Top 20 Developed Cities in India in 2022

India is a developing or emerging country with a gross domestic product (GDP) rate of US $3.53 Trillion as of 2022. It is the fifth-largest economy in the world and the third-largest market in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP). However, on the basis of per capita income, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) ranks India at 142nd position by its nominal GDP and 128th position by the country’s purchasing power in importing goods and services from other countries.

Nevertheless, since its independence on the 15th of August, 1947, the Indian sub-continent has been emerging as a major manufacturer, exporter as well as importer of a wide range of raw and finished goods and services and almost in every industry or sector in the market.

Thanks to the country’s regions that are extensively rich in areas, such as agriculture, minerals, precious metals, coal, medicines (traditional/folk medicines and remedies), spices, tea, education, and more. All this brings India to a significant position where the country’s contribution to other nations around the world can be beneficial and thus, have healthy trade relations with one another.

Now, coming to our topic, India is home to many developed cities. These economically developed cities not only help improve the country’s GDP and PPP but also makes for a well-urbanised society for the larger population by providing opportunities, facilities, etc. You probably already know a few developed cities in India, like Mumbai, Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore), Delhi (India’s capital city), and many more.

Moving ahead, we’re going to share with you some of these developed cities in India that play a key role in advancing the country in its market value, while also opening doors for its citizens to grow and fulfil their dreams.

India’s Top 20 Developed Cities that Help Make the Country a Top Player in the Global Market

Here are the top twenty developed cities in India (listed in alphabetical order) that have brought the country forward in becoming one of the major players and contributors around the world.

1. Ahmedabad

State: Gujarat

GDP: US $68 Billion

Ahmedabad is a developed city in India that is situated in the state of Gujarat, in the western region of the country. Due to the city’s growing economy, it’s also seen a rise in its population over the years. The city’s total population has increased to more than 5 million in urbanised areas.

Ahmedabad is popular for its history, and heritage sites. For being one of the residences (Sabarmati Ashram) of Mahatma Gandhi near the Sabarmati riverbanks, who was given the name “Father of the Nation”. In addition to this, the city is also the second-largest cotton-producing region for which it is often called “Manchester of the East”.

The city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat contributes to the country’s economy through the tertiary sector, which mainly includes industries, like commercial, construction and communication. The Government of India is on a mission of making Ahmedabad a smart city in the coming years.

2. Bengaluru

State: Karnataka

GDP: US $83 Billion

Bengaluru, which was earlier called Bangalore, is the capital city of Karnataka and is situated in the south-eastern region of India. The city plays a key role in shaping the country as well as its economic growth, primarily from its Information Technology (IT) sector, technology-enabled services, exports and foreign investments.

The city, once known as the Garden City, is now better known as the Silicon Valley of India, thus, being a major IT hub in the country. Here, you will find IT industries in large numbers, which also export their businesses to other countries, which in turn, helps boost the country’s GDP.

Being the primary IT hub of the country, the city of Bengaluru is also seeing a rapid increase in its total population, as more people flock here for opportunities in the IT sector.

3. Chandigarh

State: Punjab and Haryana

GDP: US  $6.20 Billion

Chandigarh is the joint capital city of two states, Punjab and Haryana, situated in the northern region of India. The city has grown to become one of the richest and most developed cities in India. It has seen a boost in industries, like agriculture, animal husbandry, real estate, Information Technology (IT), banking, communication, tourism and more.

The city of Chandigarh serves a large portion of the population by bringing opportunities in various industrial sectors and thus, contributing to the economy of India. Most of the revenue generated by the city comes from agriculture, animal husbandry and the IT sector which houses several multinational companies in the region.

The Chandigarh Administration is focusing on encouraging the IT industry. To develop and maintain the associated ecosystem, the government has developed high-speed data communication facilities for software development and its export by providing a NODE at Punjab Engineering College (PEC), Chandigarh, in partnership with the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI).

4. Chennai

State: Tamil Nadu

GDP: US $78.6 Billion

Once being just a fishing village, Chennai is now counted among the developed cities in India that plays a key role in the country’s growing economy. Previously known as Madras, Chennai is the capital city of the state of Tamil Nadu situated in the south-eastern region of the Indian sub-continent.

A major portion of the city’s GDP comes from commerce, industries, IT services, trade, tourism, Tollywood cinema (south film industry), and more. Chennai also consists of manufacturing facilities for electronic hardware, automobiles and consumer durables. There are more than 15,000 industries established in several parts of the region, which further brings opportunities to the workforce for the local people as well as migrants coming from other regions of the country.

