The most populated cities in the world, why they grew so large, where they are located, and what their population size means for the future of urban life.

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The most populated cities in the world are more than just large urban areas—they are economic engines, cultural hubs, and symbols of rapid global change. As the world becomes increasingly urbanized, a growing share of humanity now lives in megacities with populations that exceed entire countries.

City	Country	Population
Tokyo	Japan	37785000
Jakarta	Indonesia	33756000
Delhi	India	32226000
Guangzhou	China	26940000
Mumbai	India	24973000
Manila	Philippines	24922000
Shanghai	China	24073000
São Paulo	Brazil	23086000
Seoul	Korea, South	23016000
Mexico City	Mexico	21804000
Kolkāta	India	21747000
Cairo	Egypt	20296000
Karachi	Pakistan	20249000
Dhaka	Bangladesh	19134000
New York	United States	18832416
Beijing	China	18522000
Bangkok	Thailand	18007000
Shenzhen	China	17619000
Moscow	Russia	17332000
Buenos Aires	Argentina	16710000
Lagos	Nigeria	16637000
Bangalore	India	15386000
Ho Chi Minh City	Vietnam	15136000
Ōsaka	Japan	15126000
Chengdu	China	14645000
Istanbul	Turkey	14441000
Tehran	Iran	14148000
Kinshasa	Congo (Kinshasa)	12836000
Rio de Janeiro	Brazil	12592000
Chennai	India	12395000
Xi’an	China	12328000
Lahore	Pakistan	12306000
Chongqing	China	12135000
Los Angeles	United States	11885717
London	United Kingdom	11262000
Paris	France	11060000
Linyi	China	10820000
Dongguan	China	10646000
Baoding	China	10546831
Hyderābād	India	10494000
Tianjin	China	10368000
Lima	Peru	10320000
Wuhan	China	10251000
Nanyang	China	9577771
Hangzhou	China	9523000
Nagoya	Japan	9197000
Luanda	Angola	9051000
Foshan	China	9042500
Kuala Lumpur	Malaysia	8911000
Zhoukou	China	8677800
Tongshan	China	8669000
Hanoi	Vietnam	8587100
Chicago	United States	8489066
Nanjing	China	8422000
Heze	China	8287693
Pune	India	8231000
Jining	China	8081905
Bogotá	Colombia	8034649
Ahmedabad	India	8009000
Shenyang	China	7964000
Dar es Salaam	Tanzania	7962000
Khartoum	Sudan	7869000
Johannesburg	South Africa	7860781
Fuyang	China	7599913
Hong Kong	Hong Kong	7450000
Ganzhou	China	7396873
Shangqiu	China	7325300
Cangzhou	China	7300783
Riyadh	Saudi Arabia	7237000
Santiago	Chile	7171000
Zhumadian	China	7008427
Zhanjiang	China	6981236
Rangoon	Burma	6874000
Yancheng	China	6709629
Bijie	China	6686100
Xingtai	China	6645766
Hengyang	China	6645243
Shaoyang	China	6563520
Surabaya	Indonesia	6556000
Sūrat	India	6538000
Quanzhou	China	6480000
Shangrao	China	6435300
Zunyi	China	6270700
Madrid	Spain	6211000
Baghdad	Iraq	6183000
Maoming	China	6174050
Miami	United States	6113982
Xinyang	China	6109106
Houston	United States	6046392
Singapore	Singapore	5983000
Prayagraj	India	5954391
Huanggang	China	5882719
Dalian	China	5871474
Ankara	Turkey	5864049
Dallas	United States	5843632
Qingdao	China	5818255
Yulin	China	5796766
Liaocheng	China	5789863
Douala	Cameroon	5768400
Qujing	China	5765775
Nangandao	China	5708191
Addis Ababa	Ethiopia	5704000
Philadelphia	United States	5696588
Toronto	Canada	5647656
Zhengzhou	China	5621593
Nanchong	China	5607565
Jinan	China	5606374
Giza	Egypt	5598402
Saint Petersburg	Russia	5597763
Jieyang	China	5577814
Dezhou	China	5568235
Nairobi	Kenya	5545000
Guadalajara	Mexico	5525000
Tai’an	China	5472217
Dazhou	China	5385422
Belo Horizonte	Brazil	5328000
Suzhou	China	5324476
Monterrey	Mexico	5324281
Yongzhou	China	5289824
Changde	China	5279102
Xiangyang	China	5260951
Atlanta	United States	5211164
Pudong	China	5187200
Washington	United States	5146120
