Editing Chhattisgarh (section)

== Demographics ==
{{Historical population
| source = [[Census of India]]<ref name="Census Population">{{cite web|url=http://indiabudget.nic.in/es2006-07/chapt2007/tab97.pdf|title=Census Population|work=Census of India|publisher=Ministry of Finance India|access-date=18 December 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219073658/http://indiabudget.nic.in/es2006-07/chapt2007/tab97.pdf|archive-date=19 December 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="2011census">{{cite web|url=http://www.census2011.co.in/states.php|title=States Census 2011|work=Census of India|publisher=Ministry of Finance India|access-date=18 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140214170814/http://www.census2011.co.in/states.php|archive-date=14 February 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| 1901 | 4181554
| 1911 | 5191583
| 1921 | 5264976
| 1931 | 6028778
| 1941 | 6814886
| 1951 | 7457000
| 1961 | 9154000
| 1971 | 11637000
| 1981 | 14010000
| 1991 | 17615000
| 2001 | 20834000
| 2011 | 25540198
}}

Chhattisgarh has an urban population of 23.4% (around 5.1&nbsp;million people in 2011) residing in urban areas. According to a report by the government of India,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ncw.nic.in/pdfreports/Gender%20Profile-Chhattisgarh.pdf |title=NCW Report, page 4 |publisher=National Commission of Women, Government of India |access-date=22 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090619081035/http://ncw.nic.in/pdfreports/Gender%20Profile-Chhattisgarh.pdf |archive-date=19 June 2009 }}</ref> at least 30% are [[Scheduled Tribes]], 12% are [[Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes|Scheduled Castes]] and over 45.5% belong to the official list of [[Other Backward Class]]es. The plains are numerically dominated by castes such as [[Teli]], [[Ghasidas|Satnami]] and [[Yadav]] while forest areas are mainly occupied by tribes such as [[Gondi people|Gond]], [[Halba (tribe)|Halba]], [[Kamar language|Kamar]]/Bujia and [[Oraon people|Oraon]]. There is also a major [[Odia people|general]] population like [[Rajput]]s, [[Brahmin]],[[Kurmi]], Bania etc. A community of [[Bengalis]] has existed in major cities since the times of the [[British Raj]]. They are associated with education, industry, and services.

[[File:Danteswari Temple 0034.jpg|thumb|[[Danteshwari Temple]] is one of the [[Shakti Pitha|Shakti peethas]]|alt=|left]]

=== Religion ===
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Religion in Chhattisgarh (2011)
|label1 = [[Hinduism]] |color1 = DarkOrange |value1 = 93.25
|label2 = [[Islam]] |color2 = Green |value2 = 2.02
|label3 = [[Christianity in Chhattisgarh|Christianity]] |color3 = Blue |value3 = 1.92
|label4 = [[Buddhism]] |color4 = Gold |value4 = 0.28
|label5 = [[Sikhism]] |color5 = DarkKhaki |value5 = 0.27
|label6 = [[Jainism]] |color6 = Brown |value6 = 0.24
|label7 = Other <small>(Tribal religion)</small> |color7 = Chartreuse |value7 = 1.94
|label8 = None or not stated |value8 = 0.09 |color8 = black
}}

According to the 2011 census, 93.25% of Chhattisgarh's population practised Hinduism, while 2.02% followed [[Islam]], 1.92% followed Christianity and a smaller number followed [[Buddhism]], [[Sikhism]], [[Jainism]] or other religions.<ref name="census2011">{{cite web|date=2011|title=Details of communities shown under 'Other Religions and Persuasions'|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/DDW00C-01%20Appendix%20MDDS.xlsx|url-status=live|website=censusindia.gov.in|publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160803134400/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/DDW00C-01%20Appendix%20MDDS.xlsx |archive-date=3 August 2016 }}</ref>

Hindus are the majority in the state and are the dominant religion in all districts of the state. One sect particular to Chhattisgarh are the Satnamis aka [[Satnampanth|Satnampanthis]], who follow [[Ghasidas|Guru Ghasidas]], a saint who promoted bhakti towards God and against the caste system. Chhattisgarh has many famous pilgrimage sites, such as the [[Bambleshwari Temple]] in [[Dongargarh]] and [[Danteshwari Temple|Danteshwari temple]] in the [[Dantewada]], one of the Shakti Peethas. Buddhism was once a major religion in Chhattisgarh.

Islam is the second-largest religion, concentrated in urban centres. Most Christians are tribals from the Surguija region.

=== Language ===
[[File:Language Map of Chhattisgarh (2011 Census).svg|left|200px|thumb|Languages spoken by district<br />
'''Chhattisgarhi'''
{{legend|#f3ead8|30–40%}}
{{legend|#e1caa8|50–60%}}
{{legend|#dab98b|60–70%}}
{{legend|#cca266|70-80%}}
{{legend|#cca266|80-90%}}
{{legend|#ac7c39|90–100%}}
'''Gondi'''
{{legend|#5cc2d6|50–60%}}
{{legend|#31abc3|60–70%}}
'''Nagpuri'''
{{legend|#edcec5ff|40–50%}}
'''Hindi'''
{{legend|#ffe0d1|30–40%}}
'''Halbi'''
{{legend|#e6e1cc|30–40%}}
{{legend|#d9d0b0|40–50%}}
]]

