GeographyCBSE Class 12 · Human Settlements

Urbanisation in India, Functional Classes of Towns and Smart Cities (Class 12 Geography, India: People and Economy, Chapter 2)

Updated 16 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Urbanisation is measured as the percentage of urban population in the total population. India's level was 31.16 per cent in 2011, low compared with developed countries; urban population grew about eleven-fold in the twentieth century. Towns are classed by dominant function, and the Smart Cities Mission aims at core infrastructure, clean environment and decent quality of life.

Notice the urban share rises steadily from 10.84% in 1901 to 31.16% in 2011, still low compared with developed countries.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand Urbanisation in India

Why this topic matters. A table on trends of urbanisation is set as a 3-mark question almost every year, functional classes of towns come as matching items, and the Smart Cities Mission as a 3-mark answer.

1. Level of urbanisation.

Level of urbanisation = urban population as a percentage of total population.
India: 31.16 per cent (2011), low compared with developed countries.
Urban population increased eleven-fold during the twentieth century (25,851.9 thousand in 1901 to 2,85,355 thousand in 2001).
Growth came from enlargement of urban centres and emergence of new towns.
But the growth rate of urbanisation has slowed in the last two decades.

2. Reading Table 2.1 (Trends of Urbanisation 1901-2011).

Share of urban population rose steadily: 10.84% (1901), 17.29% (1951), 23.34% (1981), 27.78% (2001), 31.16% (2011).
Number of towns/UAs: 1,827 (1901) to 6,171 (2011).
Decennial growth was highest in 1981 (46.14%) and 1951 (41.42%); it fell to 31.13% (2001) and 31.08% (2011).
Only decade of near-zero growth: 1911 (0.35%); the number of towns even fell from 1,827 to 1,815.
Decennial growth = (urban population of the year - that of 10 years earlier) / earlier x 100.

3. Functional classification of towns. Every town performs many functions, but many are known for a dominant one:

Administrative: Chandigarh, New Delhi, Bhopal, Shillong, Guwahati, Imphal, Srinagar, Gandhinagar, Jaipur, Chennai.
Industrial: Mumbai, Salem, Coimbatore, Modinagar, Jamshedpur, Hugli, Bhilai.
Transport: ports (Kandla, Kochi (Cochin), Kozhikode, Vishakhapatnam) or inland hubs (Agra, Dhulia, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Nagar, Itarsi, Katni).
Commercial: Kolkata, Saharanpur, Satna.
Mining: Raniganj, Jharia, Digboi, Ankaleshwar, Singrauli.
Garrison cantonment: Ambala, Jalandhar, Mhow, Babina, Udhampur.
Educational: Roorki, Varanasi, Aligarh, Pilani, Prayagraj.
Religious and cultural: Varanasi, Mathura, Amritsar, Madurai, Puri, Ajmer, Pushkar, Tirupati, Kurukshetra, Haridwar, Ujjain.
Tourist: Nainital, Mussoorie, Shimla, Pachmarhi, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Udagamandalam (Ooty), Mount Abu.
Functions are dynamic: specialised cities that grow into metropolises become multifunctional; industry, business, administration and transport intertwine, so the city can no longer be placed in one class.

4. Smart Cities Mission.

Objective: promote cities that provide core infrastructure, a clean and sustainable environment and a decent quality of life to citizens.
Feature: smart solutions to infrastructure and services, e.g. making areas less vulnerable to disasters, using fewer resources, providing cheaper services.
Focus: sustainable and inclusive development; develop compact areas and create a replicable model that acts as a lighthouse for other aspiring cities.

5. Scope note. Classification of towns by population size is not in the 2026-27 syllabus; functional classification is.

Graph checklist. Plot the urban share (per cent) from 1901 to 2011 as a line graph; it rises throughout, faster after 1951.

Key quotations

Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.

The level of urbanisation is measured in terms of percentage of urban population to total population.
NCERT, India: People and Economy, Chapter 2: Opening of 'Urbanisation in India'.
The definition to start any urbanisation answer.

Urbanisation in India: key facts

Level of urbanisation: $L e v e l = u r ban p o p u l a t i o n / t o t a l p o p u l a t i o n x 100$; India 2011: 31.16 per cent.
Decennial urban growth: $G r o w t h ($; U1 = urban population ten years earlier.
Table 2.1 highlights: $1901 : 1, 827 t o w n s, 10.84$; Census of India, 2011 (provisional for 2011).
Functional classes: Administrative
Industrial
Transport
Commercial
Mining
Garrison cantonment
Educational
Religious and cultural
Tourist; Big cities become multifunctional.

