Urban population in India
India: Urban population was 522.44 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in India, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in India is 522.44 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.8% on the previous year and up 20.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in India peaked at 522.44 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 78.15 million, in 1960.
That places India 2nd out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 90.29 million | 78.15 million | 103.96 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 129.75 million | 107.62 million | 155.50 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 187.82 million | 161.59 million | 214.78 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 252.15 million | 221.25 million | 284.56 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 332.11 million | 292.48 million | 374.01 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 427.44 million | 384.29 million | 469.69 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 500.21 million | 478.69 million | 522.44 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
More climate change data for India
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 14.8% (2100)
- Population growth 0.9% (2025)
- Population, total 1.46 billion (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.8% (2025)
- Urban population 35.7% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 2.2 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 66.07 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 2.2 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 2.2 tonnes per person (2024)
- Share of global CO₂ emissions vs. share of population 8.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in India?
- Urban population in India was 522.44 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 522.44 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 78.15 million in 1960.
- How does India rank for urban population?
- India ranks 2nd out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.