47 | 957 | 80.66 | 609 |
| Bargarh | 1478833 | 748332 | 730501 | 9.84 | 976 | 75.16 | 253 |
| Baudh | 439917 | 220993 | 218924 | 17.82 | 991 | 72.51 | 142 |
| Bhadrak | 1506522 | 760591 | 745931 | 12.95 | 981 | 83.25 | 601 |
| Cuttack | 2618708 | 1339153 | 1279555 | 11.86 | 955 | 84.2 | 666 |
| Debagarh | 312164 | 158017 | 154147 | 13.88 | 976 | 73.07 | 106 |
| Dhenkanal | 1192948 | 612597 | 580351 | 11.82 | 947 | 79.41 | 268 |
| Gajapati | 575880 | 282041 | 293839 | 10.99 | 1042 | 54.29 | 133 |
| Ganjam | 3520151 | 1777324 | 1742827 | 11.37 | 981 | 71.88 | 429 |
| Jagatsinghapur | 1136604 | 577699 | 558905 | 7.47 | 967 | 87.13 | 681 |
| Jajapur | 1826275 | 926058 | 900217 | 12.43 | 972 | 80.44 | 630 |
| Jharsuguda | 579499 | 297014 | 282485 | 13.69 | 951 | 78.36 | 274 |
| Kalahandi | 1573054 | 785179 | 787875 | 17.79 | 1003 | 60.22 | 199 |
| Kandhamal | 731952 | 359401 | 372551 | 12.92 | 1037 | 65.12 | 91 |
| Kendrapara | 1439891 | 717695 | 722196 | 10.59 | 1006 | 85.93 | 545 |
| Kendujhar | 1802777 | 907135 | 895642 | 15.42 | 987 | 69 | 217 |
| Khordha | 2246341 | 1166949 | 1079392 | 19.65 | 925 | 87.51 | 799 |
| Koraput | 1376934 | 677864 | 699070 | 16.63 | 1031 | 49.87 | 156 |
| Malkangiri | 612727 | 303913 | 308814 | 21.53 | 1016 | 49.49 | 106 |
| Mayurbhanj | 2513895 | 1253633 | 1260262 | 13.06 | 1005 | 63.98 | 241 |
| Nabarangapur | 1218762 | 604046 | 614716 | 18.81 | 1018 | 48.2 | 230 |
| Nayagarh | 962215 | 502194 | 460021 | 11.3 | 916 | 79.17 | 247 |
| Nuapada | 606490 | 300307 | 306183 | 14.28 | 1020 | 58.2 | 157 |
| Puri | 1697983 | 865209 | 832774 | 13 | 963 | 85.37 | 488 |
| Rayagada | 961959 | 469672 | 492287 | 15.74 | 1048 | 50.88 | 136 |
| Sambalpur | 1044410 | 529424 | 514986 | 11.63 | 973 | 76.91 | 158 |
| Subarnapur | 652107 | 332897 | 319210 | 20.35 | 959 | 74.42 | 279 |
| Sundargarh | 2080664 | 1055723 | 1024941 | 13.66 | 971 | 74.13 | 214 |
