Page 76 - IJPS-11-6

International Journal of
Population Studies The paradox of urban decline in India

(3.7%), and most urban centers were growing (75%), recorded in the past two consecutive decades (1991–2001
while the number of declining ones was negligible (1.8%). and 2001–2011).
However, after 1981, as the urban growth rate slowed The distribution of growing, stabilizing, and declining
down, urban centers began to stabilize, while the share
of declining ones started to increase. By 2011, the shares urban centers significantly varies across different size-class
of growing, stabilizing, and declining urban centers were categories (Figure 2). The figure clearly indicates that the
31.1%, 62.4%, and 11.5%, respectively. It is predicted declining urban centers are concentrated in the smaller
that as urban growth continues to slow down, the share category of urban centers. Urban centers with populations
of declining urban centers will continue to increase in of less than 20,000 have a higher share of declining urban
future decades. centers and correspondingly lower shares of growing urban
centers. On the one hand, in class IV, V, and VI categories,
Further, Table 2 shows that, in a span of three decades,
there has been a significant increase in the number of the share of declining urban centers was 9.5%, 18.6%, and
50%, respectively, while in class I, the share was below 7%.
declining urban centers in India. The number increased
from 140 in 1981–1991 to 634 in 2001–2011, with the On the other hand, the class VI category had only a share
share rising from 4.1% to 11.5% of total urban centers. of 13.2% for growing urban centers, but the class I category
Conversely, the number of stabilizing urban centers had a share of 34.9%.
increased from 1135 (33.3%) to 3346 (60.8%). The share of 3.2. Spatial pattern of declining and shrinking cities
growing urban centers decreased from 2129 to 1523, and
the share dropped from 62.5% to 27.7% from 1991 to 2011, The study has found significant spatial heterogeneity
respectively. Furthermore, it has been revealed that 276 in terms of population growth in urban centers. This
urban centers experienced a decline in population from section examines the macro and microregional clustering
1991 to 2011. Population decline in 113 urban centers was of declining, stabilizing, and growing urban centers

Figure 1. The trend of urban population growth and the share of growing, stabilizing, and declining urban centers in India, 1911–2011

Table 2. Number and share of declining, stabilizing, and growing urban centers in India during 1981–2011
Year Number of urban centers Share of urban centers (%) Total
Declining Stabilizing Growing Declining Stabilizing Growing
1981–1991 140 1,135 2,129 4.11 33.34 62.54 3,404
1991–2001 252 1,721 2,004 6.34 43.00 50.39 3,977
2001–2011 634 3,346 1,523 11.52 60.8 27.68 5,503
1991–2011 276 754 3,058 6.75 18.44 74.80 4,088
1991–2001 and 2001–2011 113 1,311 745 - - - -
Note: The total number of urban centers is based on the previous census. In some cases, the previous year’s population was available in the data, making
growth calculation possible for some urban centers.

Volume 11 Issue 6 (2025) 70 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.3107