Features and Patterns of India’s Urbanization
Geography › Urbanization, Settlements and Migration · Topic 10.1
India's urbanisation is late and gradual but large in absolute size. The urban population was 377 million in Census 2011, or 31.16 per cent, up from 27.8 per cent in 2001, and the number of towns rose to 7,935, including 3,894 census towns. There were 53 million-plus cities. Urbanisation is uneven across states and concentrated in big cities, with Delhi, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Keralam and Maharashtra the most urbanised. Growth is driven by natural increase, migration and the reclassification of large villages as towns.
6 min read · UPSC Prelims · Geography · Urbanization, Settlements and Migration
At a Glance
- Urban share (2011) 31.16 per cent; 377 million
- Towns (2011) 7,935, of which 3,894 census towns
- Million-plus cities 53
- Most urbanised Delhi, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Keralam
- Least urbanised Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Assam
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Geography: Urbanization, Settlements and Migration
Where Does It Fit?
This is the first topic of the macro on urbanisation, settlements and migration. It sets out the scale and pattern of urbanisation in India, before the topics on its problems, policies and the theory of urban places. Previous topic: World Population Policies and Family Planning Programmes. Next topic: Urbanization Challenges: Rural-Urban Migration, Emergence of Slums, Informal Settlements.
How Did Indian Towns Evolve?
| Period | Towns | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Ancient | More than 2,000 years old; religious and cultural centres, and traders’ towns; the Indus civilisation had cities at Harappa and Mohenjo-daro | Varanasi, Prayagraj, Pataliputra (Patna), Madurai |
| Medieval | About 100 existing towns; fort towns and capitals of kingdoms and principalities | Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Agra, Nagpur |
| Modern | European trading ports, then British administrative centres, hill stations and industrial towns; after 1947, planned capitals and industrial towns | Surat, Daman, Goa, Puducherry; Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata; Shimla and Darjeeling; Jamshedpur; Chandigarh, Bhubaneswar, Gandhinagar; Durgapur, Bhilai |
After independence, many new towns grew as administrative capitals and steel towns, and satellite towns such as Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Noida grew around Delhi. More recent growth is in medium and small towns, and in census towns, which are villages that have become urban in character but are not yet governed by an urban local body.
How Does the Census Define and Classify Urban Areas?
- Statutory towns: all places with a municipality, corporation, cantonment board or notified town area committee; 4,041 in 2011.
- Census towns: places that satisfy three conditions: a minimum population of 5,000, a density of at least 400 persons per sq km, and at least 75 per cent of the male main working population in non-agricultural work; 3,894 in 2011, a number that rose sharply from 1,362 in 2001, showing rapid change in villages.
- Urban agglomeration: a continuous urban spread consisting of a town and its outgrowths, two or more contiguous towns, or a city and adjoining towns together.
| Class | Population |
|---|---|
| Class I (city) | One lakh or more |
| Class II | 50,000 to 99,999 |
| Class III | 20,000 to 49,999 |
| Class IV | 10,000 to 19,999 |
| Class V | 5,000 to 9,999 |
| Class VI | Below 5,000 |
A city of one to five million people is a metropolitan city, and a city with more than five million is a mega city in the Census classification; in international usage a mega city has more than ten million. In 2011 there were 53 million-plus urban agglomerations, of which Greater Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata were the largest. Urbanisation was 31.16 per cent in 2011; United Nations estimates now put it at over a third, and the next census will update it, as in Census of India: Literacy, Sex Ratio, Family Planning, Old Age Dependency, Age Structure, Density, Population Growth. Towns are also classified by function: administrative (Delhi, state capitals), industrial (Jamshedpur, Bhilai), commercial (Mumbai), port (Visakhapatnam, Kandla), mining (Dhanbad), religious and tourist (Varanasi, Puri, Goa), and educational towns.
What Is the Pattern of Urbanisation in India?
| Indicator | Census 2001 | Census 2011 |
|---|---|---|
| Urban population | About 286 million | About 377 million |
| Level of urbanisation | 27.8 per cent | 31.16 per cent |
| Number of towns | About 5,160 | About 7,935 (4,041 statutory and 3,894 census towns) |
| Urban agglomerations | About 384 | About 475 |
| Million-plus cities | 35 | 53 |
In 2011, for the first time, the absolute increase in the urban population was larger than in the rural population. The sharp rise in census towns, from about 1,360 to 3,894, shows that many large villages turned urban in character, without becoming municipalities. The definitions are in Census Terminology.
- Uneven levels: Delhi (about 97 per cent), Chandigarh, Goa, Mizoram, Tamil Nadu (about 48 per cent), Keralam, Maharashtra and Gujarat are the most urbanised; Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Assam and Odisha are among the least.
- Concentration: over two-thirds of the urban population lives in Class I cities, and about 43 per cent in million-plus cities. Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata are the largest agglomerations.
- Slow, then fast: India’s urban share rose slowly in the decades after independence, then more quickly after the reforms of 1991, as services, information technology and construction grew in cities.
