As of year 2024, the population of Mumbai, India was over 21.6 million inhabitants. This was a 1.77 percent growth from last year. The historical trends indicate that the population of Mumbai has been steadily increasing since 1960. The UN estimates that the population is expected to reach over 24 million by the year 2030.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Mumbai, India metro area from 1950 to 2025.

As of the year 2024, the population of the Indian city of Mumbai was over 21 million people. This was a 1.77 percent growth from the previous year. The historical trends show a fall in growth rate post-2000. However, the population growth rate has been on an upward trajectory since 2021. As per UN estimates, population growth is expected to slow down to 2.21 percent in 2030.

Delhi was the largest city in terms of number of inhabitants in India in 2023.The capital city was estimated to house nearly 33 million people, with Mumbai ranking second that year. India's population estimate was 1.4 billion, ahead of China that same year.

The population in New Delhi was approximately 28.5 million, the most among the leading Indian cities in 2019. Mumbai and Kolkata rounded up the three most populated cities across the country that year.

Cities ranking and mega citiesTokyo is the world’s largest city with an agglomeration of 37 million inhabitants, followed by New Delhi with 29 million, Shanghai with 26 million, and Mexico City and São Paulo, each with around 22 million inhabitants. Today, Cairo, Mumbai, Beijing and Dhaka all have close to 20 million inhabitants. By 2020, Tokyo’s population is projected to begin to decline, while Delhi is projected to continue growing and to become the most populous city in the world around 2028.By 2030, the world is projected to have 43 megacities with more than 10 million inhabitants, most of them in developing regions. However, some of the fastest-growing urban agglomerations are cities with fewer than 1 million inhabitants, many of them located in Asia and Africa. While one in eight people live in 33 megacities worldwide, close to half of the world’s urban dwellers reside in much smaller settlements with fewer than 500,000 inhabitants.About the dataThe 2018 Revision of the World Urbanization Prospects is published by the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). It has been issued regularly since 1988 with revised estimates and projections of the urban and rural populations for all countries of the world, and of their major urban agglomerations. The data set and related materials are available at: https://esa.un.org/unpd/wup/

Abstract

The National Family Health Surveys (NFHS) programme, initiated in the early 1990s, has emerged as a nationally important source of data on population, health, and nutrition for India and its states. The 2005-06 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3), the third in the series of these national surveys, was preceded by NFHS-1 in 1992-93 and NFHS-2 in 1998-99. Like NFHS-1 and NFHS-2, NFHS-3 was designed to provide estimates of important indicators on family welfare, maternal and child health, and nutrition. In addition, NFHS-3 provides information on several new and emerging issues, including family life education, safe injections, perinatal mortality, adolescent reproductive health, high-risk sexual behaviour, tuberculosis, and malaria. Further, unlike the earlier surveys in which only ever-married women age 15-49 were eligible for individual interviews, NFHS-3 interviewed all women age 15-49 and all men age 15-54. Information on nutritional status, including the prevalence of anaemia, is provided in NFHS3 for women age 15-49, men age 15-54, and young children.

A special feature of NFHS-3 is the inclusion of testing of the adult population for HIV. NFHS-3 is the first nationwide community-based survey in India to provide an estimate of HIV prevalence in the general population. Specifically, NFHS-3 provides estimates of HIV prevalence among women age 15-49 and men age 15-54 for all of India, and separately for Uttar Pradesh and for Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Manipur, and Tamil Nadu, five out of the six states classified by the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) as high HIV prevalence states. No estimate of HIV prevalence is being provided for Nagaland, the sixth high HIV prevalence state, due to strong local opposition to the collection of blood samples.

NFHS-3 covered all 29 states in India, which comprise more than 99 percent of India's population. NFHS-3 is designed to provide estimates of key indicators for India as a whole and, with the exception of HIV prevalence, for all 29 states by urban-rural residence. Additionally, NFHS-3 provides estimates for the slum and non-slum populations of eight cities, namely Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Indore, Kolkata, Meerut, Mumbai, and Nagpur. NFHS-3 was conducted under the stewardship of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), Government of India, and is the result of the collaborative efforts of a large number of organizations. The International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, was designated by MOHFW as the nodal agency for the project. Funding for NFHS-3 was provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), DFID, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, UNFPA, and MOHFW. Macro International, USA, provided technical assistance at all stages of the NFHS-3 project. NACO and the National AIDS Research Institute (NARI) provided technical assistance for the HIV component of NFHS-3. Eighteen Research Organizations, including six Population Research Centres, shouldered the responsibility of conducting the survey in the different states of India and producing electronic data files.

