List Of the World’s Largest Cities

List Of the World’s Largest Cities

The United Nations uses three definitions for what constitutes a city, as not all cities in all jurisdictions are classified using the same criteria.

The United Nations classifies urban areas or cities using three definitions:

• The political or administrative boundaries of a city are referred to as the city proper. It encompasses the territory under the legal or political jurisdiction of a city government, including its outskirts.
• Urban agglomeration: A city and its surrounding suburbs, smaller towns, and villages that are economically, socially, and commuting linked to the city. It is the population of a contiguous and densely populated urban area.
• Metropolitan area: A large urban agglomeration consisting of multiple cities and their surrounding suburbs. It is defined as a community with a high level of economic and social integration, as measured by commuting patterns.

According to the United Nations, as of 2018, there are 81 cities in the world with a population of over 5 million people. These cities are spread across different regions and countries, with the highest number of such cities being in Asia. Some of the largest cities in this category include Tokyo, Delhi, Shanghai, São Paulo, Mumbai, Beijing, Karachi, Istanbul, Dhaka, and Cairo.

The rapid growth of urbanization and population in these cities has significant implications for urban planning, infrastructure development, and sustainability. These cities are often faced with challenges such as congestion, pollution, inadequate housing, and insufficient public services. As such, there is a growing need for innovative and sustainable solutions to address these challenges and ensure the continued growth and development of these cities.

Largest 5 Cities In the World

Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo, Japan’s capital city, is a major economic and cultural centre, as well as the location of many of the country’s most important political, financial, and commercial institutions. Tokyo, Japan’s capital city, is located on the island of Honshu’s eastern coast. With a population of nearly 38 million people, it is the most populous city in Japan and the world.

Delhi, India

Delhi, India’s capital city, is located in the country’s northern region. The city has a long and varied history, dating back to ancient times, and has been ruled by numerous empires and dynasties. Delhi, India’s capital city, is located in the country’s northwestern region.

Shanghai, China

Shanghai is one of China’s largest and most populous cities, with a metropolitan population of over 24 million people. Shanghai has a long and complicated history, with human habitation dating back more than 5,000 years. However, it was not until the nineteenth century that Shanghai established itself as a major international trading port, attracting merchants from all over the world.

Sao Paulo, Brazil

São Paulo is a city located in the southeastern region of Brazil, and it is the largest city in the country. Sao Paulo has a population of approximately 21.7 million people, making it the fourth-largest city in the world by population. The city is also the capital of the state of São Paulo.

Mumbai, India

Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is India’s largest city and the state capital of Maharashtra. Mumbai, on India’s west coast, has a population of about 21.5 million people, making it the world’s fifth-largest city by population.

