Share of population living in urban areas vs. GDP per capita in India

India: Share of population living in urban areas vs. GDP per capita was 35.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
35.7%
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
197th
of 236 countries
All-time high
35.7%
in 2025
All-time low
17.2%
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025

Share of population living in urban areas vs. GDP per capita in India, 1950–2025

010203040195019872025

Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita in India is 35.7%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.

The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 9.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita in India peaked at 35.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 17.2%, in 1950.

That places India 197th out of 236 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 17.6% 17.2% 17.8% 10
1960s 18.6% 17.9% 19.5% 10
1970s 21.3% 19.7% 23.2% 10
1980s 24.5% 23.5% 25.4% 10
1990s 26.5% 25.6% 27.4% 10
2000s 29.0% 27.6% 30.5% 10
2010s 32.4% 30.9% 33.8% 10
2020s 34.9% 34.1% 35.7% 6

Countries ranked near India

  1. 194 Yemen 37.0% compare
  2. 195 Tanzania 36.9% compare
  3. 196 Grenada 36.7% compare
  4. 198 Sudan 34.9% compare
  5. 199 Kyrgyzstan 34.7% compare
  6. 200 Eritrea 34.5% compare

See the full ranking of 237 places →

More population data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita in India?
Share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita in India was 35.7% in 2025, according to United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita recorded in India?
The highest recorded value was 35.7% in 2025.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 17.2% in 1950.
How does India rank for share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita?
India ranks 197th out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in India?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this India data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas vs. GDP per capita
Unit
%
Source
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
237 places, 18,012 data points, 1950–2025
Last refreshed

Share of the population living in urban areas, based on each country's national definition.