The survey used a uniform sample design, questionnaires (translated into 18 Indian languages), field procedures, and procedures for biomarker measurements throughout the country to facilitate comparability across the states and to ensure the highest possible data quality. The contents of the questionnaires were decided through an extensive collaborative process in early 2005. Based on provisional data, two national-level fact sheets and 29 state fact sheets that provide estimates of more than 50 key indicators of population, health, family welfare, and nutrition have already been released. The basic objective of releasing fact sheets within a very short period after the completion of data collection was to provide immediate feedback to planners and programme managers on key process indicators.

Geographic coverage

• National (29 states )
• Regional (for HIV Prevalence : Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Manipur, and Tamil Nadu)
• Local (population and health indicators for slum and non-slum populations for eight cities, namely Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Indore, Kolkata, Meerut, Mumbai, and Nagpur)

Analysis unit

• Household
• Women age 15-49
• Men age 15-59

Universe

The population covered by the 2005 DHS is defined as the universe of all ever-married women age 15-49, NFHS-3 included never married women age 15-49 and both ever-married and never married men age 15-54 as eligible respondents.

Kind of data

Sample survey data

Sampling procedure

SAMPLE SIZE

Since a large number of the key indicators to be estimated from NFHS-3 refer to ever-married women in the reproductive ages of 15-49, the target sample size for each state in NFHS-3 was estimated in terms of the number of ever-married women in the reproductive ages to be interviewed.

The initial target sample size was 4,000 completed interviews with ever-married women in states with a 2001 population of more than 30 million, 3,000 completed interviews with ever-married women in states with a 2001 population between 5 and 30 million, and 1,500 completed interviews with ever-married women in states with a population of less than 5 million. In addition, because of sample-size adjustments required to meet the need for HIV prevalence estimates for the high HIV prevalence states and Uttar Pradesh and for slum and non-slum estimates in eight selected cities, the sample size in some states was higher than that fixed by the above criteria. The target sample was increased for Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Manipur, Nagaland, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh to permit the calculation of reliable HIV prevalence estimates for each of these states. The sample size in Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal was increased to allow separate estimates for slum and non-slum populations in the cities of Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Indore, Kolkata, Mumbai, Meerut, and Nagpur.

The target sample size for HIV tests was estimated on the basis of the assumed HIV prevalence rate, the design effect of the sample, and the acceptable level of precision. With an assumed level of HIV prevalence of 1.25 percent and a 15 percent relative standard error, the estimated sample size was 6,400 HIV tests each for men and women in each of the high HIV prevalence states. At the national level, the assumed level of HIV prevalence of less than 1 percent (0.92 percent) and less than a 5 percent relative standard error yielded a target of 125,000 HIV tests at the national level.

Blood was collected for HIV testing from all consenting ever-married and never married women age 15-49 and men age 15-54 in all sample households in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Manipur, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh. All women age 15-49 and men age 15-54 in the sample households were eligible for interviewing in all of these states plus Nagaland. In the remaining 22 states, all ever-married and never married women age 15-49 in sample households were eligible to be interviewed. In those 22 states, men age 15-54 were eligible to be interviewed in only a subsample of households. HIV tests for women and men were carried out in only a subsample of the households that were selected for men's interviews in those 22 states. The reason for this sample design is that the required number of HIV tests is determined by the need to calculate HIV prevalence at the national level and for some states, whereas the number of individual interviews is determined by the need to provide state level estimates for attitudinal and behavioural indicators in every state. For statistical reasons, it is not possible to estimate HIV prevalence in every state from NFHS-3 as the number of tests required for estimating HIV prevalence reliably in low HIV prevalence states would have been very large.

