According to India’s 2011 census, Karnataka had a total population of 61,095,297, of which 30,966,657 (50.7%) were residents. Karnataka is the sixth-largest Indian state in terms of both size and population.There were 319 individuals per km2, and 38.67% of the population resided in urban areas.

There were 75.36% literate people in the population, with 82.47% of men and 68.08% of women.

Kannada, one of the classical Indian languages, is the state of Karnataka’s official language and the mother tongue of 66.46% of its citizens as of 2011.

For the 2014–15 fiscal year, Karnataka’s estimated gross state domestic product (GSDP) was 115.86 billion US dollars. Throughout the years 2014–2015, the state’s GSDP expanded at a 7% yearly pace. India’s GDP benefited from Karnataka’s contribution of 7.54% in the fiscal year 2014–2015.

A 2013-2014 employment survey found that Karnataka had a 1.8% unemployment rate, which was lower than the 4.9% national average.In Karnataka, the employment rate for those working in agriculture and related industries is close to 56 percent.

UB Labs, Bharat Heavy Electricals, Bharat Earth Movers, and HMT (formerly Hindustan Machine Tools) are some of the biggest public companies in India. Bangalore is also the manufacturing centre for the state of Karnataka.Karnataka is also home to many of India’s best institutions for scientific and technological research. These include the Indian Space Research Organization, the Central Power Research Institute, and the Central Food Technological Research Institute.

A refinery for oil is situated in Mangalore, called Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd.

In the sector of IT, Karnataka has become the national leader in India (information technology). In Karnataka, there were around 2,000 businesses in operation in 2007. Many of them have their headquarters in the state, including two of the biggest software companies in India, Infosys and Wipro. In 2006–2007, these companies exported more than 500 billion (equivalent to 1.4 trillion or US$17 billion in 2020), making up roughly 38% of all Indian IT exports.

Karnataka is the nation’s leader in biotechnology as well. With 60% of the nation’s biotechnology companies situated here, it is the location of the largest biocluster in all of India.Flower agriculture, which currently covers 18,000 hectares of land, is a new part of the state’s economy that exports flowers and other plants to countries all over the world.

In India, Karnataka is home to the majority of the silk industry.Most of India’s silk industry is in the state of Karnataka, and most of it is in the city of Doddaballapur, which is in the Bangalore Rural district.The state government plans to invest 700 million rupees (equal to 1.2 billion or US$15 million in 2020) in a “Silk City” at Muddenahalli in the Chikkaballapura district.

Seven of India’s banks, including the State Bank of Mysore, Corporation Bank, Vijaya Bank, Karnataka Bank, and ING Vysya Bank, were founded in this state: Canara Bank, Syndicate Bank, Corporation Bank, Vijaya Bank, and Karnataka Bank.
In the coastal districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada, where there is one bank branch for every 500 persons, is where India’s best bank distribution can be found.In March 2002, Karnataka had 4767 branches of various banks, with an average of 11,000 customers per location—a lower number than the 16,000 average for the country.