Surat Shows How It’s Done: To Become World’s Fastest Growing City By 2035, Says Report

According to a recent report released by Oxford Economics, Surat will witness the fastest expansionary trend through 2035, averaging a growth rate of over 9 per cent annually, as reported by Mint. Surat, the largest city in Gujarat, is an important commercial centre for trading in textiles and diamonds.

The report also noted that the top ten fastest growing cities in the world would be from India over the next two decades. Surat is followed by Agra and Bengaluru in second and third spots respectively.

This will contribute to towards the increasing trend of urbanisation in the country. “By 2050, 60 per cent population of the country will live in cities as India’s rate of urbanisation is dramatic,” Minister of State for Urban Development, Rao Inderjit Singh, stated in Parliament in 2016.

The Oxford report noted that while the economic output of many Indian cities will remain small when compared to their global peers, aggregated Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of all Asian cities will exceed the combined GDP of all North American and European urban centres by 2027.

Also, according to a UN (United Nations) report, India is expected to add 300 million new urban residents by 2050. However, the report warned that India would have to build climate-friendly cities to tackle the twin burdens of increasing urban population and global warming.

Also Read: Can The National Urban Policy Unlock The Potential Of Indian Cities?