According to the 2011 census, Simdega district has a population of 599,578,[1] roughly equal to the nation of Solomon Islands[5] or the US state of Wyoming.

[1] The district has a population density of 160 inhabitants per square kilometre (410/sq mi).

[1] Simdega has a sex ratio of 1000 females for every 1000 males;[1] and a literacy rate of 67.99%.

[1] Languages of Simdega district (2011)[7] At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 53.91% of the population spoke Sadri, 22.50% Mundari, 15.44% Kharia, 4.02% Hindi, 1.44% Kurukh and 1.36% Urdu as their first language.

In 2006, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Simdega one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).