Bihar

Capital

Patna

Official Language

Hindi, Urdu

Area

94,163 km²

Districts

38

Largest City

Patna

Geography & Nature

The Ganga plain, Himalayan-fed northern rivers and the southern plateau margins shape Bihar's agricultural and flood-prone landscapes.

• Reported area: 94,163 km². Survey of India — Administrative Boundary Data.
• Forest and tree cover: 9,902.66 km²; India State of Forest Report 2023.

Districts & Cities

38 districts listed by the NIC directory on 2026-10-14.

• Major urban centres: Patna, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur.
• Largest city/town: Patna. Largest city/town using Census 2011 municipal or town boundaries; urban-agglomeration rankings can differ. Current city names are used.

State Administration

Bihar has a Governor and an elected government led by a Chief Minister. Its legislature has a Legislative Assembly and a Legislative Council. The capital is Patna.

• Administrative capital: Patna.
• Principal official language(s): Hindi, Urdu. The government language reference provides the administrative language context.

Government Institutions

Government institutions in Bihar include executive departments, district administration, public agencies and local bodies. The official directory provides routes to their published websites.

• The Legislative Assembly provides the elected legislative institution.
• District administrations and municipal or village institutions provide local public services.

People & Demographics

The official MoEFCC profile reports approximately 10.41 crore people on a Census 2011 basis. This is a historical, rounded population figure rather than a current population estimate.

• Principal official language(s): Hindi, Urdu.
• The Bihar profile includes both urban communities and rural or island settlements; language and social patterns vary locally.
• Census tables provide the detailed rural/urban, literacy, age and mother-tongue breakdowns.

Economy & Industries

Agriculture, food processing, trade, small manufacturing and services are important, with rice, wheat and maize among the principal crops.

• Economic centres include Patna, Gaya, Bhagalpur.
• Use the government's economic surveys and departmental publications for dated output, employment and investment figures.

Infrastructure

Ganga bridges, the rail network and airports at Patna and Gaya connect major urban and rural centres.

• Transport, electricity, water and digital networks support public services and economic activity.
• Project status and operational details are published by the responsible government departments and operators.

Education & Healthcare

Patna University, IIT Patna and Nalanda University are prominent institutions; AIIMS Patna and state medical colleges provide medical education and care.

• Schools, universities, government hospitals and primary care facilities serve different parts of the region.
• Check the relevant institution or department for current programmes, admissions and services.

Culture & History

Bodh Gaya, Nalanda and Rajgir connect Buddhist and ancient Indian history; Madhubani painting and Chhath are living traditions.

• Heritage sites, languages, crafts and community traditions vary across districts.
• The official tourism and culture portal provides place-specific information.

Schemes & Public Services

The Bihar government and citizen-service portal provide access to applications, certificates, departmental services and scheme information.

• Common service areas include revenue certificates, welfare applications, education, transport and local-government services; availability varies by portal.
• Open the official service listing for the current application process and requirements.