Zhaotong	China	5092611
Zhangzhou	China	5054328
Yueyang	China	5051922
Melbourne	Australia	5031195
Yichun	China	5007702
Abidjan	Côte d’Ivoire	4980000
Guilin	China	4931137
Pingdingshan	China	4904701
Alexandria	Egypt	4870000
Bozhou	China	4850657
Sydney	Australia	4840600
Barcelona	Spain	4800000
Yuncheng	China	4774508
Cape Town	South Africa	4770313
Changsha	China	4766296
Suqian	China	4719178
Jeddah	Saudi Arabia	4697000
Weinan	China	4688744
Berlin	Germany	4679500
Chenzhou	China	4667134
Jiangmen	China	4630300
Mianyang	China	4613862
Jiujiang	China	4600276
Huaihua	China	4587594
Huanglongsi	China	4564900
Taizhou	China	4512762
Belāhi	India	4487379
Yibin	China	4471896
Ji’an	China	4469176
Yangzhou	China	4459760
Kunming	China	4422686
Changchun	China	4408154
Lu’an	China	4393699
Xinpu	China	4393482
Langfang	China	4358839
Boston	United States	4355184
Ürümqi	China	4335017
Suzhou	China	4330000
Guigang	China	4316262
Shantou	China	4312192
Jiangguanchi	China	4307488
Kabul	Afghanistan	4273156
Xiaoganzhan	China	4270371
Bamako	Mali	4227569
Kano	Nigeria	4224966
Luzhou	China	4218427
Hefei	China	4216940
Hengshui	China	4212933
Fortaleza	Brazil	4167996
Anqing	China	4165284
Zhangjiakou	China	4118908
Zhaoqing	China	4113594
Shijiazhuang	China	4098243
Ningbo	China	4087523
Qiqihar	China	4067489
Phoenix	United States	4065338
Liuzhou	China	4041700
Chifeng	China	4035967
Xiaoxita	China	4017607
Amman	Jordan	4007526
Linfen	China	3976481
Xianyang	China	3959842
Chuzhou	China	3937868
Kumasi	Ghana	3903480
Zhuzhou	China	3902738
Taiyuan	China	3875053
Qingyuan	China	3874000
Meizhou	China	3873239
Yiyang	China	3851564
Nanning	China	3837978
Harbin	China	3830000
Loudi	China	3826996
Abuja	Nigeria	3770000
Yokohama	Japan	3757630
Suihua	China	3756167
Binzhou	China	3748474
Zaozhuang	China	3729140
Detroit	United States	3716929
Xiamen	China	3707090
Mashhad	Iran	3700000
Montréal	Canada	3675219
Fuzhou	China	3671192
Wuhu	China	3644420
Medan	Indonesia	3632000
Yulinshi	China	3624750
Fuzhou	China	3614866
Wenzhou	China	3604446
Changzhou	China	3601079
Puyang	China	3598740
Nanchang	China	3576547
Baicheng	China	3571505
Seattle	United States	3555253
Ibadan	Nigeria	3552000
Jiaozuo	China	3521078
Nādampālaiyam	India	3458045
Deyang	China	3456161
Busan	Korea, South	3453198
Hechi	China	3417945
Tangshan	China	3399231
Lucknow	India	3382000
San Francisco	United States	3364862
Boankra	Ghana	3348000
Dubai	United Arab Emirates	3331420
Anshan	China	3325372
Guozhen	China	3321853
Baojishi	China	3321853
Qinzhou	China	3302238
Guiyang	China	3299724
Wuxi	China	3245179
Kannankulam	India	3243170
Caracas	Venezuela	3242000
Kotla Qasim Khan	Pakistan	3219375
Casablanca	Morocco	3215935
Hanzhong	China	3211462
Shiyan	China	3209004
Guang’an	China	3205476
Faisalabad	Pakistan	3203846
Changzhi	China	3180884
Tongren	China	3168800
Bengbu	China	3164467
Leshan	China	3160168
Santa Cruz de la Sierra	Bolivia	3151676
Neijiang	China	3140678
Zhenjiang	China	3113384
Qinhuangdao	China	3107400
Bursa	Turkey	3101833
Tashkent	Uzbekistan	3095498
Guayaquil	Ecuador	3094420
Jaipur	India	3073350
Lanzhou	China	3067141
Ouagadougou	Burkina Faso	3063271
Athens	Greece	3059764
San Diego	United States	3057778
Guatemala City	Guatemala	3014000
Kuwait City	Kuwait	2989000
Qincheng	China	2984659
İzmir	Turkey	2965900
Quezon City	Philippines	2960048
Kyiv	Ukraine	2952301
Kottārasshēri	India	2952254
Meishan	China	2950545
Incheon	Korea, South	2936117
Ningde	China	2910000
Zhongshan	China	2909633
Minneapolis	United States	2906807
Tampa	United States	2906035
Putian	China	2900000
Mbuji-Mayi	Congo (Kinshasa)	2892000
