Delhi To Become World’s Most Populous City By 2028

According to a recent report by the United Nations, India, China and Nigeria will together account for 35 per cent of the projected growth of the world's urban population between 2018 and 2050. By that year, India would have added 416 million urban dwellers, China 255 million and Nigeria 189 million. This means over half of India’s population would be urban by that year. Considering the urban renaissance would immensely test India’s population management ability, the news on all accounts sets the alarm bells ringing. For National Capital Delhi, the challenge is going be far more testing.

According to the report, titled The 2018 Revision of World Urbanisation Prospects, the Delhi urban agglomeration would take over Tokyo as the world’s most populous city in the world by 2028. Today, the Japan capital is the world's largest city with an agglomeration of 37 million inhabitants, followed by New Delhi with 29 million.

"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," the report said.

The projected population size of New Delhi in 2028 is about 37.2 million, surpassing Tokyo's 36.8 million. By 2035, Delhi would have a population of 43.3 million.

To begin with, roads of the Capital might not be able to take that kind of pressure, even if we factor in some sort of upgrade. The Delhi Lieutenant Governor’s Office recently issued an official relese, saying there has been a 48 per cent increase in the population numbers and 179 per cent rise in the number of vehicles in Delhi since 2001. On the contrary, road length has increased only 15 per cent since then.

Other cities that are going to find the future tough

While no other India city would figure in the list of world’s top 10 most populous, several developing cities would feel the pressure of an upshot in their urban population numbers.

By 2035, Kerala’s Kozhikode would enter the list of top 10 most populous cities in India. By that year, Bengaluru would overtake Tamil Nadu Capital Chennai to become the country’s fourth most populous urban centre. Gujarat’s Surat would also leave behind Pune to become India’s eight most populous city.

Financial capital Mumbai, will is home to 20 million people at present will see its population grow to 27.3 million by 2035. The numbers would still be less than Delhi’s current population of 29 million.

With inputs from Housing News