Number of registered motor vehicles in Delhi 1988-2020

In the year 2020, there were almost 12 million registered motor vehicles in Delhi. In the last decade, the number nearly doubled. During the same period, registered vehicles across India had also been on the rise at a similar pace.

Growing population and higher income led to more private vehicles

As of 2020, the population of Delhi was around 30.3 million. It is one of the most important economic hubs of the country. The growing population of Delhi and increasing economic prosperity were the main drivers behind the increasing demands for new motor vehicles. The total number of motor vehicles in Delhi had surpassed 10 million in 2017, and the majority of which was two-wheelers, including motorcycles and scooters. More and more households in Delhi rely on private motorcycles, scooters, and cars for transportation.

Potential consequences

With such a large amount of motor vehicles on the road, Delhi became one of the most traffic jam-prone cities in the world. The real travel times in Delhi are 47 percent longer than travel under free-flow conditions. Furthermore, the exhaust gas from motor vehicles was an important contributor to the air pollution in Delhi, making it the most polluted capital three years in a row since 2018. To tackle these issues, the government of India and the local government of Delhi have formed a comprehensive plan to promote public transportation, reduce private transportation, and increase urban parking charges.