Tongliao	China	2873168
Chaoyang	China	2872857
Hohhot	China	2866615
Pyongyang	Korea, North	2863000
Shaoguan	China	2855131
Taichung	Taiwan	2850285
Cali	Colombia	2838333
Heyuan	China	2837686
Wuzhou	China	2820977
Pretoria	South Africa	2818100
Suining	China	2814196
Omdurman	Sudan	2805396
Weihai	China	2804771
Rizhao	China	2801013
Malang	Indonesia	2795209
Stuttgart	Germany	2787724
Daqing	China	2781562
Rome	Italy	2748109
Kaohsiung	Taiwan	2737660
Brooklyn	United States	2736074
Xiangtan	China	2726181
Bazhou	China	2712894
Handan	China	2708015
Brisbane	Australia	2706966
Jinzhou	China	2703853
Denver	United States	2691349
Xinzhou	China	2689668
Nanping	China	2680645
Gāzipura	Bangladesh	2674697
Shanwei	China	2672819
Maracaibo	Venezuela	2658355
Chaozhou	China	2656600
Baotou	China	2650364
Longyan	China	2640000
Weifang	China	2636154
Huai’an	China	2632788
Zibo	China	2631647
Attadappa	India	2615266
Munich	Germany	2606021
Gulou	China	2606000
Birmingham	United Kingdom	2590363
Valencia	Venezuela	2585202
Damascus	Syria	2584771
Chattogram	Bangladesh	2581643
Brazzaville	Congo (Brazzaville)	2557100
Yangjiang	China	2555600
Sanaa	Yemen	2545000
Barmhān Kalān	India	2537000
Medellín	Colombia	2529403
Dingxi	China	2524097
Shaoxing	China	2521964
Yantai	China	2511053
Huizhou	China	2509243
Xuanzhou	China	2500063
Mirzāpur	India	2496970
Hamburg	Germany	2496600
Taipei	Taiwan	2494813
Ankang	China	2493436
Zigong	China	2489256
Sanming	China	2486450
Toluca	Mexico	2476689
Huangshi	China	2469079
Yaoundé	Cameroon	2440462
Zhuhai	China	2439585
Huludao	China	2434194
Baoshan	China	2431211
Mecca	Saudi Arabia	2427924
Vancouver	Canada	2426160
Lianshan	China	2426000
Beirut	Lebanon	2421354
Salvador	Brazil	2417678
Bucharest	Romania	2412530
Longba	China	2407272
Nāgpur	India	2405665
Queens	United States	2405464
Tieling	China	2388294
Yunfu	China	2383350
Bekasi	Indonesia	2381053
Daegu	Korea, South	2376044
Ghāziābād	India	2375820
Luoyang	China	2372571
Luohe	China	2367490
Algiers	Algeria	2364230
Anshun	China	2353100
Huainan	China	2333896
Depok	Indonesia	2330333
Konya	Turkey	2320241
Haiphong	Vietnam	2310280
Yanjiang	China	2308631
Guangyuan	China	2305657
Baku	Azerbaijan	2300500
Yingkou	China	2296540
Mudanjiang	China	2290208
Riverside	United States	2288508
Fukuoka	Japan	2286000
Nantong	China	2261382
Lincang	China	2257991
Las Vegas	United States	2256509
Haikou	China	2250000
Yuxi	China	2249502
Tangerang	Indonesia	2237006
Supaul	India	2229076
Almaty	Kazakhstan	2228675
Vienna	Austria	2223236
Eşfahān	Iran	2219343
Xining	China	2208708
Jincheng	China	2194545
Baltimore	United States	2189589
Dandong	China	2188436
Yan’an	China	2187009
Qinbaling	China	2179716
Gaoping	China	2174000
Awka	Nigeria	2171900
Taizhou	China	2162461
Ma’anshan	China	2159930
Jiamusi	China	2156505
Perth	Australia	2141834
Gaziantep	Turkey	2130432
Phnom Penh	Cambodia	2129371
St. Louis	United States	2127843
Mogadishu	Somalia	2120000
Lishui	China	2116957
Kowloon	Hong Kong	2108419
Córdoba	Argentina	2106734
Zamboanga City	Philippines	2100000
Rawalpindi	Pakistan	2098231
Havana	Cuba	2089532
Chongzuo	China	2088692
Portland	United States	2084045
Laibin	China	2074611
San Antonio	United States	2069843
Vadodara	India	2065771
Qingyang	China	2061600
Rājkot	India	2043000
Shangzhou	China	2041231
Vishākhapatnam	India	2035922
Shengli	China	2035338
Sanmenxia	China	2034872
Warsaw	Poland	2028000
Gujranwala	Pakistan	2027001
Hezhou	China	2007858
Aleppo	Syria	2003671
Tijuana	Mexico	2002000
Puning	China	1998619
Indore	India	1994397
Minsk	Belarus	1992862
Karaj	Iran	1973470
Kananga	Congo (Kinshasa)	1971704
Huaibei	China	1970265