SAMPLE DESIGN

The urban and rural samples within each state were drawn separately and, to the extent possible, unless oversampling was required to permit separate estimates for urban slum and non-slum areas, the sample within each state was allocated proportionally to the size of the state's urban and rural populations. A uniform sample design was adopted in all states. In each state, the rural sample was selected in two stages, with the selection of Primary Sampling Units (PSUs), which are villages, with probability proportional to population size (PPS) at the first stage, followed by the random selection of households within each PSU in the second stage. In urban areas, a three-stage procedure was followed. In the first stage, wards were selected with PPS sampling. In the next stage, one census enumeration block (CEB) was randomly selected from each sample ward. In the final stage, households were randomly selected within each selected CEB.

SAMPLE SELECTION IN RURAL AREAS

In rural areas, the 2001 Census list of villages served as the sampling frame. The list was stratified by a number of variables. The first level of stratification was geographic, with districts being subdivided into contiguous regions. Within each of these regions, villages were further stratified using selected variables from the following list: village size, percentage of males working in the nonagricultural sector, percentage of the population belonging to scheduled castes or scheduled tribes, and female literacy. In addition to these variables, an external estimate of HIV prevalence, i.e., 'High', 'Medium' or 'Low', as estimated for all the districts in high HIV prevalence states, was used for stratification in high HIV prevalence states. Female literacy was used for implicit stratification (i.e., villages were

As per the Census data dated 2011, the slum dwellers population in Mumbai was the highest among all other major metropolitan cities of India, at around five million. Hyderabad and Delhi followed it. A total of about 65 million people were estimated to be living in slums across the country.

Geographic coverage

The survey covers the whole of the Indian Union except (i) interior villages of Nagaland situated beyond five kilometres of the bus route and (ii) villages in Andaman and Nicobar Islands which remain inaccessible throughout the year.

Analysis unit

Enterprise

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Outline of sample design:

A stratified multi-stage design has been adopted for the 67th round survey. The first stage units (FSU) is the census villages (Panchayat wards in case of Kerala) in the rural sector and Urban Frame Survey (UFS) blocks in the urban sector. The ultimate stage units (USU) is enterprises in both the sectors. In case of large FSUs, one intermediate stage of sampling will be the selection of three hamlet-groups (hgs)/ sub-blocks (sbs) from each large rural/ urban FSU.

Sampling frame to be used for selection of first stage units

Census 2001 list of villages is used as the sampling frame for rural areas. Auxiliary information such as number of enterprises, number of workers, type of enterprises, activities of enterprises, etc. available from EC-2005 frame is used for stratification, sub-stratification and selection of enterprises.

In Kerala, list of panchayat wards as per Census 2001 will be used as frame since list of such wards is not available as per EC 2005 frame.

In the urban sector, EC-2005 frame is used for 26 cities with population more than a million as per census 2001. Although Mumbai is a million plus city, EC-2005 frame is not used for Mumbai because of identification problem for IV unit/blocks in the EC for the city. For other cities/towns (including Mumbai), UFS frame (2002-07 phase or latest available phase prior to 2002-07 if it is not available) is used.

Stratification:

Each district is a basic stratum in both rural and urban areas. However, in case of urban, each city with population of 1 million or more as per Census 2001 forms a separate stratum and all other cities/towns of a district is grouped to form another stratum.

Sub-stratification:

(i) Rural: There is three sub-strata in the rural sector: (1) Villages with at least 5 establishments (NDE/DE) (see para 1.4.17 and 1.4.18 for definition of NDE/DE) under coverage in the manufacturing sector as per EC-2005 information; (2) Remaining villages having at least 5 NDE/DE under coverage in the services sector including trade as per EC-2005 information; (3) Remaining villages of the stratum.

For the State(s) where EC-2005 information cannot be used as auxiliary information for stratification/sub-stratification due to limitations of EC 2005 frame, each district is sub-stratified into 'r/4' sub-strata with a sample allocation of 4 per sub-stratum where 'r' is the sample allocation for the district/stratum. The sub-strata is formed by arranging the villages in terms of population so that total population of each sub-stratum is approximately the same.