How to answer Urbanisation in India questions

Expect a 3-mark table question on trends of urbanisation, matching items on functional classes, and 3-mark answers on multifunctional cities or the Smart Cities Mission.

1In a table question, read the column asked for: share of urban population, number of towns, or decennial growth.
2Describe a trend in one sentence: direction, from-to values with years, and any break (1911, 1981 peak, slowdown after 1991).
3For a growth sum, use (U2 - U1) / U1 x 100 with the earlier year as base.
4Match towns to functions using NCERT's lists; check one sure pair first (Digboi mining, Mhow garrison).
5For Smart Cities, give objective, feature and focus, ending with the 'lighthouse' replicable model.

Urbanisation in India in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Level vs growth

Suppose two friends argue: one says India's level of urbanisation in 2011 was 31.08 per cent, the other says 31.16 per cent.

Who is right, and what does the other figure mean?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Level of urbanisation = urban population as a percentage of total population: 31.16 per cent in 2011.
31.08 per cent is the decennial growth of urban population in 2001-2011 (Table 2.1).

Answer: The friend who says 31.16 per cent is right about the level; 31.08 per cent is the decennial growth of urban population, a different column of the table.

Memory hook: Share is .16; growth is .08.

Mining towns

Suppose rich coal seams are found in a thinly peopled area, and within years mines, workers' colonies and markets spring up.

What functional class of town is emerging, and which NCERT examples match?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Mining towns have developed in mineral-rich areas.
NCERT examples: Raniganj, Jharia, Digboi, Ankaleshwar, Singrauli.

Answer: A mining town, like Raniganj, Jharia, Digboi, Ankaleshwar or Singrauli, which grew in mineral-rich areas.

Memory hook: Minerals first, town follows.

Tricks to remember Urbanisation in India

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

Mining 'RJ DAS'
Raniganj, Jharia, Digboi, Ankaleshwar, Singrauli.
Use it when: Mining towns.
Garrison 'A J MBU'
Ambala, Jalandhar, Mhow, Babina, Udhampur.
Use it when: Cantonment towns.
Transport ports 'K K K V'
Kandla, Kochi (Cochin), Kozhikode, Vishakhapatnam; inland hubs Agra, Itarsi, Katni.
Use it when: Transport cities.
10.84 to 31.16
Urban share nearly tripled from 1901 to 2011.
Use it when: Trend of urbanisation.

Urbanisation in India: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Statements on functional classes · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

Consider the statements:
I. Itarsi and Katni are hubs of inland transport.
II. Kozhikode is a mining town.
III. Pushkar is a religious and cultural town.
Which are correct?
(A) I and II
(B) I and III
(C) II and III
(D) I, II and III

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

NCERT lists Itarsi and Katni as inland transport hubs and Pushkar as a religious and cultural town; Kozhikode is a port (transport city), not a mining town (1 mark).

Answer: (B) I and III

Example 2: Assertion and reason on urban growth · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level

Assertion (A): India's urban population increased about eleven-fold during the twentieth century.
Reason (R): Enlargement of urban centres and the emergence of new towns played a significant role in the growth of urban population.
(A) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(B) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(C) (A) is true but (R) is false.
(D) (A) is false but (R) is true.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Table 2.1: 25,851.9 thousand (1901) to 2,85,355 thousand (2001), about 11 times; NCERT credits enlargement of centres and new towns, so R explains A (1 mark).

Answer: (A) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

Example 3: Table: urban growth · 3 marks · Source-basedHarder board level

Study the data from Table 2.1 (urban population in thousands): 1951: 62,443.7; 1961: 78,936.6; 1981: 1,59,463; 1991: 2,17,611.
(i) Calculate the decennial growth for 1951-61. (1)
(ii) Calculate the decennial growth for 1981-91. (1)
(iii) Which of the two decades grew faster, and by about how many percentage points? (1)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

(i) (78,936.6 - 62,443.7) / 62,443.7 x 100 = 26.41 per cent (1 mark).
(ii) (2,17,611 - 1,59,463) / 1,59,463 x 100 = about 36.5 per cent; NCERT prints 36.47 (1 mark).
(iii) 1981-91, by about 10 percentage points (36.47 - 26.41 = 10.06) (1 mark).

Answer: (i) 26.41 per cent. (ii) About 36.5 per cent (NCERT: 36.47). (iii) 1981-91 grew faster, by about 10 percentage points.