Peshawar	Pakistan	1970042
Sacramento	United States	1962998
Sapporo	Japan	1959313
Tilburg	Netherlands	1944588
Austin	United States	1915031
Orlando	United States	1913597
Davao	Philippines	1910167
Songjiang	China	1909713
Yinchuan	China	1901793
Abhepur	India	1895686
Thāne	India	1886941
Multan	Pakistan	1871843
Port Harcourt	Nigeria	1865000
Fushun	China	1861372
Tainan	Taiwan	1856642
Pingliang	China	1848607
Siping	China	1814733
San Juan	Puerto Rico	1809800
Pingxiang	China	1804805
Bhopāl	India	1798218
Mosul	Iraq	1792000
Diyarbakır	Turkey	1791373
Lubumbashi	Congo (Kinshasa)	1786397
Benin City	Nigeria	1780000
Curitiba	Brazil	1773718
San Jose	United States	1771563
Shuyangzha	China	1770000
Adana	Turkey	1765981
Quito	Ecuador	1763275
Āgra	India	1760285
Peyanvilai	India	1750176
Lusaka	Zambia	1747152
Indianapolis	United States	1740984
Hyderabad City	Pakistan	1732693
Pimpri-Chinchwad	India	1729320
Maracay	Venezuela	1723236
Masqaţ	Oman	1720000
Montevideo	Uruguay	1719453
Pittsburgh	United States	1712828
Cincinnati	United States	1704916
Manhattan	United States	1694263
Kansas City	United States	1686807
Budapest	Hungary	1686222
Patna	India	1684222
Kampala	Uganda	1680600
Beihai	China	1680000
Sanzhou	China	1680000
Cleveland	United States	1679247
Conakry	Guinea	1667864
Ximeicun	China	1663542
Caloocan City	Philippines	1661584
Ecatepec	Mexico	1655015
Yushan	China	1652159
Fuxin	China	1647280
Novosibirsk	Russia	1633851
Bilāspur	India	1625502
Semarang	Indonesia	1621384
Jingdezhen	China	1618979
Ludhiāna	India	1618879
Liaoyang	China	1604580
Jiangyin	China	1595138
Valencia	Spain	1595000
Shuozhou	China	1593444
León de los Aldama	Mexico	1579803
Columbus	United States	1578153
Puebla	Mexico	1576259
Biên Hòa	Vietnam	1575000
Chengtangcun	China	1574648
Yopougon	Côte d’Ivoire	1571065
Hebi	China	1565973
Shīrāz	Iran	1565572
Dushanbe	Tajikistan	1564700
Madurai	India	1561129
Huzhou	China	1558826
Harare	Zimbabwe	1558823
Tabrīz	Iran	1558693
Jamshedpur	India	1558000
Baicheng	China	1551378
San José	Costa Rica	1543000
Shaoyang	China	1542600
San Salvador	El Salvador	1538525
Palembang	Indonesia	1535952
Kawasaki	Japan	1531646
Kōbe	Japan	1521707
Jiaxing	China	1518654
Zhangjiajie	China	1517027
Baiyin	China	1512110
Guiping	China	1511011
Changshu	China	1510100
Jixi	China	1502060
Xushan	China	1502000
Lomé	Togo	1500000
Niamey	Niger	1496260
Gwangju	Korea, South	1490092
Recife	Brazil	1488920
Nāsik	India	1486053
Abu Dhabi	United Arab Emirates	1483000
Onitsha	Nigeria	1483000
Amsterdam	Netherlands	1477213
Vijayavāda	India	1476931
Zapopan	Mexico	1476491
Daejeon	Korea, South	1475221
Bronx	United States	1472654
Auckland	New Zealand	1470100
Yekaterinburg	Russia	1468833
Wuwei	China	1464955
Jinhua	China	1463990
Kyōto	Japan	1463723
Pizhou	China	1458038
Yangshe	China	1447600
Dakar	Senegal	1438725
Charlotte	United States	1436613
Yucheng	China	1434603
Kayseri	Turkey	1434357
Virginia Beach	United States	1431821
Rui’an	China	1424667
Muscat	Oman	1421409
Kharkiv	Ukraine	1421125
Pointe-Noire	Congo (Brazzaville)	1420612
Medina	Saudi Arabia	1411599
Sangereng	Indonesia	1404785
Farīdābād	India	1404653
Sofia	Bulgaria	1404116
Ulaanbaatar	Mongolia	1396288
Adelaide	Australia	1387290
Prague	Czechia	1384732
Wenling	China	1366794
Copenhagen	Denmark	1366301
Najafgarh	India	1365152
Lianjiang	China	1363470
Helsinki	Finland	1360075
Samsun	Turkey	1356079
Milan	Italy	1354196
Antalya	Turkey	1344000
Santiago	Dominican Republic	1343423
Chizhou	China	1342764
Makassar	Indonesia	1338663
Porto Alegre	Brazil	1332845
Huangshan	China	1330565
Gaozhou	China	1328657