5. Gurugram

State: Haryana

GDP: US $95 Billion

Gurugram (formerly Gurgaon) is listed among the developed cities in India. The city is situated in the state of Haryana in the northern region of the country. After Bengaluru, the second-largest IT hub of India is Gurugram which contributes around 70% of the country’s GDP. In addition to growing as one of the largest IT hubs in the country, the city of Gurugram also ranks third-largest in terms of financial and banking sectors.

Gurugram has seen a lot of development over the years in areas, such as real estate, Information Technology, banking, manufacturing, tourism, and more. Here as well, various multinational and start-up companies have set up their offices to cater to the business prospects of the larger population that seems to be increasing as more and more people migrate here in search of jobs.

6. Hyderabad

State: Telangana

GDP: US $74 Billion

Hyderabad is the capital city of the newly formed state of Telangana, which was separated from the state of Andhra Pradesh in the year 2014. The city of Hyderabad is not only known for its cuisine, culture and history, it’s included in the list of the developed cities in India for its contribution to both the state and the country’s GDP.

Hyderabad generates its revenue and subsequently its GDP from manufacturing, electronic industries, IT sector, commerce, trade, real estate, pharmaceuticals, communication, education, tourism, and more.

7. Indore

State: Madhya Pradesh

GDP: US $35 Billion

Indore is a popular financial city in the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. It is included in the list of the developed cities in India for the economic contribution to the state as well as the nation’s GDP.

The city of Indore is primarily accounted for being the largest economy in the state, partly because of having good connectivity in order to accelerate trade and commerce with the neighbouring states and other regions in the country. Most of the state’s GDP is generated from manufacturing, trading, finance, the IT sector, multinational corporations, and more.

8. Jaipur

State: Rajasthan

GDP: US $15.8 Billion

Jaipur is also known by its other names, the ‘Pink City’ and the ‘Paris of India’. It is the capital city of Rajasthan situated in the western region of the country. The city of Jaipur is popular for its historical background, heritage sites, architecture, culture and cuisine that attract tourists from around the world.

Jaipur generates much of its revenue from manufacturing jewellery, handicrafts, pottery, carpets, textiles, gemstone cutting, tourism, the automobile industry, and the IT sector. Along with many cities, Jaipur is also emerging as a major IT hub to create business opportunities for a large population in the region.

9. Kolkata

State: West Bengal

GDP: US $150 Billion

Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), the capital city of West Bengal, is also listed among the developed cities in India. In fact, after Mumbai and New Delhi, the third-largest economy of the country lies in the contribution of Kolkata. The city is popularly known for its rich history, culture, trade, tourism, etc.

The GDP of both the state of West Bengal and of India is generated from various industries that are operated by both the public and private sectors. A few such corporations and industries include textiles, minerals, heavy engineering, cement, jute, mining, steel, pharmaceuticals, food processing, agriculture, electronics, and more. In addition to this, Kolkata is also home to many IT services that help in generating revenue and thus, improve economic growth.

10. Lucknow

State: Uttar Pradesh

GDP: US $7.7 Billion

Lucknow is the fastest-growing city in the state of Uttar Pradesh in the northern region of India. Although a major portion of the state’s GDP comes from agriculture, the city of Lucknow, which is also the state’s largest city, is welcoming industries, and multinational and start-up companies that could bring opportunities to serve the larger population in the area.

The city of Lucknow consists of manufacturing plants for auto-mobile and aeronautic industries, real estate, construction, banking, commercial infrastructure, biotechnology, IT sector, tourism, and more. Lucknow is also one of the selected cities for the Smart City project of Software Technology Parks of India (STPI).

11. Mumbai

State: Maharashtra

GDP: US $606.62 Billion

Mumbai (formerly Bombay) is undoubtedly given the name of being the financial, commercial, and entertainment capital of India. Though it’s not actually the capital of India, which in fact, in Delhi. Mumbai is the capital city of the state of Maharashtra situated in the south-western region of the country.

The metropolitan city of Mumbai is known around the world for its world heritage sites, businesses, residence for the country’s millionaires and billionaires, and the film industries, like Bollywood and Marathi cinema (local film industry). The city is also home to hundreds of thousands of dream catchers that migrate here in search of opportunities. That being said, all this makes Mumbai the second-most populated city in India, aka a metropolitan city, or metropolis.

Mumbai contributes about 6.16% of the country’s GDP mainly through factories, industries, trade, capital transactions and taxes. The city thus serves as the economic hub of the country.

12. Mysore

State: Karnataka

GDP: US $6 Billion

In 2017, Mysore was included in the list of India’s metropolitan cities after having crossed 1million in its population. Today, the city stands as one of the emerging cities and a major hub for IT and tourism, making a contribution to India’s GDP.

