Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in India
India: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 18.9% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in India, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in India stood at 18.9%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 11.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in India peaked at 18.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 5.9%, in 1950.
That places India 79th out of 180 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in India, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 5.9% | — |
| 1955 | 6.4% | +8.9% |
| 1960 | 6.8% | +6.8% |
| 1965 | 7.5% | +9.6% |
| 1970 | 8.3% | +10.6% |
| 1975 | 8.7% | +5.9% |
| 1980 | 9.8% | +12.4% |
| 1985 | 11.1% | +12.5% |
| 1990 | 12.4% | +12.0% |
| 1995 | 13.6% | +10.2% |
| 2000 | 15.2% | +11.2% |
| 2005 | 16.1% | +6.3% |
| 2010 | 17.1% | +5.9% |
| 2015 | 17.9% | +5.1% |
| 2020 | 18.9% | +5.6% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 18.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 17.4%, 1.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- India's 18.9% is above the median for South Asia, which is 14.8%, 1.3× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.1% | 5.9% | 6.4% | 2 |
| 1960s | 7.1% | 6.8% | 7.5% | 2 |
| 1970s | 8.5% | 8.3% | 8.7% | 2 |
| 1980s | 10.4% | 9.8% | 11.1% | 2 |
| 1990s | 13.0% | 12.4% | 13.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 15.6% | 15.2% | 16.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 17.5% | 17.1% | 17.9% | 2 |
| 2020s | 18.9% | 18.9% | 18.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near India
- 76 Nicaragua 19.5% compare
- 77 Guinea 19.1% compare
- 78 Azerbaijan 19.0% compare
- 80 Kyrgyzstan 18.8% compare
- 81 Burkina Faso 18.5% compare
- 82 Portugal 18.0% compare
More reference data data for India
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 20.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 68.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 70.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 19.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 309.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1,063 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 85.03 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in India?
- Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in India was 18.9% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 18.9% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.9% in 1950.
- How does India rank for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
- India ranks 79th out of 180 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.