- Latest picture: estimates by the United Nations put the urban share at about 36 to 37 per cent in the 2020s, and expect it to reach about half of the population by the middle of the century. Census 2027 will give new official numbers.
What Are the Problems and Policies of Urban India?
- Housing and slums: in 2011, about 6.5 crore people, about 17 per cent of the urban population, lived in slums.
- Transport and air pollution: congestion, a shortage of public transport, severe winter air pollution in the cities of the plains, as in Inversion of Temperature.
- Water, waste and floods: shortage of water, lack of sewage treatment, mountains of solid waste, and urban flooding in Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and other cities when rain meets blocked drains, as in Types of Precipitation: Convectional, Orographic, Cyclonic, Frontal, Monsoonal.
- Urban heat island: concrete and lack of green space raise temperatures in city centres.
- Governance: the 74th Constitutional Amendment of 1992 gave constitutional status to urban local bodies, but many have weak finances and limited powers.
The policy response has included the Smart Cities Mission launched in 2015 for 100 cities, whose mission period was due to end in March 2025, the AMRUT mission for water and sewerage, the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban, metro rail projects in many cities, and the Urban Challenge Fund announced in the 2025 Budget to finance city projects through a share of private and market funding. Details of schemes keep changing, so their status should be checked. As an analytical point, India’s urbanisation is slow compared with its economic growth, and a large part of it is unrecorded because census towns and peri-urban villages are classified as rural, so planning for the ‘invisible’ urbanisation, with services, land use rules and local finance, is as important as the building of new cities.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Facts Census definitions asked
- Governance 74th Amendment
- Problems Slums, air, floods
What Came Next?
The next topic describes the challenges of urbanisation: rural-urban migration, slums and informal settlements. Next topic: Urbanization Challenges: Rural-Urban Migration, Emergence of Slums, Informal Settlements.
Key People and Terms
- Statutory town Town with an urban local body
- Census town Town meeting census criteria
- Urban agglomeration Continuous urban spread
- Million-plus city City with a million people
- Slum Overcrowded substandard housing area
- Smart Cities Mission 2015 mission for 100 cities
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Census town: 5,000 people, 400 per sq km, 75 per cent non-farm male workers.
- Class I town: one lakh or more.
- 74th Amendment covers urban local bodies.
- 53 million-plus agglomerations in 2011.
- Urban share: 31.16 per cent in 2011.
Do Not Confuse With
- Statutory and census towns Legal status versus census criteria
- Metropolitan and mega city One to five million versus above five million
- City and urban agglomeration One local body versus continuous urban spread
Memory Hook
Ancient shrine, medieval fort, colonial port, planned capital; then a town is 5,000, 400, 75.
Mains Angle
Questions ask about urbanisation and its problems. These points add depth.
- Growth Census towns and peri-urban areas
- Problems Housing, transport, pollution
- Policy Local finance and planning
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Discuss the trends of urbanisation in India and the major problems of urban settlements, with a critical assessment of policy responses.”
How to Answer
- Evolution Ancient to modern.
- Definition Census criteria.
- Problems Slums, services, climate.
- Policy Missions and local bodies.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the Census of India define urban areas?
The Census defines urban areas as statutory towns, which have a municipality, corporation, cantonment board or notified area committee, and census towns, which have a population of at least 5,000, a density of at least 400 persons per square kilometre and at least 75 per cent of the male working population engaged in non-agricultural work.
How are Indian cities classified by size?
The Census divides urban centres into six classes by population: Class I with one lakh or more, Class II with 50,000 to 99,999, Class III with 20,000 to 49,999, Class IV with 10,000 to 19,999, Class V with 5,000 to 9,999 and Class VI below 5,000. Class I towns are called cities.
What is an urban agglomeration?
An urban agglomeration is a continuous urban spread made up of a town and its adjoining urban outgrowths, two or more contiguous towns with or without outgrowths, or a city and adjoining towns together. Most metropolitan and mega cities of India are urban agglomerations.
What was the level of urbanisation in India in 2011?
In the 2011 census, 31.16 per cent of India's population lived in urban areas, about 377 million people, in 7,935 towns, of which 4,041 were statutory towns and 3,894 census towns. There were 53 urban agglomerations with a million or more people.
Which states are the most urbanised in India?
Among the major states, Tamil Nadu, Keralam, Maharashtra and Gujarat were the most urbanised in 2011, with Tamil Nadu at about 48 per cent. Goa and Mizoram were more urbanised among the smaller states, and Delhi and Chandigarh among the Union Territories, over 97 per cent. Himachal Pradesh and Bihar were the least urbanised.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 A census town must have at least 75 per cent of male workers in non-agricultural activities.
Along with 5,000 people and a density of 400 per sq km.
2 The 74th Amendment deals with urban local bodies.
It was passed in 1992.
3 Chandigarh and Bhubaneswar are examples of post-independence planned cities.
They are administrative capitals.
4 The urban population of India was 31.16 per cent in Census 2011.
About 377 million people.
Past Mains Questions on This Topic
This topic comes under Urbanization, Settlements and Migration. UPSC Mains questions asked on the matching syllabus topic, year-wise with marks:
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