Demographics and Language:
As per the 2001 census, the district had a population of 1,844,934 of which 1,200,224 or approximately 65% people lived in the rural areas. Sikhism and Hinduism are the predominant religion in the district: the Sikhs made about 55% of the total population whereas the Hindus accounted for 42%, the rest were from other religions. Patiala has an average literacy rate of 77%, which is more than the national average of 60%. Males constitute 54% of the district’s population and the females account for the remaining 46% population.

Punjabi is spoken throughout the district. In Patiala, the Puadhi dialect of Punjabi is spoken; the dialect is marked by the presence of a number of Hindi words in the speech of the people. English and Hindi are also widely understood by the literate community in the district. Urdu is a minority language in Patiala and it mostly used by the people who were born either before or in the 1960s.