Market Research Companies in New Delhi

Key figures for researchers

Population (NCT of Delhi)

16.79 million on 1,483 sq km, about 11,320 people per sq km (2011 census)¹

National Capital Region

58.15 million people on 55,083 sq km in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan (2011 census)²

New Delhi (NDMC area)

257,803 residents (2011 census)³

Urban population

more than 97% of NCT residents (2011 census)¹

Main languages

Hindi 81.3%, Punjabi 5.2%, Urdu 5.2% (2011 census)⁴

Where migrants come from

Uttar Pradesh 40.7% and Bihar 15.8% of migrants living in Delhi (2011 census)⁵

Literacy rate

86.2% (2011 census)¹

Internet use

ever used: 85.2% of men and 63.8% of women aged 15–49 (NFHS-5, 2019–21)⁷

Unauthorised colonies

1,731 colonies, home to around 4 million residents (DDA)⁶

Per capita income

₹5,31,610, about 2.5 times the national average (2025–26 estimate)⁸

Research guide

Research landscape

Three names are often mixed up. New Delhi is the small central area run by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC): government buildings, embassies, Connaught Place and Lutyens’ Delhi, with only 257,803 residents in 2011. The NCT of Delhi (National Capital Territory) is the whole city-state: 16.79 million people on 1,483 sq km, more than 97% of them urban. The National Capital Region (NCR) adds districts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, including Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida (Gautam Buddha Nagar) and Ghaziabad: 58.15 million people on 55,083 sq km at the 2011 census.

Many research agencies and their clients are based in Gurugram or Noida rather than in Delhi itself, so a “New Delhi” agency often runs fieldwork across the whole NCR. Services make up 86.32% of Delhi’s economy and per capita income is estimated at ₹5,31,610 for 2025–26, about 2.5 times the national average: the region is a major base for B2B, government, NGO and international development research as well as consumer studies.

Who you will interview

Delhi is a city of migrants. At the 2011 census, Uttar Pradesh (40.7%) and Bihar (15.8%) were the main origins of migrants living in Delhi, followed by Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. Hindi is spoken by 81.3% of residents, followed by Punjabi (5.2%) and Urdu (5.2%), with smaller groups speaking Bhojpuri, Bengali, Maithili and southern languages. English is common for B2B and upper-income targets.

Literacy reached 86.2% in 2011, and in 2019–21 85.2% of men but only 63.8% of women aged 15–49 had ever used the internet. Set quotas by gender, age and socio-economic class (see the India guide on NCCS and ISEC), and check whether the study should cover the NCT only or the wider NCR: results for Gurugram or Noida can differ markedly from those for older Delhi neighbourhoods.

Fieldwork in practice

Housing types shape face-to-face fieldwork. Around 4 million people live in 1,731 unauthorised colonies, and the Delhi government counted 695 slums and JJ (jhuggi jhopri) clusters: these areas are dense, often without clear street addresses, and need experienced local interviewers and careful sampling maps. At the other end, gated societies and high-rise apartments in Gurugram, Noida and South Delhi usually require permission from the resident welfare association or security staff, which adds time and lowers response rates.

Traffic makes travel between Delhi, Gurugram and Noida slow, so field teams are usually organised by zone. The Metro network covers about 416 km and 303 stations across Delhi NCR and carried an average of 64.60 lakh (6.46 million) passenger journeys a day in 2025, which helps interviewers and respondents reach central locations. Online and telephone interviews work well for younger, educated and B2B targets.

Focus groups and qualitative research

Focus groups are usually held in dedicated rooms in South and Central Delhi, Gurugram or Noida, or in respondents’ homes for some household targets. Choose a venue close to a Metro station and to the target area: a group recruited in Noida will not easily travel to Gurugram on a weekday evening.

Groups are often run separately by gender, age and socio-economic class, and in Hindi, English or a mix of both. Ask the agency for its incentive levels and recruitment lead times; senior B2B and government respondents often prefer in-depth interviews, in person or online.

Timing

Delhi’s climate weighs on fieldwork. May is the hottest month, with a mean maximum of 39.5 °C, and heat waves are common from April to June: plan door-to-door work early in the day. The monsoon normally reaches Delhi around 27 June and withdraws around 25 September, with heavy rain and waterlogging.

From October to January, air pollution peaks: in November 2025, Delhi’s average PM2.5 reached 215 µg/m³, with six “severe” days. Emergency measures can then restrict construction, traffic and in-person schooling, and outdoor fieldwork becomes harder. Also plan around Diwali (October or November) and Holi (March).

Working with a Delhi agency

• Share a clear brief: objectives, target, sample size, area (New Delhi, the NCT or the whole NCR), method, languages and deadline.
• Ask where the field teams are based and how they cover Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad.
• For face-to-face studies, ask how the agency samples and accesses unauthorised colonies, JJ clusters and gated societies.
• Agree on the socio-economic classification (NCCS or ISEC) and the quota structure before fieldwork starts.
• Check the field calendar against summer heat, the monsoon, winter pollution alerts and festivals.
• Compare several proposals: you can send one request to up to 5 New Delhi companies from this page.

National rules (data protection, holidays, sampling across regions) are covered in our guide to market research in India.