Example 4: Two kinds of transport city · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

Distinguish between the two kinds of transport cities described by NCERT, with examples, and say which kind Kandla belongs to. (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Ports primarily engaged in export and import activities: Kandla, Kochi (Cochin), Kozhikode, Vishakhapatnam (1 mark).
Hubs of inland transport: Agra, Dhulia, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Nagar, Itarsi, Katni (1 mark).
Kandla is a port city, a transport city of the first kind (1 mark).

Answer: Transport cities are of two kinds. Some are ports primarily engaged in export and import activities, such as Kandla, Kochi (Cochin), Kozhikode and Vishakhapatnam. Others are hubs of inland transport, such as Agra, Dhulia, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Nagar, Itarsi and Katni. Kandla belongs to the first kind: it is a port city.

Example 5: Which project fits the Smart Cities Mission? · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

A city proposes three projects: (i) flood-warning sensors in low-lying wards; (ii) metered piped water to cut leakage and lower bills; (iii) an eight-lane flyover built by filling a wetland. Using NCERT's description of the Smart Cities Mission, say which projects fit it and why one does not. (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

(i) fits: smart solutions make areas less vulnerable to disasters (1 mark).
(ii) fits: smart solutions use fewer resources and provide cheaper services (1 mark).
(iii) does not fit: the Mission seeks a clean and sustainable environment and focuses on sustainable and inclusive development (1 mark).

Answer: Projects (i) and (ii) fit. Flood-warning sensors are a smart solution that makes areas less vulnerable to disasters; metered water uses fewer resources and provides cheaper services. Project (iii) does not fit, because the Mission aims at a clean and sustainable environment, with its focus on sustainable and inclusive development, and filling a wetland works against that.

Example 6: HOTS: why urbanisation is slowing · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

"India's urban population has multiplied, yet its level of urbanisation remains low and its growth rate has slowed." Examine the statement using Table 2.1, and suggest how the Smart Cities Mission fits in. (5 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Multiplied: eleven-fold in 20th century; towns 1,827 to 6,171 (1 mark).
Level low: 31.16% in 2011 vs developed countries (1 mark).
Growth rate: peaks 41.42% (1951), 46.14% (1981); 31.13% (2001), 31.08% (2011) (1 mark).
Causes of growth: enlargement and new towns; uneven functions (1 mark).
Smart Cities: quality over quantity; replicable model; conclusion (1 mark).

Answer: Urban India has grown enormously: urban population rose about eleven-fold during the twentieth century, and the number of towns and urban agglomerations rose from 1,827 in 1901 to 6,171 in 2011, through enlargement of existing centres and the emergence of new towns.

Yet the level is low: only 31.16 per cent of Indians were urban in 2011, compared with much higher levels in developed countries, because the total population also grew fast and most people still live in villages.

The pace has slowed: decennial urban growth peaked at 41.42 per cent (1951) and 46.14 per cent (1981) and fell to 31.13 per cent (2001) and 31.08 per cent (2011); NCERT notes the slowdown over the last two decades.

The Smart Cities Mission shifts attention from the number of urban people to the quality of urban life: core infrastructure, clean and sustainable environment, smart solutions and inclusive development, with compact areas serving as lighthouse models for other cities.

So the statement holds: the urban population has multiplied, the level is still modest, growth is slowing, and policy now focuses on better cities rather than just bigger ones.

Where students lose marks in Urbanisation in India

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Confusing level of urbanisation with urban growth
Two columns in the table.
Wrong working
Urbanisation in 2011 was 31.08 per cent.
Right working
Level (share) was 31.16 per cent; decennial growth was 31.08 per cent.
Do this: Share column vs growth column.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Wrong functional class
Towns known for several things.
Wrong working
Kandla is a mining town.
Right working
Kandla is a transport (port) city; mining: Raniganj, Jharia, Digboi, Ankaleshwar, Singrauli.
Do this: Use NCERT's lists.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Trend without figures
Vague description.
Wrong working
Urbanisation increased over time.
Right working
Urban share rose from 10.84 per cent (1901) to 31.16 per cent (2011).
Do this: From-to values with years.
Usually costs: Half to 1 mark.
Mistake: Writing size classes of towns
Older notes include them.
Wrong working
Classifying towns into Class I to VI by population.
Right working
Size classification is outside the 2026-27 syllabus; use functional classes.
Do this: Check syllabus scope.
Usually costs: Wasted time.