Barranquilla	Colombia	1326588
Al Başrah	Iraq	1326564
Benxi	China	1326018
Saitama	Japan	1325843
Ahvāz	Iran	1325000
Guarulhos	Brazil	1324781
Leizhou	China	1321091
Juárez	Mexico	1321004
Mandalay	Burma	1319452
Yangquan	China	1318505
Fuqing	China	1316000
Xintai	China	1315942
Wusong	China	1311726
Tongling	China	1311726
Calgary	Canada	1306784
Meerut	India	1305429
Jacksonville	United States	1303156
Kuaidamao	China	1302778
Huazhou	China	1291668
Milwaukee	United States	1290221
Wuzhong	China	1284000
Belém	Brazil	1280614
Cacuaco	Angola	1279488
Rosario	Argentina	1276000
Tangier	Morocco	1275428
Antananarivo	Madagascar	1275207
Canagatan	Philippines	1273219
Soweto	South Africa	1271628
Providence	United States	1270529
Xiantao	China	1268715
Jabalpur	India	1267564
Huaiyin	China	1264000
Yutan	China	1263332
Kazan	Russia	1259173
Bagam	Indonesia	1256610
Dayan	China	1253878
Comayagüela	Honduras	1250000
Brussels	Belgium	1249597
Laiwu	China	1248636
Huazhou	China	1247807
Sharjah	United Arab Emirates	1247749
Kalyān	India	1246381
Rucheng	China	1241700
Barquisimeto	Venezuela	1240714
Yongcheng	China	1240382
Sumedang	Indonesia	1240000
Cần Thơ	Vietnam	1237300
Suwon	Korea, South	1234300
Yiwu	China	1234015
Vasai-Virar	India	1221233
Campinas	Brazil	1213792
Dadukou	China	1212203
Lingcheng	China	1211637
Shuangyashan	China	1208803
Nizhniy Novgorod	Russia	1204985
Pānīpat	India	1202811
Qom	Iran	1201158
Mombasa	Kenya	1200000
Hargeysa	Somalia	1200000
Baidoa	Somalia	1200000
Vārānasi	India	1198491
Hiroshima	Japan	1198021
Chiang Mai	Thailand	1198000
Belgrade	Serbia	1197714
Maiduguri	Nigeria	1197497
Kalleli	India	1197412
Batam Centre	Indonesia	1196396
Pingdu	China	1191348
Rongcheng	China	1189813
Mbandaka	Congo (Kinshasa)	1187837
Xinyu	China	1186700
Doha	Qatar	1186023
Shymkent	Kazakhstan	1184113
Tripoli	Libya	1183000
Srīnagar	India	1180570
Nashville	United States	1178679
Chelyabinsk	Russia	1177058
Aurangābād	India	1175116
Cilacap	Indonesia	1174964
Xinhualu	China	1172237
Salt Lake City	United States	1169033
Guankou	China	1168056
Bandar Lampung	Indonesia	1166761
Dhanbād	India	1162472
Nay Pyi Taw	Burma	1160242
Aba	Nigeria	1160000
Jingling	China	1158640
Zhuji	China	1157938
Tegucigalpa	Honduras	1157509
Kigali	Rwanda	1156663
Samara	Russia	1156659
Yingtan	China	1154223
Edmonton	Canada	1151635
Raleigh	United States	1150010
Bishkek	Kyrgyzstan	1145044
Bujumbura	Burundi	1143202
Guyuan	China	1142142
Leiyang	China	1140675
Krasnodar	Russia	1138654
Rostov	Russia	1135968
Maputo	Mozambique	1133200
Bukavu	Congo (Kinshasa)	1133000
Amritsar	India	1132383
Shagamu	Nigeria	1132270
Alīgarh	India	1131160
Zhangye	China	1131016
Ufa	Russia	1128787
Santo Domingo	Dominican Republic	1128678
Ulsan	Korea, South	1127553
Rongcheng	China	1120822
Tbilisi	Georgia	1118035
Guwāhāti	India	1116267
Fès	Morocco	1112072
Yingchuan	China	1109782
Ninh Bình	Vietnam	1106913
Yerevan	Armenia	1106300
Mwanza	Tanzania	1104521
Omsk	Russia	1104485
Mexicali	Mexico	1102342
Sevilla	Spain	1100000
Ikare	Nigeria	1099931
Dingzhou	China	1095986
Tamale	Ghana	1095808
Yuyao	China	1095000
Goiânia	Brazil	1093007
Krasnoyarsk	Russia	1092851
Cologne	Germany	1087353
Ubungo	Tanzania	1086912
Yicheng	China	1082929
Richmond	United States	1081248
Kisangani	Congo (Kinshasa)	1081000
Ezhou	China	1079353
Astana	Kazakhstan	1078362
Zhufeng	China	1078178
Nezahualcóyotl	Mexico	1077208
Nouakchott	Mauritania	1077169
Hāora	India	1077075
Tongjin	Korea, South	1076369
Rānchi	India	1073440
Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl	Mexico	1072676
Gwalior	India	1069276
Ottawa	Canada	1068821
Haicheng	China	1067905
