List of the Largest Cities in India

India is one of the largest countries in the world with an estimated population of 1,372,236,549. Researchers predict that this population will rise to higher than 1.5 billion in the next 50 years. Of course, most of these numbers are based on estimates as an official census has not been conducted in India since 2011, but another is scheduled for 2021. Find out why India is growing and which of its cities are largest. About India The country of India, formally called the Republic of India, occupies much of the Indian subcontinent that is located in the southern portion of Asia. India is second only to China in population, though it is expected to surpass Chinas population before long. In addition to being one of the worlds largest democracies, India is one of the worlds fastest-growing countries in terms of both population and economy. Why Is India Growing? There are a few key reasons that Indias population continues to soar. The first reason is its fertility rate of about 2.33. For reference, the average replacement fertility rate, which sustains a countrys population exactly because there is no net change in the number of people between generations, is 2.1. In other words, a woman must have 2.1 babies (the 0.1 allows for barriers to a womans reproduction or childs maturation such as death, infertility, etc.) in her lifetime in order to ensure that she and her partner are replaced when they die. Indias fertility rate being over 0.2 above this replacement rate means there are more births than deaths. The majority of Indias growth, however, is attributed to  urbanization and increasing levels of literacy, though it  is still considered a developing nation.  Indias economy is boosted by huge quantities of agricultural and industrial exports. Largest Cities in India India covers an area of 1,269,219 square miles (3,287,263 sq km) and  is divided into 28 different states and seven union territories. Several of Indias capital cities are some of the largest cities in the world. The following is a list of the top 20 largest metropolitan areas in India as of a 2011 census.   Largest Cities in India City State/Territory Metropolitan Population City Proper Population 1. Mumbai Maharashtra 18,414,288 12,442,373 2. Delhi Delhi 16,314,838 11,034,555 3. Kolkata West Bengal 14,112,536 4,496,694 4. Chennai Tamil Nadu 8,696,010 4,646,732 5. Bangalore Karnataka 8,499,399 8,443,675 6. Hyderabad Andhra Pradesh 7,749,334 6,731,790 7. Ahmedabad Gujarat 6,352,254 5,577,940 8. Pune Maharashtra 5,049,968 3,124,458 9. Surat Gujarat 4,585,367 4,467,797 10. Jaipur Rajasthan 3,046,163 3,046,163 11. Kanpur Uttar Pradesh 2,920,067 2,765,348 12. Lucknow Uttar Pradesh 2,901,474 2,817,105 13. Nagpur Maharashtra 2,497,777 2,405,665 14. Indore Madhya Pradesh 2,167,447 1,964,086 15. Patna Bihar 2,046,652 1,684,222 16. Bhopal Madhya Pradesh 1,883,381 1,798,218 17. Thane Maharashtra 1,841,488 1,841,488 18. Vadodara Gujarat 1,817,191 1,670,806 19. Visakhapatnam Andhra Pradesh 1,728,128 1,728,128 20. Pimpri-Chinchwad Maharashtra 1,727,692 1,727,692 Cities and Metropolitan Areas Metropolitan Area Vs. City Proper The largest cities in India are the largest cities in India no matter how you slice it, but their rankings shift a little when you consider entire metropolitan areas, the suburbs surrounding cities, rather than only cities proper.  Some Indian cities are much smaller than their metropolitan areas—it all just depends on how many people are living in a citys center.