Population of Mumbai

In 2001 Greater Mumbai had a population of 11,914,398. This figure was more than twice the size of the 1961 population.

Growth in Mumbai proper has declined since the 1950s because of the already high levels of congestion there. In response, there has been a consistently higher growth of population in the outer ring of the metropolis.

In 2001, the largest metropolitan area population in India. Part of the reason for the metropolitan area population growth is migrants.

Mumbai attracts a large number of migrants not only from within the state of Mahārāshtra but also from many other parts of India. Often these new migrants are single males.

Mumbai is one of the most diverse cities in India.

Most of its people are Hindus, but there are also large minorities of Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, and Buddhists.

Parsis are a small but significant group and have a higher concentration in Mumbai than any other place in the world.

Many leading businesspeople, scholars, and philanthropists belong to Mumbai Parsi families.

Several different languages are spoken in Greater Mumbai. Marathi, Gujarati, Urdu, and Hindi are the main languages spoken; English is the language of the elite.