Chennai: Dun & Bradstreet today released its City Vitality Index (CVI) for Apr-Jun 2026. The Index tracks economic vitality across more than 800 districts nationwide using satellite-derived Earth Observation data and economic indicators. The findings ranked Pune as India’s most vital metropolitan city, while South 24 Parganas was the strongest-performing emerging city. These results highlight how, while established metropolitan centres continue to anchor the economy, a growing number of emerging cities are contributing to economic activity across the country.
Key findings include:
- Pune retained its position as India’s most vital metropolitan city, leveraging its diversified strengths across IT services, advanced manufacturing, automotive industries, education, and innovation-led economic activity.
- Kolkata recorded the strongest growth momentum among metropolitan cities, signalling accelerating economic activity and investment potential, while Ahmedabad secured the second overall position.
- South 24 Parganas topped the emerging city rankings, followed by North 24 Parganas and Thane, highlighting the rising economic importance of districts beyond India’s conventional metro centres.
- Jaipur, Nashik, Surat, Murshidabad, and Ranga Reddy continue to strengthen their economic footprint, becoming important contributors to regional development.
- Several districts have consistently outperformed over the past decade, including Dimapur, Panchmahals, Anand, Ayodhya, Rampur, Basti, Shamli, Boudh, Aurangabad, and Koderma, demonstrating sustained economic resilience and long-term growth momentum since Q2 2012.
India’s urbanisation journey is entering a more inclusive and geographically diversified phase, with
businesses, investments, talent, and infrastructure development expanding across emerging cities at an accelerating pace. Understanding these new growth corridors will be increasingly important for investors, enterprises, developers, and policymakers seeking to identify future opportunities and allocate resources effectively.
Dr. Arun Singh, Chief Economist, Dun & Bradstreet India, said, “The latest City Vitality Index highlights an important structural shift in India’s growth trajectory. While metropolitan centres such as Pune continue to drive economic scale and productivity, an increasing number of emerging cities and districts are becoming significant contributors to investment, enterprise creation, and job generation. The rise of centres such as South and North 24 Parganas reflects how economic momentum is spreading across a wider geography. This broadening of India’s growth base will play a critical role in shaping future infrastructure demand, capital flows, urban development, and employment opportunities, making regional competitiveness an increasingly important driver of economic progress.”
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