New Delhi also serves as the capital of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (often referred to as Delhi), an Indian city and union territory that politically resembles a state with its own legislature, high court and executive council of ministers. Geographically, New Delhi is one of 11 districts located within Delhi. India’s federal government and Delhi’s local government jointly administer New Delhi.
New Delhi is the world’s most polluted capital city. The National Capital Territory of Delhi is home to the second-largest number of bird species versus all capital cities behind only Nairobi in Kenya.
New Delhi’s nickname is City of Rallies.
From an international trade perspective, India placed 18th compared to all countries exporting products in 2019. Shipments from India totaled US$18.7 billion worth of goods, down from $16.5 billion 5 years earlier. According to the International Trade Centre, India’s highest-value exports are refined petroleum oils (about 15% of India’s total exports), raw diamonds (6.8%), drugs and medicines (4.5%), jewelry (4.1%), rice (2.2%), cars (2.1%) and automotive parts or accessories (1.6%).
Capital Facts for New Delhi, India: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: Red Fort (Lal Qila), India Gate, Lotus Temple (Bahai temple) and Akshardham Mandir (Hindu temple)
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in New Delhi, India.
- Deepak Chopra, alternative medicine expert, speaker (born Oct. 22, 1947)
- Bobby Cash, singer-songwriter & composer (born Feb. 13, 1961)
- Raj Chetty, economist (born Aug. 4, 1979)
- Anchal Joseph, model & actress (born Jan. 3, 1987)
- Raja Krishnamoorthi, US politician & attorney (born Jul. 19, 1973)
- Ashwin Ram, computer scientist (born Jul. 27, 1960)
- Asim Ghosh, executive (born Dec. 7, 1947)
- Yuki Bhambri, tennis professional (born Jul. 4, 1992)
- Sarika, actress (born Dec. 5, 1960)
- Kiran Desai, novelist (born Sep. 3, 1971)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches of published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a New Delhi resident: Delhiite
Population: 317,797 (New Delhi) in 2016
Density: 19,260 people per square mile (7,436 per square kilometer)
Population: 30,290,936 (National Capital Territory of Delhi) at June 15, 2020
Density: 52,944 people per square mile (20,412 per square kilometer)
Population: 1,379,463,950 (India) at June 15, 2020
Density: 1,202 people per square mile (464 per square kilometer)
Median age for all Indians: 28.4 years old
Financial
GDP: US$11.326 trillion in 2019 (India)
GDP per person: $8,378
Note: The above GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars.
Official currency used in New Delhi: Indian rupee
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Field Listing: Major Urban Areas.
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook, Field Listing: World.
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, South Asia: India, Central Intelligence Agency.
CityMetric, Where are largest cities in the world? 2015 edition.
Guinness World Records, Largest Hindu temple.
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Databases.
Official Government Website, New Delhi Municipal Government.
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags.
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Akshardham (Delhi).
Wikipedia, New Delhi.
Wikipedia, Delhi (National Capital Territory of Delhi).
Wikipedia, Capital Districts and Territories.
WorldOMeter, India Population.
India won its independence from the United Kingdom on August 15, 1947. Indians celebrate Republic Day each January 26 as a national public holiday.
The capital city of New Delhi covers a land area of 16.5 square miles (42.7 square kilometers). The capital’s estimated population was 317,797 residents in 2016 per the World Population Review.
Delhi, also called the National Capital Territory of Delhi is a large Indian metropolitan area home to a population of 30.3 million people living on a land area equal to 572.1 square miles (1,484 square kilometers) as of June 2020.
India is the world’s most populous democratic country. Its population count was 1.379 billion inhabitants at June 2020. The Asian nation’s massive land territory covers 1,147,955 square miles (2,973,190 square kilometers).
Population density within India’s capital city limits for New Delhi is about 19,260 Delhiites per square mile (7,436 per square kilometer).
Density is highly concentrated within the more populous National Capital Territory of Delhi, where population density averages 52,944 residents per square mile (20,412 per square kilometer).
Zooming out to India’s overall land mass boundaries, population density thins out significantly to an average 1,202 Indians per square mile (464 per square kilometer).