(ii) Urban, Million plus cities (excluding Mumbai) : For each stratum / million plus city, 20 sub-strata will be formed as under: Sub-stratum 1: Blocks with one or more establishment in insurance & pension funding;
Sub-stratum 2: Remaining blocks with one or more establishment in storage & warehousing;
Sub-stratum 3: Remaining blocks with one or more establishment in accommodation;
Sub-strata 4-8: Remaining blocks with one or more establishment in broad activities of manufacturing (as per SSS formation discussed subsequently under para 1.3.10);
Sub-strata 9-12: Remaining blocks with one or more establishment in broad activities of trade (as per SSS formation in para 1.3.10);
Sub-strata 13-19: Remaining blocks with one or more establishment in broad activities of other services (as per SSS formation in para 1.3.10) excluding the activities covered under sub-strata 1-3.
Sub-strata 20: All remaining blocks of the stratum.

(iii) Urban, Other cities and towns (including Mumbai): Two sub-strata is formed: Sub-stratum 1: UFS block types: Bazaar area (BA)/ Industrial area (IA)/ Hospital area/ (HA)/ Slum area (SA) which are likely to contain relatively higher number of enterprises;
Sub-stratum 2: Remaining UFS blocks of the stratum.

If the number of FSUs in the frame of a rural or urban sub-stratum is found to be less than 8, then separate sub-stratum is formed and it is merged with the adjacent sub-stratum. There is only one town (Leh) in Leh district and one town (Kargil) in Kargil district of J & K. These two towns are out of UFS coverage. These are treated as sub-stratum 2 and the entire town is treated as one FSU.

Total Sample size (FSUs):

A sample of 16000 FSUs for central sample and 17176 FSUs for state sample have been allocated at all-India level.

Allocation of total sample FSUs:

(i) All-India allocation over States: All-India sample size (FSUs) have been allocated to different State/UTs taking into account the minimum allocations required for a State/UT and the proportion of non-agricultural workers as per EC-2005 in the State/UT.

(ii) State/UT allocation over rural/urban sectors: State/UT sample sizes is allocated to rural and urban sectors of the State/UT in proportion to number of non-agricultural workers as per EC-2005 with the constraint that urban allocation should not be too high compared to rural allocation and both rural and urban allocations is in multiples of 8.

(iii) State × sector allocation over strata: Stratum allocations of State/UT sample sizes for each sector is made in proportion to number of non-agricultural workers as per EC-2005. For the States/UTs where census 2001 frame was used in the rural sector, allocations to strata are made in proportion to population as per census.

(iv) Stratum allocation over sub-strata: Allocations to sub-strata are made: (a) In proportion to number of non-agricultural workers as per EC-2005 in rural sector as well as in million plus cities (after assuming the number as 1 for those villages/blocks where number of non-agricultural workers is 0); (b) In proportion to number of blocks with a double weight to sub-stratum 1 for other than million plus cities.

Minimum allocation for a sub-stratum is 4.

Selection of FSUs: (a) Rural & million plus cities: From each sub-stratum, required number of sample villages/blocks will be selected by probability proportional to size with replacement (PPSWR), size being the number of total non-agricultural workers under coverage in the village/block as per EC-2005. For the State(s) where EC-2005 information cannot be used as auxiliary information for selection of FSUs due to limitations of EC 2005 frame, size for PPSWR selection is the population of the village as per Census 2001.

(b) Urban (other than million plus cities): From each sub-stratum FSUs are selected by using Simple Random Sampling Without Replacement (SRSWOR). However, for Leh and Kargil towns, each town is selected 4 times, once in each sub-round. Both rural and urban samples is drawn in the form of two independent sub-samples and equal number of samples is allocated among the four sub rounds.

Formation of segment 9 and selection of hamlet-groups/ sub-blocks

Proper identification of the FSU boundaries: The first task of the field investigators is to ascertain the exact boundaries of the sample FSU as per its identification particulars given in the sample list. For urban samples, the boundaries of each FSU may be identified by referring to the map corresponding to the frame code specified in the sample list (even though map of the block for a latter period of the UFS might be available).

