Indonesia’s Jakarta now the world’s largest city, Tokyo falls to third: UN

Nine of the apical 10 mega-cities are successful Asia, with Bangladesh’s Dhaka projected to beryllium the world’s largest metropolis by 2050.

A caller United Nations study has recovered that Indonesia’s superior Jakarta is the world’s largest metropolis with 41.9 cardinal radical surviving there, followed by Dhaka successful Bangladesh, which is location to 36.6 million.

A low-lying coastal metropolis located successful the westbound of the densely populated land of Java, Jakarta roseate from 2nd spot to regenerate Tokyo, which had been named the world’s largest metropolis successful the UN’s astir caller appraisal published backmost successful 2000.

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The Japanese capital’s comparatively dependable colonisation of 33.4 cardinal saw it autumn to 3rd spot down Bangladesh’s densely populated capital, Dhaka, which jumped to 2nd spot from ninth and is present projected to go the world’s largest metropolis by 2050.

The World Urbanization Prospects 2025 study from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs besides recovered that the fig of megacities – municipality areas with much than 10 cardinal inhabitants – has accrued to 33, 4 times much than the 8 megacities that existed worldwide successful 1975.

Asia is location to 19 of the world’s 33 megacities, and 9 retired of the apical 10. In summation to Jakarta, Dhaka and Tokyo, the different Asian cities successful the apical 10 are: New Delhi, India (30.2 million); Shanghai, China (29.6 million); Guangzhou, China (27.6 million); Manila, Philippines (24.7 million); Kolkata, India (22.5 million); and Seoul, South Korea (22.5 million).

With a colonisation of 32 cardinal people, Egypt’s Cairo is the lone metropolis successful the apical 10 that is extracurricular Asia, according to the UN.

Sao Paulo successful Brazil, with 18.9 cardinal people, is the largest metropolis successful the Americas, portion Lagos successful Nigeria besides grew rapidly, making it the largest metropolis successful sub-Saharan Africa.

People transverse the 2nd Buriganga span connected rickshaws and motorcycles successful Dhaka, Bangladesh, connected October 23, 2025 [Monirul Alam/EPA]

Still growing

Dhaka’s accelerated maturation has partially been driven by radical from agrarian areas moving to the capital, searching for opportunities oregon fleeing hometowns owed to problems including flooding and rising oversea levels, made worse by clime change.

Jakarta is besides facing problems owed to rising oversea levels. It is estimated that up to 1 4th of the metropolis could beryllium nether h2o by 2050.

The occupation is truthful superior that Indonesia’s authorities is gathering a caller purpose-built superior metropolis successful Nusantara successful Borneo island’s East Kalimantan province. Yet portion the city’s officials and parliamentary buildings volition person a caller home, the UN estimates that 10 cardinal much radical volition beryllium surviving successful Jakarta by 2050.

The city’s increasing colonisation volition besides person to contend with concerns implicit inequality and affordability, which saw thousands of radical instrumentality to the streets of the Indonesian metropolis earlier this year, reflecting rising anger implicit the conditions of low-income workers, including app-based motorcycle ride-share and transportation riders.

Meanwhile, according to the UN report, Iran’s superior Tehran, which is facing h2o rations due to the fact that it is adjacent to moving retired of water, presently has a colonisation of 9 cardinal people.

The caller appraisal besides saw changes arsenic the UN adopted caller measures to effort to code inconsistencies successful however antithetic countries defined urbanisation.

The UN besides said that successful astir cases its study reflected the size of idiosyncratic cities, alternatively than 2 cities that person grown together, with a tiny fig of exceptions.

The caller explanation defined a metropolis arsenic a “contiguous agglomeration” of one-kilometre-square grid cells with a density of astatine slightest 1,500 inhabitants per quadrate kilometre and a full colonisation of astatine slightest 50,000.