Jianguang	China	1065641
Goyang	Korea, South	1061929
Sendai	Japan	1061177
Xibeijie	China	1055706
Chandīgarh	India	1055450
Voronezh	Russia	1051995
Managua	Nicaragua	1051236
Zhongwei	China	1046000
Jiancheng	China	1045900
Mersin	Turkey	1040507
Shouguang	China	1039205
Liangshi	China	1038416
São Luís	Brazil	1037775
Jodhpur	India	1033918
Memphis	United States	1033394
Matola	Mozambique	1032197
Ogbomoso	Nigeria	1032000
Sanya	China	1031396
Rangapukur	Bangladesh	1031388
Ashgabat	Turkmenistan	1030063
Enugu	Nigeria	1029400
Linhai	China	1028813
Perm	Russia	1026908
Shubrā al Khaymah	Egypt	1025569
Monrovia	Liberia	1021762
Islamabad	Pakistan	1014825
Xinyi	China	1013900
Thủ Đức	Vietnam	1013795
Āqchah	Afghanistan	1012000
Odesa	Ukraine	1010537
Raipur	India	1010087
Namangan	Uzbekistan	1010000
Changwon	Korea, South	1009998
Arequipa	Peru	1008290
Tshikapa	Congo (Kinshasa)	1006387
Volgograd	Russia	1004763
Morelia	Mexico	1002461
Kota	India	1001694
Quetta	Pakistan	1001205
Oklahoma City	United States	1000207
Domaa-Ahenkro	Ghana	1000000
Bareilly	India	1000000
Liaoyuan	China	996903
Stockholm	Sweden	995574
Bordeaux	France	994920
Taixing	China	990200
Lilongwe	Malawi	989318
Port-au-Prince	Haiti	987310
Esenyurt	Turkey	983571
Pekanbaru	Indonesia	983356
Bogor	Indonesia	982469
Ciudad Guayana	Venezuela	978202
Chiba	Japan	975014
Kirkuk	Iraq	975000
Shuizhai	China	973197
Qianxi	China	970700
Hartford	United States	969171
Dnipro	Ukraine	968502
Baishan	China	968373
Nārāyanganj	Bangladesh	967951
Gqeberha	South Africa	967677
Huilong	China	967313
Málaga	Spain	967250
Marrakech	Morocco	966987
Louisville	United States	965005
Cebu City	Philippines	964169
Asmara	Eritrea	963000
Coimbatore	India	959823
Maceió	Brazil	957916
Nada	China	954259
Fangchenggang	China	953300
Solāpur	India	951558
Freetown	Sierra Leone	951000
Kaiyuan	China	950939
Buffalo	United States	949547
Santo Domingo Este	Dominican Republic	948855
Vientiane	Laos	948487
Kermānshāh	Iran	946651
Kibanseke Première	Congo (Kinshasa)	946372
Seberang Jaya	Malaysia	946092
Sale	Morocco	945101
Hubli	India	943788
El Alto	Bolivia	943000
Çankaya	Turkey	942553
Hwasu-dong	Korea, South	941489
Yingcheng	China	941325
Fort Worth	United States	941311
Setagaya	Japan	940071
Keçiören	Turkey	939279
Luocheng	China	936931
Jerusalem	Israel	936425
Khartoum North	Sudan	936349
Meishan	China	936000
Mushin	Nigeria	935400
Trujillo	Peru	935147
Kitakyūshū	Japan	935084
Aguascalientes	Mexico	934424
Khulna	Bangladesh	928891
Chihuahua	Mexico	925762
Bridgeport	United States	921660
Xin’an	China	920628
Mysore	India	920550
Kashgar	China	920000
Sŏngnam	Korea, South	918771
New Orleans	United States	918752
Trichinopoly	India	916857
Cartagena	Colombia	914552
Qingzhou	China	914047
Naples	Italy	913462
Santiago del Estero	Argentina	911506
Naucalpan de Juárez	Mexico	910407
Masbate	Philippines	908920
Owerri	Nigeria	908109
Taishan	China	907744
Jiaozhou	China	907500
Wuchuan	China	907354
Wafangdian	China	905082
La Plata	Argentina	904789
Bobo-Dioulasso	Burkina Faso	903887
Ad Dammām	Saudi Arabia	903312
Hanchuan	China	903296
Quzhou	China	902767
Donetsk	Ukraine	901645
Ashmūn	Egypt	901191
Bunia	Congo (Kinshasa)	900666
Wuchang	China	897705
São Gonçalo	Brazil	896744
Hengzhou	China	896099
Feicheng	China	894115
Bucaramanga	Colombia	893040
Cazenga	Angola	892401
Mérida	Mexico	892363
Hegang	China	891271
Osmangazi	Turkey	891250
Morādābād	India	889810
Bangui	Central African Republic	889231
Abeokuta	Nigeria	888924
Cancún	Mexico	888797
Zaoyang	China	888794
Dongtai	China	888410
Antipolo	Philippines	887399
Taguig City	Philippines	886722
Tabūk	Saudi Arabia	886036