Exam tips

Asked in: table on trends of urbanisation in 2023 board paper 64/1/1 Q19, 2025 board paper 64/4/1 Q23 and 64/5/1 Q23, and 2026 board paper 64/2/1 Q22 (3 marks each); 2026 board paper 64/5/1 Q22 (3 marks, multifunctional towns or the Smart Cities Mission); 2024 board paper 64/1/1 Q12 (1 mark, mining towns); 2025 board paper 64/6/1 Q14 (1 mark, town and function pair); 2023 board paper 64/4/1 Q5 (1 mark, matching towns and functions); 2024-25 sample paper Q22 (3 marks, smart city proposal); 2026 board paper 64/4/2 Q22 (3 marks, objectives of the Smart Cities Mission). The answers on this page are our own.
In table questions, quote two values with years for every trend you describe.
Show the working in growth sums: difference, division, x 100.
Learn three examples for each functional class.

Practice questions on Urbanisation in India

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
What was the level of urbanisation in India in 2011?
(A) 27.78 per cent
(B) 31.16 per cent
(C) 23.34 per cent
(D) 68.8 per cent
Hint
Rural share is 68.8.
Answer
(B) 31.16 per cent.
Q2 · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level
Name two religious and cultural towns of India listed by NCERT. (1 mark)
Hint
Pilgrim centres.
Answer
Any two of Varanasi, Mathura, Amritsar, Madurai, Puri, Ajmer, Pushkar, Tirupati, Kurukshetra, Haridwar and Ujjain.
Q3 · 1 mark · Very short answerHarder board level
According to Table 2.1, between which two census years did India's urban share first cross 20 per cent? (1 mark)
Hint
Look at 1971 and 1981.
Answer
Between 1971 (19.91 per cent) and 1981 (23.34 per cent).
Q4 · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder board level
Classify these towns by function: Digboi, Itarsi, Mussoorie, Saharanpur. (2 marks)
Hint
Mining, transport, tourist, commercial.
Answer
Digboi: mining; Itarsi: transport (inland hub); Mussoorie: tourist; Saharanpur: commercial.
Q5 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Suppose a city's urban population rose from 4,00,000 to 5,20,000 in ten years. Find the decennial growth and compare it with India's 2001-2011 urban growth (31.08 per cent). (3 marks)
Hint
(U2 - U1) / U1 x 100.
Answer
Growth = (5,20,000 - 4,00,000) / 4,00,000 x 100 = 1,20,000 / 4,00,000 x 100 = 30 per cent, slightly below India's urban growth of 31.08 per cent in 2001-2011.
Q6 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Using Table 2.1, show that both the emergence of new towns and the enlargement of existing towns drove urban growth. (3 marks)
Hint
Count of towns vs a decade when towns fell.
Answer
New towns: the number of towns/UAs rose from 1,827 in 1901 to 6,171 in 2011, and NCERT names many towns developed after Independence. Enlargement: between 1951 and 1961 the number of towns fell from 2,843 to 2,365, yet urban population rose from 62,443.7 thousand to 78,936.6 thousand (26.41 per cent), so existing towns must have grown larger. NCERT credits both enlargement of urban centres and emergence of new towns for urban growth.
Q7 · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Classify these towns into NCERT's functional classes: Bhopal, Salem, Katni, Satna, Ankaleshwar, Babina, Aligarh, Ajmer, Jaisalmer, Varanasi. Which one appears in two of NCERT's lists, and what does that show? (5 marks)
Hint
Ten towns, nine classes; one town is listed twice.
Answer
Bhopal: administrative. Salem: industrial. Katni: transport (inland hub). Satna: commercial. Ankaleshwar: mining. Babina: garrison cantonment. Aligarh: educational. Ajmer: religious and cultural. Jaisalmer: tourist. Varanasi: religious and cultural, and also educational. Varanasi appears in two lists, which shows that a town performs a number of functions and is classed by its dominant ones; as towns grow, functions change and intertwine.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.How many towns/UAs did India have in 2011?Show answer
6,171.
2.In which census year was India's urban share 17.29 per cent?Show answer
1951.
3.Name two mining towns.Show answer
Any two of Raniganj, Jharia, Digboi, Ankaleshwar and Singrauli.
4.Name two inland transport hubs.Show answer
Any two of Agra, Dhulia, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Nagar, Itarsi and Katni.
5.What is the 'lighthouse' idea in the Smart Cities Mission?Show answer
Compact areas developed as replicable models for other aspiring cities.

Urbanisation in India: frequently asked questions

How is urbanisation measured?

As the percentage of urban population to total population; India's was 31.16 per cent in 2011.

Which towns does NCERT list as commercial towns?

Kolkata, Saharanpur and Satna.

Is the Smart Cities Mission in the 2026-27 syllabus?

Yes. The syllabus lists it under Chapter 2, Human Settlements, along with urbanisation and functional classification of towns.

Has urbanisation in India slowed?

The level keeps rising, but NCERT notes that the growth rate of urbanisation has slowed over the last two decades.