There is currently no reliable quantification of the magnitude of the economic output of Indian cities. Such hard evidence is critical for several reasons. It can help cement the centrality of Indian cities to the economic growth story with state-level policy makers and the broader electorate. In doing so, it can bolster the case for reforms that are critical for cities to deliver on their economic potential such as greater devolution of power, finances and trained personnel to city governments. 

IDFC Institute has developed a new web-tool that allows users to assess the spatial distribution of India’s GDP. This 3D tool is based on 2006 GDP and population data* (more recent data will be added soon) and can be used to understand the variation in economic activity across the country at a higher resolution than administrative data, and at a granular level. Users can search for specific cities to view economic output at a 1 sq. km cell level as well as population.

For a quick tutorial on how to use the web-tool, please scroll down. 

*Source for GDP data: (Ghosh, T., Powell, R., Elvidge, C. D., Baugh, K. E., Sutton, P. C., & Anderson, S. (2010). Shedding light on the global distribution of economic activity. The Open Geography Journal (3), 148-161.)

Source for population data: Landscan: https://landscan.ornl.gov