Xishan	China	885987
Zhoushan	China	882932
Panama City	Panama	880691
Tucson	United States	879871
Yichun	China	878881
As Sulaymānīyah	Iraq	878146
Klang	Malaysia	878000
Tiruppūr	India	877778
Marseille	France	877215
Gurgaon	India	876824
Yangchun	China	875896
Ar Ramādī	Iraq	874543
Hai’an	China	874334
Jalandhar	India	873725
Daye	China	871214
Zhongxiang	China	868897
Gaomi	China	868715
Teresina	Brazil	868075
Lhasa	China	867891
Ipoh	Malaysia	866772
Saltillo	Mexico	864431
Aden	Yemen	863000
El Paso	United States	862494
Gongzhuling	China	862313
Lianyuan	China	862099
Ikeja	Nigeria	861300
Tyumen	Russia	861100
Cochabamba	Bolivia	856198
Portsmouth	United Kingdom	855679
Southampton	United Kingdom	855569
Hermosillo	Mexico	855563
Cheongju	Korea, South	852018
Shache	China	851374
Thanh Hóa	Vietnam	850000
Macheng	China	849090
Akure	Nigeria	847903
Ilorin	Nigeria	847582
Erbil	Iraq	846000
Kathmandu	Nepal	845767
Turin	Italy	841600
Anqiu	China	840553
Yuci	China	840000
Dehui	China	839786
Pietermaritzburg	South Africa	839327
Durban	South Africa	838634
Saratov	Russia	838042
Bhubaneshwar	India	837737
Yushu	China	836098
João Pessoa	Brazil	833932
Samarinda	Indonesia	831460
Omaha	United States	826161
Qingping	China	826031
Rongjiawan	China	826000
Weichanglu	China	824708
Sakai	Japan	824408
Eskişehir	Turkey	820568
Renqiu	China	816401
Wutong	China	815848
Barcelona	Venezuela	815141
Wu’an	China	811631
São Bernardo do Campo	Brazil	810729
McAllen	United States	810034
Narela	India	809913
Bhayandar	India	809378
Culiacán	Mexico	808416
N’Djamena	Chad	807000
Xiashi	China	806966
Cúcuta	Colombia	806378
Danyang	China	806300
Dongyang	China	804398
Kraków	Poland	804237
Oran	Algeria	803329
Pasig City	Philippines	803159
Thessaloníki	Greece	802572
Blantyre	Malawi	800264
Palermo	Colombia	800000
Qamdo	China	798067
Karīmnagar	India	797447
Libreville	Gabon	797003
Hejian	China	795198
Seyhan	Turkey	795012
Laiyang	China	794986
Querétaro	Mexico	794789
Wuxi	China	791939
Yiyang	China	790676
Niigata	Japan	790646
Vinh	Vietnam	790000
Puxi	China	789300
Hempstead	United States	789177
Hamamatsu	Japan	788211
Zijinglu	China	785242
Kumila	Pakistan	784711
Xingyi	China	783120
Xingcheng	China	779411
Birmingham	United States	778756
Ailan Mubage	China	778047
Lubango	Angola	776249
Frankfurt	Germany	775790
Homs	Syria	775404
Bilbao	Spain	775000
San Luis Potosí	Mexico	772828
Bucheon	Korea, South	772450
Fuyang	China	771000
Korla	China	770000
Khŭjand	Tajikistan	770000
Hamhŭng	Korea, North	768551
Erzurum	Turkey	767848
Albuquerque	United States	767499
Zagreb	Croatia	767131
Al ‘Ayn	United Arab Emirates	766936
Dodoma	Tanzania	765179
Pikine	Senegal	764597
Patiāla	India	763280
Bahawalpur	Pakistan	762111
Qingnian	China	760781
Sanhe	China	760107
Kaduna	Nigeria	760084
Winnipeg	Canada	758515
Baardheere	Somalia	755500
Shīshgarh	India	753815
Leping	China	753787
Colombo	Sri Lanka	752993
Nerima	Japan	752608
Natal	Brazil	751300
Lichuan	China	750670
Pendik	Turkey	750435
Gdańsk	Poland	749786
Licheng	China	749522
Santo André	Brazil	748919
Andijon	Uzbekistan	747800
Gaalkacyo	Somalia	745000
Ōta-ku	Japan	744849
Thiruvananthapuram	India	743691
Nampula	Mozambique	743000
Zhuanghe	China	742496
Kyaukse	Burma	741071
Tulsa	United States	740620
Chengguan	China	740435
Bağcılar	Turkey	740069
Bouaké	Côte d’Ivoire	740000
Cabinda	Angola	739182
Kumamoto	Japan	738385
Kermān	Iran	738374
Lingbao Chengguanzhen	China	736300
Orūmīyeh	Iran	736224
Quebec City	Canada	733156
Taihe	China	732380
Yanggok	Korea, South	732376
Zhongba	China	731343
Osogbo	Nigeria	731000
Sizhan	China	730400
Suohe	China	730135

