Surat, India Population 2024

Surat is a city that is located in India. More specifically, it is located in the Gujarat state. This city is one of the fastest growing in the world and is the eighth largest city in the country. According to census data, the population of Surat is 4,467,797.

City Size and Population Density

The city covers a surface area of approximately 326 square kilometers (126 square miles). The population density in Surat comes to about 14,000 people living per square kilometer (35,000 residents per square mile).

Surat Demographics

The majority of people in Surat associate themselves with Hinduism, with 87% of the total population claiming to follow this religion. Minor religions including Islam, Jainism and Christianity.

The official language of the city is Gujarat. However, multiple other languages are spoken throughout Surat, including Hindi, Sindhi, Marathi, Tamil and Odia.

The literacy rate of Surat is higher than the national average at 89%. Male literacy has been recorded at 93%, while it is 84% for females. There are more men than women in the city. There is also a high rate of young people, with 13% of the total population being under the age of 6.

Surat History

Surat’s original name was Surajpur. The city’s history includes the ravaging that occurred by the Portugese Empire during the 1500s. More importantly, though, was the city’s role as one of the most important seaports in India and the world.

It was during the 1500s that the city was also renamed Surat. Growth for the city continued as it maintained its role as an important seaport. In the 1600s, the establishment of an Indian trading factory also contributed to continued growth.

Throughout the years, Surat has been a standout in many industries, including the production of textiles. It is known as the Silk City of India for its production of silk and other textiles. Diamond polishing is also a very important industry which began in the early 1900s. Today, these industries still remain very important, as well as newer industries including information technology.

Surat Population Growth

Surat has seen significant growth since the 1800s. A population of 107,100 was recorded in 1871 and continued to climb through the 1920s. However, between 1921 and 1931, the population declined by over 15%. However, the 1940s saw a period of significant growth, with the population climbing to over 170,000 people. Continued growth has been observed each decade since, surpassing the 1.5 million milestone in 1991. At the time of the next census, the population was almost 3 million. Today, the population has jumped to over 4.5 million.

Surat has earned a reputation as one of the best cities in India, including being named the 3rd cleanest city in India. It was chosen as the first smart IT city and has also recently received the IBM Smarter Cities Challenge Grant. It will be developed as a smart city under the country’s Smart Cities Mission. Because of its history of population growth and the plans to become smarter and more modern, it’s expected that the city will hit its next major population milestone in the near future.