According to the census of 2001, Mysore city had a total population of 799,228 with 406,363 males and 392,865 females, making it the second largest city in Karnataka.[1][37] The gender ratio of the city is 967 females to every 1000 males and the population density is 6223.55 persons per km2. Among the population, 76.76% are Hindus, 19% are Muslims, 2.84% are Christians and the remaining belong to other religions.[38] The city's population crossed the 100,000 mark in the census of 1931 and has seen a population growth of 20.5% in the decade 1991–2001. The literacy rate of the city is 82.8%, which is much higher than the state's average of 67%.[27]:p.32 Kannada is the most widely spoken language in the city. Nineteen percent of the population in Mysore live below the poverty line and 8.95% of the population live in slums. Though 35.7% of the population in the urban areas of Karnataka are workers, only 33.3% of the population in Mysore city belong to the working class.[37] People belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled tribes contribute to 15.1% of the population.[37] Mysore has seen a spurt in crime with 805 incidents of crime reported in 2005, higher than the 510 incidents of crime reported in 2003.[39]
The residents of the city are known as Mysoreans in English and Mysoorinavaru in Kannada. The ongoing dispute between the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over the sharing of the Kaveri River water, has frequent repercussions in the city leading to minor altercations and demonstrations.[40] Growth in the Information Technology industry in Mysore has led to a change in the demographic profile of the city and has been a cause of concern for some citizens of the city