World’s Largest Cities by Population

Rank	City	Country	Population	Continent
1	Tokyo	Japan	38,001,000	Asia
2	Delhi	India	25,703,168	Asia
3	Shanghai	China	23,740,778	Asia
4	Sao Paulo	Brazil	21,066,245	South America
5	Mumbai	India	21,042,538	Asia
6	Mexico City	Mexico	20,998,543	North America
7	Beijing	China	20,383,994	Asia
8	Osaka	Japan	20,237,645	Asia
9	Cairo	Egypt	18,771,769	Asia
10	New York	United States	18,593,220	North America
11	Dhaka	Bangladesh	17,598,228	Asia
12	Karachi	Pakistan	16,617,644	Asia
13	Buenos Aires	Argentina	15,180,176	South America
14	Kolkata	India	14,864,919	Asia
15	Istanbul	Turkey	14,163,989	Asia/Europe
16	Chongqing	China	13,331,579	Asia
17	Lagos	Nigeria	13,122,829	Africa
18	Manila	Philippines	12,946,263	Asia
19	Rio de Janeiro	Brazil	12,902,306	South America
20	Guangzhou	China	12,458,130	Asia
21	Los Angeles	United States	12,309,530	North America
22	Moscow	Russia	12,165,704	Europe
23	Kinshasa	Democratic Republic of the Congo	11,586,914	Africa
24	Tianjin	China	11,210,329	Asia
25	Paris	France	10,843,285	Europe
26	Shenzhen	China	10,749,473	Asia
27	Jakarta	Indonesia	10,323,142	Asia
28	London	United Kingdom	10,313,307	Europe
29	Bangalore	India	10,087,132	Asia
30	Lima	Peru	9,897,033	South America
31	Chennai	India	9,890,427	Asia
32	Seoul	South Korea	9,773,746	Asia
33	Bogotá	Colombia	9,764,769	South America
34	Nagoya	Japan	9,406,264	Asia
35	Johannesburg	South Africa	9,398,698	Africa
36	Bangkok	Thailand	9,269,823	Asia
37	Hyderabad	India	8,943,523	Asia
38	Chicago	United States	8,744,835	North America
39	Lahore	Pakistan	8,741,365	Asia
40	Tehran	Iran	8,432,196	Asia
41	Wuhan	China	7,905,572	Asia
42	Chengdu	China	7,555,705	Asia
43	Dongguan	China	7,434,935	Asia
44	Nanjing	China	7,369,157	Asia
45	Ahmadabad	India	7,342,850	Asia
46	Hong Kong	Hong Kong	7,313,557	Asia
47	Ho Chi Minh City	Vietnam	7,297,780	Asia
48	Foshan	Foshan	7,035,945	Asia
49	Kuala Lumpur	Malaysia	6,836,911	Asia
50	Baghdad	Iraq	6,642,848	Asia
51	Santiago	Chile	6,507,400	South America
52	Hangzhou	China	6,390,637	Asia
53	Riyadh	Saudi Arabia	6,369,710	Asia
54	Shenyang	China	6,315,470	Asia
55	Madrid	Spain	6,199,254	Europe
56	Xi’an	China	6,043,700	Asia
57	Toronto	Canada	5,992,739	North America
58	Miami	United States	5,817,221	North America
59	Pune	India	5,727,530	Asia
60	Belo Horizonte	Brazil	5,716,422	South America
61	Dallas	United States	5,702,641	North America
62	Surat	India	5,650,011	Asia
63	Houston	United States	5,638,045	North America
64	Singapore	Singapore	5,618,866	Asia
65	Philadelphia	United States	5,585,211	North America
66	Kitakyushu	Japan	5,510,478	Asia
67	Luanda	Angola	5,506,000	Africa
68	Suzhou	China	5,472,033	Asia
69	Haerbin	China	5,457,414	Asia
70	Barcelona	Spain	5,258,319	Europe
71	Atlanta	United States	5,142,140	North America
72	Khartoum	Sudan	5,129,358	Africa
73	Dar es Salaam	Tanzania	5,115,670	Africa
74	Saint Petersburg	Russia	4,992,991	Europe
75	Washington, D.C.	United States	4,955,139	North America
76	Abidjan	Cote d’Ivoire	4,859,798	Africa
77	Guadalajara	Mexico	4,843,241	North America
78	Yangon	Myanmar	4,801,930	Asia
79	Alexandria	Egypt	4,777,677	Asia/Africa
80	Ankara	Turkey	4,749,968	Asia
81	Kabul	Afghanistan	4,634,875	Asia
82	Qingdao	China	4,565,549	Asia
83	Chittagong	Bangladesh	4,539,393	Asia
84	Monterrey	Mexico	4,512,572	North America
85	Sydney	Australia	4,505,341	Australia
86	Dalian	China	4,489,380	Asia
87	Xiamen	China	4,430,081	Asia
88	Zhengzhou	China	4,387,118	Asia
89	Boston	United States	4,249,036	North America
90	Melbourne	Australia	4,203,416	Australia
91	Brasília	Brazil	4,155,476	South America
92	Jiddah	Saudi Arabia	4,075,803	Asia
93	Phoenix	United States	4,062,605	North America
94	Ji’nan	China	4,032,150	Asia
95	Montréal	Canada	3,980,708	North America
96	Shantou	China	3,948,813	Asia
97	Nairobi	Kenya	3,914,791	Africa
98	Medellín	Colombia	3,910,989	South America
99	Fortaleza	Brazil	3,880,202	South America
100	Kunming	China	3,779,558	Asia

101	Changchun	China	3,762,390
102	Changsha	China	3,761,018
103	Recife	Brazil	3,738,526
104	Rome	Italy	3,717,956
105	Zhongshan	China	3,691,360
106	Cape Town	South Africa	3,660,447
107	Detroit	United States	3,639,050
108	Hanoi	Vietnam	3,629,493
109	Tel Aviv	Israel	3,608,265
110	Porto Alegre	Brazil	3,602,526
111	Kano	Nigeria	3,587,049
112	Salvador	Brazil	3,582,967
113	Faisalabad	Pakistan	3,566,952
114	Berlin	Germany	3,563,194
115	Aleppo	Syria	3,561,796
116	Dakar	Senegal	3,520,215
117	Casablanca	Morroco	3,514,958
118	Urumqi	China	3,498,591
119	Taiyuan	China	3,481,810
120	Curitiba	Brazil	3,473,681
121	Jaipur	India	3,460,701
122	Shizuoka	Japan	3,368,988
123	Hefei	China	3,347,591
124	San Francisco	United States	3,300,075
125	Fuzhou	China	3,282,932

By 2030, the world is expected to have 43 megacities with populations of more than 10 million people, the majority of which will be in developing countries. However, some of the fastest-growing urban agglomerations are cities with fewer than one million people, many of which are in Asia and Africa. While one in every eight people lives in one of the world’s 33 megacities, nearly half of the world’s urban dwellers live in much smaller settlements of fewer than 500,000 people.

• The largest city by population using the city proper definition, which is the area under the administrative boundaries of a local government, is Chongqing, China.
• The largest city by population using the metropolitan area definition, which is a loose term referring to an urban area and its primary commuter areas, is Tokyo, Japan.
• The largest city by population using the urban area definition, which is a loose term referring to a contiguous area with a certain population density, is also Tokyo, Japan.