India Cities by Population 2026

India Overview

The largest city in India is Delhi , with a population of 23,390,383 people.

India is the 7th largest country in the world by area, and a country this large has a population to match. When breaking down the numbers, it is clear that India has many large cities that contribute to its massive population. In fact, the country has a total of 39 cities that each have populations exceeding one million residents. Of these cities, two have populations that exceed 10 million - Mumbai (21.8M) and Delhi (23.4M). While these megacities contribute millions to the population, the country also has smaller but still very populated cities, including 388 that have populations exceeding 100,000, and a whopping 2,483 cities with populations of over 10,000. When looking at these numbers, it is not hard to see why India is one of the most populous countries, falling only to China.

The state of Uttarakhand is home to the majority of India’s ten smallest cities with the exception of Bhaiseena and Sarsod. Uttarakhand is a rural Indian state located in Northern India, known for the Himalayas, the Bhabar, and the Terai. The state only contains 0.83% of India’s total population.

Even though it has more larger cities than many countries, this developing country still has a very large rural population that contributes to its total numbers. While cities continue to develop and expand, the rural population has not seen significant decreases through the decades like other countries. In fact, 67% of the population are situated in rural areas, while 33% make up the populations in the larger cities. While this has decreased from 1960’s 82% rural population, it is not as significant of a change as some countries, which have far more residents who have moved from rural areas to pursue greater opportunities found within cities. However, because India is still a developing country, these numbers are expected to continue to decline in the future.