A Statistical analysis of socio-demographic and economic characteristics in metropolitan and non-metropolitan class i cities in different regions of India

Abstract

Socio-demographic and economic characteristics play an important role in the growth of metropolitan and non-metropolitan Class I cities. Globally, urbanization increased from 30% in 1950 to 55% in 2018 and is expected to reach 68% by 2050, with Asia contributing the largest share of urban population and megacities. In India, Class I cities have populations above one lakh, including metropolitan cities (above 1 million population) and non-metropolitan cities (1 lakh to 1 million population). According to the 2011 Census, India had 53 metropolitan cities and 416 non-metropolitan Class I cities. Using data from the 2001 and 2011 Census town directories, this study analyses 35 indicators grouped into five components: Amenities, Economic Development, Assets, House Quality, and Socio-Demographic factors across five regions of India. The study shows that metropolitan cities expanded rapidly after 1951, especially in the Southern region, while non-metropolitan Class I cities were mainly concentrated in Southern and Central regions, After 1991 the growth of metropolitan cities grows more in all the regions of India. Metropolitan cities consistently performed better than non-metropolitan cities in all five indices, particularly in Northern, Southern, and Western regions. Regional shifts were observed in economic development, literacy, workforce participation, and migration patterns, influenced by industrial growth, educational improvements, migration, and government policies. Correlation analysis indicates that Western region metropolitan cities showed mostly negative relationships between urban population and other variables except amenities, while Western region non-metropolitan cities showed weaker correlations compared to other regions. Regression analysis reveals that economic factors and lagged urbanization significantly influenced urban population growth in most non-metropolitan cities, whereas in metropolitan cities only a few factors such as amenities, economic and socio-demographic variables, and assets remained significant after including lagged urbanization.