Population of Delhi metro area India 1950-2023

As of the year 2023, the population of the capital city of India, Delhi was almost 35 million people. This was a 2.73 percent growth from last year. The historical trends show that the population doubled between 1990 and 2010. However, the population growth rate in the last three years has been the lowest since the recorded period starting in 1960. The UN estimated that the population was expected to reach around 35 million by 2030.

Reasons for population growth

  As per the Delhi Economic Survey, migration added 283 thousand people to Delhi’s population in 2021, more than double the number contributed by births adjusted for deaths in the year. The estimates showed relative stability in natural population growth for a long time before the pandemic. The numbers suggest a sharp decrease in birth rates from 2020 onwards and a corresponding increase in death rates in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The net natural addition or the remaining growth is attributed to migration. These estimates are based on trends published by the Civil Registration System.

National Capital Region (NCR)

Usually, population estimates for Delhi represent the urban agglomeration of Delhi, which includes Delhi and some of its adjacent suburban areas. The National Capital Region or NCR is one of the largest urban agglomerations in the world. It is an example of inter-state regional planning and development, centered around the National Capital Territory of Delhi, and covering certain districts of neighboring states Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Noida, Gurugram, and Ghaziabad are some of the key cities of NCR. Over the past decade, NCR has emerged as a key economic center in India.