Share of population living in the capital city in India
India: Share of population living in the capital city was 2.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in the capital city in India, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living in the capital city in India is 2.1%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 11.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in the capital city in India peaked at 2.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 1950.
That places India 161st out of 170 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in the capital city in India, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 0.7% | — |
| 1955 | 0.8% | +11.8% |
| 1960 | 0.8% | +7.7% |
| 1965 | 0.9% | +7.6% |
| 1970 | 1.0% | +5.1% |
| 1975 | 1.0% | +4.3% |
| 1980 | 1.1% | +7.9% |
| 1985 | 1.2% | +10.3% |
| 1990 | 1.3% | +12.9% |
| 1995 | 1.5% | +12.8% |
| 2000 | 1.7% | +12.5% |
| 2005 | 1.8% | +5.3% |
| 2010 | 1.9% | +4.5% |
| 2015 | 2.0% | +5.2% |
| 2020 | 2.1% | +5.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.8% | 2 |
| 1960s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 0.9% | 2 |
| 1970s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 2 |
| 1990s | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 1.9% | 1.9% | 2.0% | 2 |
| 2020s | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near India
- 158 South Africa 2.8% compare
- 159 Lao People's Democratic Republic 2.5% compare
- 160 Switzerland 2.3% compare
- 162 Pakistan 1.9% compare
- 163 Canada 1.5% compare
- 164 Burundi 1.4% compare
More population data for India
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.4607 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.5076 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.2494 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.5076 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.5% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 66.77 million people (2100)
- Population density 506.27 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.5% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.7604 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.7665 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in the capital city in India?
- Share of population living in the capital city in India was 2.1% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in the capital city recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 2.1% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in the capital city recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 1950.
- How does India rank for share of population living in the capital city?
- India ranks 161st out of 170 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in the capital city rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in the capital city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of the total population living in the country's capital city. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.