The largest cities in India, 1975 to 2050
Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru and more, raced from 1975 to the UN's 2050 projections.
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What the data shows
- In 2025, New Delhi ranks #1 with 30.2M, ahead of Kolkata (22.5M) and Mumbai (20.2M).
- By 2050, on the UN's projections, New Delhi is projected to rank #1 with 33.9M, ahead of Kolkata (23.8M) and Mumbai (23.1M).
- Back in 1975, Kolkata was #1 with 10.5M.
- The top spot changed hands once: New Delhi in 2005.
- Biggest climber: Hajipur, from #9 in 1975 to #5 in 2050.
- New Delhi grew 5× between 1975 and 2025.
About this chart
Under the UN's consistent city definition, the dense urban area around New Delhi is the largest in India and one of the largest anywhere. Watch Bengaluru, the tech capital, climb past Chennai into fourth place.
Years after 2025 are UN medium projections from World Urbanization Prospects 2025.
The data
Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 19), largest Indian cities, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025). Retrieved November 3, 2026. Cities as defined by the Degree of Urbanization (contiguous dense areas), so figures differ from city-proper or metro counts.
| Date | 🇮🇳 New Delhi | 🇮🇳 Kolkata | 🇮🇳 Mumbai | 🇮🇳 Bengaluru | 🇮🇳 Hajipur | 🇮🇳 Chennai | 🇮🇳 Hyderabad | 🇮🇳 Ahmedabad | 🇮🇳 Pune |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 6.1M | 10.5M | 8.3M | 2.4M | 0.7M | 4.5M | 2.8M | 2.6M | 2.4M |
| 1980 | 7.4M | 11.8M | 9.8M | 3.1M | 0.9M | 5.2M | 3.3M | 3.0M | 2.7M |
| 1985 | 9.2M | 13.2M | 11.2M | 3.7M | 1.2M | 5.7M | 4.1M | 3.5M | 3.0M |
| 1990 | 11.6M | 14.8M | 12.8M | 4.4M | 1.8M | 6.3M | 5.1M | 4.0M | 3.4M |
| 1995 | 14.5M | 16.3M | 14.4M | 5.2M | 2.4M | 6.9M | 5.7M | 4.6M | 3.8M |
| 2000 | 18.0M | 18.4M | 16.0M | 6.1M | 3.4M | 7.6M | 6.3M | 5.1M | 4.3M |
| 2005 | 20.7M | 19.5M | 16.8M | 7.3M | 4.6M | 8.5M | 7.0M | 5.7M | 5.0M |
| 2010 | 23.2M | 20.5M | 17.7M | 8.9M | 6.4M | 9.3M | 7.6M | 6.2M | 5.7M |
| 2015 | 26.1M | 21.3M | 18.3M | 10.7M | 7.8M | 10.1M | 8.3M | 6.8M | 6.3M |
| 2020 | 29.1M | 22.0M | 19.3M | 12.9M | 9.1M | 10.9M | 9.0M | 7.5M | 6.6M |
| 2025 | 30.2M | 22.5M | 20.2M | 13.2M | 9.9M | 11.2M | 9.2M | 7.6M | 6.8M |
| 2030 | 31.3M | 23.0M | 21.1M | 13.6M | 11.1M | 11.4M | 9.3M | 7.8M | 7.1M |
| 2035 | 32.2M | 23.5M | 21.8M | 13.8M | 11.9M | 11.6M | 9.4M | 8.0M | 7.3M |
| 2040 | 32.9M | 23.6M | 22.4M | 14.0M | 12.6M | 11.6M | 9.5M | 8.1M | 7.5M |
| 2045 | 33.5M | 23.8M | 22.8M | 14.2M | 13.2M | 11.7M | 9.6M | 8.2M | 7.7M |
| 2050 | 33.9M | 23.8M | 23.1M | 14.3M | 13.7M | 11.8M | 9.5M | 8.2M | 7.7M |
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Frequently asked questions
What is the largest city in India?
In 2025, New Delhi ranks #1 with 30.2M, followed by Kolkata (22.5M) and Mumbai (20.2M). Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 19), largest Indian cities, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025).
Where does this data come from?
UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 19), largest Indian cities, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025). Retrieved November 3, 2026. Cities as defined by the Degree of Urbanization (contiguous dense areas), so figures differ from city-proper or metro counts. You can download the full table as a CSV from this page.
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