Formation of Segment 9: Having determined the boundaries of the sample FSU, all non-agricultural enterprises having 20 or more workers in the entire FSU and having operated at least one day during last 365 days preceding the day of survey (hereinafter to be called as 'big enterprises') are listed and all the eligible units under coverage are surveyed. All the listed big units (whether under coverage or not) constitute segment 9. All eligible enterprises under coverage were surveyed in segment 9.

Criterion for hamlet-group/ sub-block formation: Having constituted segment 9 as stated above, it is to be determined whether listing is done in the whole sample FSU or not. For this, approximate present population (P) and approximate total number of non-agricultural enterprises (E) for the whole FSU may be ascertained first from knowledgeable persons. Depending upon the values of 'P' and 'E', it is divided into a suitable number (say, D) of 'hamlet-groups' in the rural sector and 'sub-blocks' in the urban sector as stated below. Final value of 'D' is the higher of the two values 'P' and 'E' based on the dual criteria. While considering enterprise criteria, segment 9 enterprises, if any, may be excluded from the count of 'E', if possible.

For rural areas of Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand (except four districts Dehradun (P), Nainital (P), Hardwar and Udham Singh Nagar), Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur, Doda, Leh (Ladakh), Kargil districts of Jammu and Kashmir and Idukki district of Kerala, the number of hamlet-groups is formed as follows: population (P) | no. of hgs/ sbs to be formed | no. of non-agricultural enterprises (E) | no. of hgs/ sbs to be formed
less than 600 | 1 | less than 120 | 1
600 - 799 | 4 | 120 - 159 | 4
800 - 899 | 5 | 160 - 199 | 5
1000 - 1199 | 6 | 200 - 239 | 6
and so on | … | and

In 1800, the population of the region of present-day India was approximately 169 million. The population would grow gradually throughout the 19th century, rising to over 240 million by 1900. Population growth would begin to increase in the 1920s, as a result of falling mortality rates, due to improvements in health, sanitation and infrastructure. However, the population of India would see it’s largest rate of growth in the years following the country’s independence from the British Empire in 1948, where the population would rise from 358 million to over one billion by the turn of the century, making India the second country to pass the billion person milestone. While the rate of growth has slowed somewhat as India begins a demographics shift, the country’s population has continued to grow dramatically throughout the 21st century, and in 2020, India is estimated to have a population of just under 1.4 billion, well over a billion more people than one century previously. Today, approximately 18% of the Earth’s population lives in India, and it is estimated that India will overtake China to become the most populous country in the world within the next five years.

The number of registered vehicles across the financial capital of India was over three million at the end of fiscal year 2020. Mumbai was the most car-congested city in the country in 2020. In recent years, the density of privately-owned vehicles increased by 18 percent in the city. Despite the private car population being one-third of the nation’s capital Delhi, the lack of infrastructure has proved to be a significant shortcoming.

Automotive in India

India ranked fourth in the passenger car production sector worldwide in 2020, with over three million units of passenger vehicles produced in fiscal year 2021. Although, in contrast, the domestic market has been dominated by the two-wheeler segment. This was probably due to the latter’s ability to navigate the narrow Indian roads. Sales volume for two-wheelers continued to increase over the past few years.

An e-future

The number of electric vehicle sales in the dominating two-wheeler segment across the country quintupled between 2016 and 2020, with help from government initiatives to enhance e-mobility. The number of electric two-wheelers was estimated to cross the 26 million mark by 2030. With strict emission laws and reduced taxes on electric vehicles, the Indian government has been making efforts to make a radical yet streamlined switch to e-mobility.

The overall population of pet dogs in India was over 33 million in 2023. The population is likely to reach more than 51 million by 2028. The growth in the number of pet dogs has led to an increase in pet food sales across the country.

In 2022, Mumbai was home to the highest number of millionaires, followed by India’s capital New Delhi, and the IT capital - Bengaluru. This comes as no surprise since all three cities have the largest share of high net worth households along with a booming economic outlook. Overall, India had around 187 billionaires as of March 2023, and ranked third globally in terms of its ultra-net-worth individuals.

