India has attracted a lot of investors over the years. As the country witnessed a rise in the establishments of multinational companies (MNCs), there was a sudden increase in the migration of working professionals to Indian cities to earn their bread as well. This resulted in the urban Indian population rapidly growing and impacting the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore, among others, are known to be the top cities in India, but the parameters to judge are area, population, and GDP. As the National Census 2021 has been postponed due to the pandemic, the results of the National Census 2011 have been used in this article.
See also: Smart cities in India
Biggest cities in India in terms of area
| City | State / Union territory | Area (sq km) |
| Delhi | Delhi | 1,397.30 |
| Bangalore | Karnataka | 741 |
| Visakhapatnam | Andhra Pradesh | 681.96 |
| Hyderabad | Telangana | 650 |
| Lucknow | Uttar Pradesh | 631 |
| Indore | Madhya Pradesh | 525 |
| Pune | Maharashtra | 516.18 |
| Ahmedabad | Gujarat | 505 |
| Bhopal | Madhya Pradesh | 463 |
| Surat | Gujarat | 461.6 |
| Meerut | Uttar Pradesh | 450 |
| Mumbai | Maharashtra | 437.71 |
| Chennai | Tamil Nadu | 426 |
| Warangal | Telangana | 406.97 |
Source: National census 2011
Biggest cities in India in terms of GDP
| Cities | GDP (2022) |
| Mumbai | USD 310 billion |
| Delhi | USD 293.6 billion |
| Kolkata | USD 150 billion |
| Bangalore | USD 110 billion |
| Chennai | USD 78.6 billion |
| Hyderabad | USD 75 billion |
| Pune | USD 69 billion |
| Ahmedabad | USD 68 billion |
| Surat | USD 59.8 billion |
| Visakhapatnam | USD 48.5 billion |
Biggest cities in India in terms of population
| City | State/Union territory | Population |
| Mumbai | Maharashtra | 12,442,373 |
| Delhi | Delhi | 11,007,835 |
| Bangalore | Karnataka | 8,425,970 |
| Hyderabad | Telangana | 6,809,970 |
| Ahmedabad | Gujarat | 5,570,585 |
| Chennai | Tamil Nadu | 4,681,087 |
| Kolkata | West Bengal | 4,486,679 |
| Surat | Gujarat | 4,467,797 |
| Pune | Maharashtra | 3,115,431 |
| Jaipur | Rajasthan | 3,046,163 |
| Lucknow | Uttar Pradesh | 2,815,601 |
| Kanpur | Uttar Pradesh | 2,767,031 |
| Nagpur | Maharashtra | 2,405,665 |
| Indore | Madhya Pradesh | 1,960,631 |
| Thane | Maharashtra | 1,818,872 |
| Bhopal | Madhya Pradesh | 1,795,648 |
| Visakhapatnam | Andhra Pradesh | 1,730,320 |
| Pimpri-Chinchwad | Maharashtra | 1,727,692 |
| Patna | Bihar | 1,684,222 |
| Vadodara | Gujarat | 1,670,806 |
| Ghaziabad | Uttar Pradesh | 1,648,643 |
| Ludhiana | Punjab | 1,618,879 |
| Agra | Uttar Pradesh | 1,585,704 |
| Nashik | Maharashtra | 1,486,053 |
| Faridabad | Haryana | 1,414,050 |
| Meerut | Uttar Pradesh | 1,305,429 |
| Rajkot | Gujarat | 1,286,678 |
| Kalyan-Dombivli | Maharashtra | 1,247,327 |
| Vasai-Virar | Maharashtra | 1,222,390 |
| Varanasi | Uttar Pradesh | 1,201,815 |
Source: National census 2011
FAQs
Which is the largest Indian city in terms of area?
Delhi is the largest Indian city in India with a total area of 1,484 sq km.
How much is Delhi's GDP?
The GDP of Delhi is approximately $293 billion.
Which city in India has the highest GDP?
Mumbai has the highest GDP of approximately $400 billion in India.
What is the area of Hyderabad?
The total area of Hyderabad is approximately 650 square kilometres.
How much is the GDP of Kolkata?
The GDP of Kolkata is approximately $150 billion.
Which city has the highest per capita income in India?
Mumbai has the highest per capita income in India.
What information does the census of India provide?
The Census of India provides data on various aspects of India, like population, literacy rate, gender ratio, household amenities, etc.
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