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What Defines Most Populated Cities in the World

Population rankings can vary depending on how a city is defined. Some lists focus on:

• City proper (administrative boundaries)
• Urban agglomeration (continuous built-up area)
• Metropolitan area (city plus surrounding commuting zones)

Most global comparisons use urban agglomerations, as they better reflect how people actually live and work.

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Why Are These Cities So Populated?

Several factors explain why certain cities dominate global population rankings:

1. Economic Opportunity

Large cities attract workers due to jobs in industry, finance, technology, and services. Cities like Tokyo, Shanghai, and São Paulo are national economic centers.

2. Historical Growth

Many of the world’s most populated cities have existed for centuries as political or trade centers, allowing populations to grow steadily over time.

3. Rural-to-Urban Migration

In countries such as India, China, and Bangladesh, millions have moved from rural areas to cities in search of better living standards.

4. Natural Population Increase

Higher birth rates, combined with improving healthcare, contribute to rapid urban population growth in many developing regions.

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Regional Patterns in Global Urban Population

The most populated cities in the world are not evenly distributed.

• Asia dominates the list, hosting over half of the world’s megacities
• Latin America has major urban giants like São Paulo and Mexico City
• Africa is experiencing the fastest urban growth, with cities like Cairo and Lagos expanding rapidly
• Europe and North America have large cities, but slower population growth due to lower birth rates

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Challenges Faced by the World’s Largest Cities

Extreme population size brings major challenges, including:

• Housing shortages and informal settlements
• Traffic congestion and air pollution
• Pressure on water, energy, and sanitation systems
• Social inequality and urban poverty

Managing these challenges is one of the biggest policy issues of the 21st century.

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The Future of the World’s Most Populated Cities

Urbanization is expected to continue. By 2050, nearly 70% of the world’s population is projected to live in cities. Many of the fastest-growing megacities will be in Africa and South Asia, reshaping global population rankings.

Cities that invest in sustainable transport, housing, and infrastructure will be best prepared for this future.

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1. What is the most populated city in the world?

Tokyo is currently the most populated urban agglomeration.

2. Are megacities still growing?

Yes, especially in Asia and Africa.

3. Why does Asia have so many large cities?

High population density, economic growth, and rural migration.

4. Is population measured by city limits or metro areas?

Most global rankings use urban agglomerations.

5. Will African cities enter the top rankings soon?

Yes, cities like Lagos are expected to rise rapidly.

6. Do large cities mean better quality of life?

Not always—size brings opportunity but also serious challenges.

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The most populated cities in the world reflect humanity’s shift toward urban living. These megacities are centers of innovation, culture, and economic power, but they also face immense challenges that will shape the future of global development. Understanding where and why these cities grow helps us better prepare for an increasingly urban world.

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