A growing wealth gap

Despite this, India also has a very high wealth inequality with millions of people living below the poverty line. In fact, according to the last census, the state of Maharashtra (with Mumbai as its capital city) had the highest number of slums across the country with over 2.5 million households. Furthermore, according to a 2015 study on the geography of the super-rich, Bangalore was ranked first in terms of the inequality between its rich and poor, with the wealth of the city’s billionaires being 646,407 times that of the average per capita GDP in the city. Mumbai came second in this listing, while Delhi was ranked fifth.

It's a rich man's world

As of 2018, the richest 10 percent of Indians owned 77.4 percent of the country’s wealth. The Indian economy was also seen to be one of the fastest growing economies across the world. This indicates the level of unequal distribution of wealth in the country. This is a matter of grave concern and has several implications in terms of the country’s development and progress.

In financial year 2021, around 1.3 million passengers rode buses in Mumbai daily, a significant decrease from around 2.5 million passengers the previous year, mostly due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. During the presented period, there was a general decrease in ridership. Partially it was due to the development of new metro system in the city from 2014, as several new routes were also under development further decease could be expected.

The number of smartphone users in India was estimated to reach over one billion in 2023. It was estimated by 2040, the number of smartphone users in India will reach 1.55 billion.

Smartphone users in India – additional information

The number of smartphone users worldwide is projected to amount to nearly 7.7 billion by 2027. It is expected that, by 2022, more than two third of the total global population will use a smartphone. Due to China’s rapid growth, the country has become a distant leader in the smartphone market, leaving the U.S., which previously held the top position, far behind. Smartphone users in China already accounted for 72 percent of the country’s population in 2022. By 2028, more than 83 percent of the population in China is projected to use a smartphone. For 2022, the number of smartphone users in China amounted to nearly 1.04 billion.

India, the second most populous country in the world, passed the United States in number of smartphone users in 2017. Around 223 million people in the U.S. use a smartphone by 2017, compared to 340 million in India. Despite this increase in volume, the U.S. still has a higher smartphone penetration rate than India. The smartphone penetration rate in India reached close to 71 percent by 2023, a penetration rate that the U.S. already reached in 2019. Samsung was the leading smartphone vendor in India in 2022, followed by Xiaomi and Vivo.

In a survey conducted in 2022 among respondents from megacities of India, Pune emerged on the top with a score of 45.4 among all megacities of India, followed by Mumbai and Hyderabad. Megacities are defined as cities with a population of over four million, as per the survey. The Ease of Moving Index is a composite index comprising nine parameters across 41 indicators. The parameters include seamless, inclusive, clean, efficient, and shared mobility and investment in the city, among others.

As of 2024, Mumbai had a gross domestic product of 368 billion U.S. dollars, the highest among other major cities in India. It was followed by Delhi with a GDP of around 167 billion U.S. dollars. India’s megacities also boast the highest GDP among other cities in the country. What drives the GDP of India’s megacities? Mumbai is the financial capital of the country, and its GDP growth is primarily fueled by the financial services sector, port-based trade, and the Hindi film industry or Bollywood. Delhi in addition to being the political hub hosts a significant services sector. The satellite cities of Noida and Gurugram amplify the city's economic status. The southern cities of Bengaluru and Chennai have emerged as IT and manufacturing hubs respectively. Hyderabad is a significant player in the pharma and IT industries. Lastly, the western city of Ahmedabad, in addition to its strategic location and ports, is powered by the textile, chemicals, and machinery sectors. Does GDP equal to quality of life? Cities propelling economic growth and generating a major share of GDP is a global phenomenon, as in the case of Tokyo, Shanghai, New York, and others. However, the GDP, which measures the market value of all final goods and services produced in a region, does not always translate to a rise in quality of life. Five of India’s megacities featured in the Global Livability Index, with low ranks among global peers. The Index was based on indicators such as healthcare, political stability, environment and culture, infrastructure, and others.

The estimated per capita income across the western state of Maharashtra in India stood at around 278 thousand Indian rupees in the financial year 2024. There was a significant increase in the income per capita in the state since the financial year 2012. Sikkim recorded the highest per capita income in the country.