4.3] Population density and Demographics

4.3 Population density and Demographics

Indian cities are also often characterised as sprawling. However, they often challenge global indicators of urban expansion. For instance, instead of low density development in the suburbs, centres of Indian cities are growing denser all the time, and population growth is distributed between the centre and the periphery. An example of this is Mumbai, which added 4.2 million people in the surrounding area between 1990 and 2014, and 3.7 million people in the city centre. This chaotic urban expansion has caused some socio-economic challenges, which are also key public policy issues. Not only are the lives affected by the epidemic threatened, the longer-term impact will directly and indirectly damage the quality of life of urban residents.

The urban population of Mumbai is estimated to exceed 22 million. The densely populated city is the largest in India in terms of population, business activities and commerce. Metropolitan areas have experienced explosive growth in the past 20 years, which is common in Indian metropolitan areas. The rapid population growth is attributable to immigrants from other parts of the country who seek business and job opportunities.

Figure 11) - Mumbai’s population graph Source - https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/mumbai-population Mumbai population in 2021 is now estimated at 20,667,656 people. In 1950, the population of Mumbai was 3,088,811. Since 2015, Mumbai has increased by 256,382 people, an annual growth rate of 1.26%.

These population estimates and forecasts come from the latest United Nations Global Urbanization Outlook Review. These estimates represent the urban agglomeration of Mumbai, which generally includes the population of Mumbai in addition to the neighbouring suburbs. Mumbai’s population has more than doubled since 1991, when the census showed there were 9.9 million people in the area. Rapid expansion has led to serious health problems that must be addressed by the government, and a large proportion of residents live in urban slums. The population density of Mumbai is approximately 73,000 people per square mile, making Mumbai one of the most densely populated cities in the world.

Figure 12) – Demographics of Mumbai

Source - https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/mumbai-population

Mumbai's demographics relate to us that the city is considered a melting pot due to all of the migrants that relocate to the city for employment opportunities. Mumbai, like most metropolitan areas of India, has a large population of polyglots, and 16 major languages of India are spoken here, including Gujarati, Hindi and Marathi, along with a colloquial form of Hindi called Bambaiya.

Cultural diversity within the city means that there are mixed religions throughout the area, although Hindu is the most practiced religion, with nearly 2 out of 3 Mumbai residents identifying as Hindu. You can see the full data in the Religion section below.

42% of the population is made up of Maharashtrians and Gujaratis account for 19%, while people from other areas of the country account for the rest of the population.