{{Main|Chhattisgarhi language}}

{{Pie chart
|caption = Language data from 2011 census<ref>{{cite web|url=http://censusindia.gov.in/2011Census/Language_MTs.html|title=Table C-16: Language by States and Union Territories - Chhattisgarh|website=censusindia.gov.in|access-date=2 January 2021|archive-date=3 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203011431/https://censusindia.gov.in/2011Census/Language_MTs.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
|label1 = [[Chhattisgarhi language|Chhattisgarhi ]](Including [[Surgujia]] dialect)
|value1 = 68.7
|label2 = [[Hindi]]
|value2 = 10.61
|label3 = [[Gondi language|Gondi]] |value3 = 3.95
|label4 = [[Halbi language|Halbi]] |value4 = 2.76
|label5 = [[Odia language|Odia]] |value5 = 2.68
|label6 = [[Sadri language|Sadri]] |value6 = 2.53
|label7 = [[Kurukh language|Kurukh]] |value7 = 2.02
|label8 = [[Bengali language|Bengali]] |value8 = 0.95
|other = yes
|other-color = grey
}}

The official language of the state is [[Hindi]], with [[Chhattisgarhi language|Chhattisgarhi]] being the additional official language. Chhattisgarhi is spoken and understood by the majority of people in Chhattisgarh and is the dominant language in the Chhattisgarh plain. Chhattisgarhi is called Khaltahi by tribals and Laria in [[Odia language|Odia]]. Chhattisgarhi is itself divided into many dialects, one of the most distinct being [[Surgujia dialect|Surgujia]] from the Surguja region, which is sometimes considered its own language. Near the Uttar Pradesh border this dialect merges into [[Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri]], while it merges with [[Bagheli language|Bagheli]] near the Madhya Pradesh border. Surgujia also merges into [[Sadri language|Sadri]] in the northeast along the border with Jharkhand. [[Hindi]] is spoken by many migrants from outside the state, and is a major language in the cities and industrial centres, while many whose language is actually Chhattisgarhi record their speech as Hindi in the census. [[Odia language|Odia]] is widely spoken in eastern Chhattisgarh, especially near the Odisha border. Telugu and Marathi speaking minorities can be found along the Telangana and Maharashtra borders respectively. In the eastern Bastar region, [[Halbi language|Halbi]] and [[Bhatri language|Bhatri]] are major languages.

In addition, Chhattisgarh has several indigenous languages. [[Kurukh language|Kurukh]] and [[Korwa language|Korwa]] are both spoken in the Surguja region. [[Gondi language|Gondi]] is a major language in southern Chhattisgarh: Bastar and the adjoining districts. Gondi has many dialects, such as [[Muria language|Muria]] in north Bastar, which transitions to [[Madiya language|Madia]] further south and Dorli, transitional between Gondi and [[Koya language|Koya]], along the borders of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. In the east of Bastar. Most Gonds in the north and east of Bastar, as well as the rest of the state, speak regional languages and have largely forgotten their original tongue.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://kanker.gov.in/art.html|title=District - North Baster, Kanker|date=8 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008235722/http://kanker.gov.in/art.html|archive-date=8 October 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://bastar.gov.in/people_and_culture.htm|title=District-Bastar, Chhattishgarh|publisher=bastar.gov.in|access-date=13 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916000959/http://bastar.gov.in/people_and_culture.htm|archive-date=16 September 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.languageinindia.com/junjulaug2001/bastar.html|title=Language in India|publisher=languageinindia.com|access-date=13 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202231005/http://www.languageinindia.com/junjulaug2001/bastar.html|archive-date=2 December 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cmijag.in/Bastar.html|title=BASTAR REGION|website=cmijag.in|access-date=13 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913230846/http://www.cmijag.in/Bastar.html|archive-date=13 September 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Gender ratio ===
Chhattisgarh has a high female-male [[human sex ratio|sex ratio]] (991)<ref>{{cite web|title=Chhattisgarh, At a glance|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/data_files/Chhattishgarh/2.%20Chhattishgarh%20Figures%20at%20a%20glance.pdf|publisher=Census 2011, Ministry of Home Affair, India|access-date=22 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813034404/http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/data_files/Chhattishgarh/2.%20Chhattishgarh%20Figures%20at%20a%20glance.pdf|archive-date=13 August 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> ranking at the fifth position among other states of India. Although this ratio is small compared to other states, it is unique in India because Chhattisgarh is the 10th-largest state in India.

The gender ratio (number of females per 1,000 males) has been steadily declining over 20th century in Chhattisgarh. But it is conspicuous that Chhattisgarh always had a better female-to-male ratio compared with national average.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! 1901 !! 1911 !! 1921 !! 1931 !! 1941 !! 1951 !! 1961 !! 1971 !! 1981 !! 1991 !! 2001 !! 2011
|-
| India || 972 || 964 || 955 || 950 || 945 || 946 || 941 || 930 || 934 || 927 || 933 || 940
|-
| Chhattisgarh || 1046 || 1039 ||1041 || 1043 || 1032 || 1024 || 1008 || 998 || 998 || 985 || 989 || 991
|}
Rural women, although poor, are independent, better organised, and socially outspoken. According to another local custom, women can choose to terminate a marriage relationship through a custom called ''chudi pahanana'', if she desires. Most of the old temples and shrines follow [[Shaktism]] and are goddess-centric (e.g., [[Shabari]], [[Mahamaya]], [[Danteshwari Temple|Danteshwari]]) and the existence of these temples gives insight into the historical and current social fabric of this state. However, a mention of these progressive local customs in no way suggests that the ideology of female subservience does not exist in Chhattisgarh. On the contrary, male authority and dominance are seen quite clearly in social and cultural life.<ref>{{cite web|title=Social Structure in Chhattisgarh |url=http://www.korbacity.com/index.php/know-more-about-chhattisgarh/chhattisgarh-social-structure.html |access-date=22 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720005404/http://www.korbacity.com/index.php/know-more-about-chhattisgarh/chhattisgarh-social-structure.html |archive-date=20 July 2011 }}</ref>