Surat Is World’s Fastest Growing City: Report

Of the 20 fastest growing cities in the world between 2019 and 2035, 17 will be from India, says the report by Oxford Economics. While all Indian cities occupy the top 10 slots in the list, Gujarat’s key commercial centre and diamond processing hub Surat has been ranked as the fastest growing city in the world in terms of gross domestic product.  The city, forecasts the report, will witness GDP growth of over nine per cent over the two decades.

Following Surat in the list is Agra, the city in Uttar Pradesh best known to the world for hosting the iconic Taj Mahal. The city, predicts the report, will grow by 8.58 per cent in future. All the mega cities that have emerged as best performers are in south. While Bengaluru and Hyderabad are placed at third and fourth positions, respectively, Chennai has been ninth in the list. In fact, six of the top 10 cities are in south India while two are in Gujarat.

However, the economic output of Indian cities would be significantly smaller when compared to the world’s biggest metro cities. In the list of largest cities, New York, Tokyo, Los Angeles and London will retain their existing positions while Chinese cities Shanghai and Beijing push back Paris and Chicago to claim fifth and sixth positions, respectively. Two other Chinese cities that have made it to the top 10 in the list are Guangzhou (9) and Shenzhen (10).