The city of Mysore has become a prime location for many industries, like sandalwood carving, weaving, bronze work, production of lime and salt, food processing sectors, finance, automobile, textiles, engineering, machinery, petrochemicals, chemicals, and more.

13. Nagpur

State: Maharashtra

GDP: US $15 Billion

Nagpur is the third-largest city in the state of Maharashtra, and is sometimes, also called the “Winter Capital of Maharashtra”, “Tiger Capital of India” and the “Orange City” for its orange production. The city of Nagpur is emerging as a metropolis and is also a centre for commerce and trade. The city is also home to many millionaires and its industrial sector is seeing a significant rise.

The city has a major public sector and large and medium-scale enterprises that also account for the generation of revenue and the contribution to India’s GDP. A few industries in the region include logistics, fruit processing, oil, material resources, floriculture, mineral resources, fisheries and sericulture.

14. New Delhi

State: Delhi

GDP: US $120 Billion

New Delhi, the capital city of India, is also the country’s largest-populated area (metropolitan). The city is home to several world heritage sites, industries, residences for many millionaires and billionaires, government officials, administrative bodies and their respective offices.

In the country’s northern region, the metropolitan city of New Delhi serves as the primary commercial hub for India’s growing economy. A significant portion of the city’s GDP contribution comes from different industries and sectors, such as healthcare, telecommunications, retail, real estate, administration, banking, media, hotels and tourism.

Both Old Delhi and New Delhi see a flock of migrants from all over the country for opportunities and settlement.

15. Patna

State: Bihar

GDP: US $10 Billion

Patna is the capital city of the state of Bihar situated in the eastern region and is also the largest city in the state. The city of Patna has seen significant growth over the years, which also accounts for the contribution to the nation’s GDP at 7.29%.

Patna is also a metropolis and serves a major location for many industries, including software and technology, consumer goods, services, textiles, manufacturing, tourism, and many more. Prior to its economic development, Patna was majorly involved in agriculture and was exported to other parts of the country.

16. Pune

State: Maharashtra

GDP: US $48 Billion

Pune is another popular metropolitan city situated in the state of Maharashtra having a population of over 5 million. After Bengaluru, the second-most largest IT hub in India is definitely Pune.

Aside from catering to the state’s and the nation’s GDP through its IT sector, the city of Pune also helps with the economic growth through the manufacturing and automobile industries. Additionally, the city is a major hub for education with schools, colleges and universities that also attract foreign students to come and study here. For this, Pune has been given the name ‘Oxford of the East.

17. Surat

State: Gujarat

GDP: US $57 Billion

Surat is listed among the developed cities in India and has grown to become a metropolis in the state of Gujarat. The city is known for its textile industries, diamond supply (cutting and polishing), petrochemicals, automobiles, port, shipbuilding, and more. The diamond workshops alone generate about 18% of GDP for the country through exports.

The cities of Ahmedabad and Surat in the state of Gujarat are included on the list of being developed into smart cities, an initiative by the prime minister of India. The population of Surat is growing and now ranks second-most populated city, after Ahmedabad.

18. Thane

State: Maharashtra

GDP: US $12 Billion

Thane is a metropolitan city in the state of Maharashtra and is counted among the developed cities in India. It is now the fastest-growing economic hub and contributes about 36% of the state’s GDP.

A major portion of the state’s revenue generated comes from various industries, such as agriculture, textiles, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, fertilizers, engineering, minerals, steel, rubber, plastics, adhesives, electronics, and more.

19. Vadodara

State: Gujarat

GDP: US $10.7 Billion

Vadodara is the second-largest city and a metropolis in the state of Gujarat ranked after Ahmedabad. Its main contribution to the economy of the state of Gujarat and of India comes from agriculture, cotton textiles, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, fisheries, dairy, tobacco, chemicals, glass, engineering, biotechnology, machine tools, and more.

The city of Vadodara, which was previously called Baroda, is a location for many public and private sector industries as well as manufacturing plants.

20. Visakhapatnam

State: Andhra Pradesh

GDP: US $43.5 Billion

Visakhapatnam has grown to become one of India’s richest cities by GDP. Prior to its development, the region mainly served as an important port for many trade routes and fishing was the primary activity of the local people. The Visakhapatnam Port is the largest seaport in India. Situated in the south-eastern state of Andhra Pradesh, the economically developed city of Visakhapatnam has become a centre for several areas of business that help generate revenue.

The most common industries in this region include fishing, tourism, shipyard, harbour for sea trade, as well as many private sector industries, like minerals and resources, petroleum, steel, thermal power, heavy industries, pharmaceuticals, and IT industries and more.

Conclusion

These developed cities of India are also seeing an ever-growing rate of population, both locally and in terms of migration from other states, where people come to these regions in order to create a better tomorrow.