Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in India
India: Do more people live in urban or rural areas? was 35.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in India, 1000–2025
Source: HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
India recorded 35.7% for do more people live in urban or rural areas? in 2025. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and up 9.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, do more people live in urban or rural areas? in India peaked at 35.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 8.7%, in 1870.
India ranks 199th of 238 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 108 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 10.7% | 10.7% | 10.7% | 1 |
| 1100s | 11.2% | 11.2% | 11.2% | 1 |
| 1200s | 11.7% | 11.7% | 11.7% | 1 |
| 1300s | 12.1% | 12.1% | 12.1% | 1 |
| 1400s | 12.6% | 12.6% | 12.6% | 1 |
| 1500s | 13.1% | 13.1% | 13.1% | 1 |
| 1600s | 15.0% | 15.0% | 15.0% | 1 |
| 1700s | 14.0% | 14.0% | 14.0% | 1 |
| 1710s | 13.9% | 13.9% | 13.9% | 1 |
| 1720s | 13.8% | 13.8% | 13.8% | 1 |
| 1730s | 13.7% | 13.7% | 13.7% | 1 |
| 1740s | 13.6% | 13.6% | 13.6% | 1 |
| 1750s | 13.5% | 13.5% | 13.5% | 1 |
| 1760s | 13.4% | 13.4% | 13.4% | 1 |
| 1770s | 13.3% | 13.3% | 13.3% | 1 |
| 1780s | 13.2% | 13.2% | 13.2% | 1 |
| 1790s | 13.1% | 13.1% | 13.1% | 1 |
| 1800s | 13.0% | 13.0% | 13.0% | 1 |
| 1810s | 13.0% | 13.0% | 13.0% | 1 |
| 1820s | 12.0% | 12.0% | 12.0% | 1 |
| 1830s | 12.0% | 12.0% | 12.0% | 1 |
| 1840s | 11.0% | 11.0% | 11.0% | 1 |
| 1850s | 11.0% | 11.0% | 11.0% | 1 |
| 1860s | 10.0% | 10.0% | 10.0% | 1 |
| 1870s | 8.7% | 8.7% | 8.7% | 1 |
| 1880s | 9.0% | 9.0% | 9.0% | 1 |
| 1890s | 10.0% | 10.0% | 10.0% | 1 |
| 1900s | 10.9% | 10.9% | 10.9% | 1 |
| 1910s | 10.3% | 10.3% | 10.3% | 1 |
| 1920s | 11.2% | 11.2% | 11.2% | 1 |
| 1930s | 12.0% | 12.0% | 12.0% | 1 |
| 1940s | 13.9% | 13.9% | 13.9% | 1 |
| 1950s | 17.6% | 17.2% | 17.8% | 10 |
| 1960s | 18.6% | 17.9% | 19.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 21.3% | 19.7% | 23.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 24.5% | 23.5% | 25.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 26.5% | 25.6% | 27.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.0% | 27.6% | 30.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.4% | 30.9% | 33.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.9% | 34.1% | 35.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
More reference data data for India
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.8635 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.6189 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.0088 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.3046 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies -0.2053 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 233.06 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is do more people live in urban or rural areas? in India?
- Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in India was 35.7% in 2025, according to HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 35.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.7% in 1870.
- How does India rank for do more people live in urban or rural areas??
- India ranks 199th out of 238 countries with data for 2025.
- Is do more people live in urban or rural areas? rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Do more people live in urban or rural areas?. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of the population living in urban areas, combining UN estimates with modelled historical data.