10 Richest Cities in India: GDP, Major Industries & Tourist Places

As a developing nation, India has made its mark as a creative hub and an extensive marketplace for the business sharks out there. Alongside foreign investments, India also has its own flavour and various kinds of big and small businesses that have rendered India with the possibility of becoming a $ 5 Trillion economy.

Out of 4000 cities, here are the 10 richest cities disproportionately distributed among 28 Indian States.

1. Mumbai

The capital city of Maharashtra, Mumbai is also the financial capital of the country. Mumbai is known as the “city of dreams”. Renowned for the most glamorous and propelling industry, Bollywood has always been a marker of the city. The richest business tycoons and almost every Bollywood celebrity are the residents of the city. That, in turn, makes it a hub for exclusive financial transactions and circulations. Bollywood is another religion in India and people worship their favourite stars. People come in and invest their money in recreation and entertainment. This sector makes up for a huge part in the economy of the city and the state in turn. Not only Bollywood but its cultural diversity which includes the East Indian community to the Parsi community and the Kolis, travellers are drawn in here.

GDP: USD 310 trillion
Major industries: Bollywood, Textile, automobile manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, metals, food processing, electronics. The textile industry is the most contributing of all.
Tourist places: Gateway of India, Elephanta caves, Kanheri caves, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Haji Ali Dargah

2. Delhi

Known as the National Capital Territory of Delhi of India, New Delhi is the most populous city of the country. It is said to be the epitome of modernity, advancements and fast life. Being the political centre, Delhi is home to all the prominent political personalities and officeholders including the President, the Prime Minister and distinguished ministries. New Delhi has been of great historic importance and a good deal of economics is met by the tourist influx in the city. Besides this, Delhi is a metropolitan city and attracts a large part of the population from all the states. With the ever-growing rates of urbanisation, the city accommodates everyone and holds economic boons in its bosom.

GDP: USD 167 billion
Major industries: Tourism, banking, hotels and hospitality industry, manufacturing industry, telecommunication.
Tourist places: India Gate, Akshardham Temple, Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Qutub Minar, Humayun’s tomb.

3. Kolkata

One of the largest metropolises, Kolkata is the capital city of West Bengal state. “City of joy”, known as the cultural capital of the country inevitably makes one recall the glory of Tagore and British India. Kolkata entices the seekers of olden days with its Bengali food and Chinese food in the area of China-Town. Its economy runs on the tourism industry. Being a port city, its harbour serves as a site of extreme commercial exchanges that adds to its economic growth.

GDP: USD 150 billion
Major industries: Mining, heavy engineering, cement, agriculture, food processing, textile, jute.
Tourist places: Victoria Memorial, Howrah Bridge, Kali ghat, Nicco park, Indian Museum, Marble Palace.

4. Bengaluru

Bengaluru is the capital of the state of Karnataka. Known as “India’s Silicon Valley”, Bengaluru is the ultimate hub for the tech geeks. The city is widely known for being an IT(Information Technology) hub. In addition to that, the productive metro network generates good revenue. The city is also known for its various theme parks and its youthful nightlife and hence surfaces as a nice weekend getaway

GDP: USD 83 billion
Major industries: IT sector, banking and finance, steel and cement production, mining, automobile manufacturing.
Tourist places: Golden Chariot, Lalbagh Botanical garden, Bangalore palace, Cubbon park, Nandi Temple, Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace.

5. Hyderabad

It is the capital of Telangana state. With a rich historic account, Hyderabad emerges as a centre of history and architecture. It is also known as the “city of pearls and biryani”, for the prosperity that the Nizams brought to the city and the world-famous Hyderabadi Biryani. With its growing education sector and developing infrastructure, students are encouraged to come to the city to pursue their higher education. This influx stimulates more currency exchange and makes it a rich city. The Telugu film industry has its base set up in the city and flourishes it with enough recreational options as well as economic benefits.

GDP: USD 74 billion
Major industries: Manufacturing, education sector, tourism.
Tourist places: Charminar, Golconda Fort, Hussain Sagar, Salar Jung Museum, Ramoji film city, Birla Temple.

6. Chennai

Chennai is the capital city of Tamil Nadu and sits by the Bay of Bengal. Given its glorious history and its significance as Madras Presidency during the British rule, Chennai is historically and culturally rich and diverse, attracting tourism in turn. Besides being a pioneer in art, culture and music, Chennai attracts industrialists as much as it does artists.

GDP: USD 66 billion
Major industries: Tourism, software services, automobile, medical sector, hardware manufacturing.
Tourist places: Marina beach, Government’s museum, Kapaleeshwara Temple, Fort St. George, Guindy National park.

7. Ahmedabad

It is the commercial capital of Gujarat state. The city is known for its gems and diamond markets. It is equally famous for Gandhi’s Ashram near the banks of the Sabarmati river. The city is also famous for its food, especially the Rajwadi Gujarati thali. Ahmedabad is yet another getaway option for people who want to explore the bright and colourful culture of Gujarat. Especially during the festival of Navratri, the city livens up and gets high on Garba tunes. The economy of the city is boosted by its transport network and the gems and textile markets.

GDP: USD 64 billion
Major Industries: Textiles, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals.
Tourist places: Sabarmati Ashram, Kankaria Lake, Adalaj stepwell, Bhadra Fort, Sidi Bashir Mosque.

8. Pune

Poona(as called in olden days) was the capital of the Peshwas, the Maratha rulers. Pune is a historically important and culturally rich city. No doubt such a city would generate good revenue from the tourism industry. Pune is on the brink of emerging as the education hub of India. Finest of colleges and universities are being established and students from all over the country come here to pursue higher studies. Expectedly, the standard living of people is high and they make the best use of the luxuries the city provides them with.

GDP: USD 48 billion
Major industries: Automotive, Chemical industries, Education sector, food processing, electronics
Tourist places: Shaniwar Wada, Aga Ali Palace, Singahad fort, Parvati Hills, Rajiv Gandhi Zoological park

9. Surat

The city lies by the shore of Tapi river in the state of Gujarat. Given its geographical location, import-export commerce takes place through its seaport. Surat remains the centre of diamond and textile markets. It is also recognised as one of the cleanest cities in India. It is also known as the “city of diamonds” and “the green city”. The city has almost zero unemployment rate, thus many people from different cities immigrate here in the search for better job opportunities.

GDP: USD 40 billion
Major industries: textiles, chemicals, dying and printing, diamond cutting, zari making, manufacturing of machines and equipment
Tourist places: Dumas Beach, Amaazia water park, Gopi Talav, Surat castle, Dutch Garden, Ambika Niketan Temple, Sardar Patel Museum

10. Visakhapatnam

It is a port city on the Bay of Bengal in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The city is well known for its beaches and temple architecture. It is commonly known as Vizag which was actually given by the British people who had inconvenience pronouncing such a long name. Its beautiful beaches attract enough tourism to fuel its economy.

GDP: USD 26 billion
Major industries: Fishing, petrochemicals, Fertilizers and polymer industries, tourism
Tourist places: Ramkrishna Beach, Kailasagiri, Rushikonda Beach, Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Bheemili Beach, Yarada Beach

Here’s an overview of the ten richest cities in India and the reasons why they made it to this list. From the city of dreams Mumbai to the city of ports Vizag, their economy, the most profit-making and propelling industries in the city and some must-visit tourist places, each one of them contributes their share in the overall economic benefits of the nation.