India vs United States of America: Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas
India
232.95 million people
in 2020
United States of America
88.17 million people
in 2020
India rank
2nd
United States of America rank
3rd
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas over time
- India
- United States of America
How they compare
India currently reports 232.95 million people against 88.17 million people in United States of America, a difference of 144.78 million people.
That makes India's figure about 2.6 times United States of America's.
Across all 15 years both countries report, India has been ahead every year.
India ranks 2nd and United States of America ranks 3rd of 236 countries.
India has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | India | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 175.23 million people | 65.57 million people | 109.66 million people | India |
| 1960s | 193.87 million people | 70.97 million people | 122.91 million people | India |
| 1970s | 210.65 million people | 75.52 million people | 135.13 million people | India |
| 1980s | 229.43 million people | 79.54 million people | 149.89 million people | India |
| 1990s | 236.90 million people | 82.60 million people | 154.30 million people | India |
| 2000s | 238.50 million people | 84.56 million people | 153.94 million people | India |
| 2010s | 241.92 million people | 87.43 million people | 154.49 million people | India |
| 2020s | 232.95 million people | 88.17 million people | 144.78 million people | India |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas, India or United States of America?
- India, at 232.95 million people against 88.17 million people in United States of America as of 2020.
- What is the difference in number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas between India and United States of America?
- 144.78 million people, with India ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for India and United States of America?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do India and United States of America rank globally for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- India ranks 2nd and United States of America ranks 3rd of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimated number of people living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.