Biggest Cities in the World

This content was last updated on 21.05.2023 21:59

Migration from rural areas to cities continues to increase in the 21st century. With the shift from agriculture to industrial and service-based economies, expectations for better job opportunities and higher wages are driving mass movements to cities. This situation causes an increase in human population and urbanization in some cities. Today, more than half of the world's population lives in cities, and it is clear that more and more people will find themselves in cities over the years. Today, one in five people worldwide lives in a city with a population of more than 1 million people.

The United Nations defines cities with a population of more than 10 million as megacities. This means that all 25 of the world's most populated cities are megacities. So, which are the most populated cities in the world? In this article, we have compiled the world's most populous cities list for you.

The Most Populated City in the World

Biggest City in the World: Tokyo

As of 2022, the most populated city in the world is Tokyo.

While Tokyo is the most populous city in the world with a population of 39 million today, this number is on a decreasing trend due to declining birth rates and aging population.

On the other hand, the cities of India and China seem to continue to grow rapidly in the coming years. Delhi's population is expected to surpass Tokyo's by 2028.

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The Most Populated Cities in the World

Below, we have compiled a list of the top 25 largest cities in the world by population by 2022 for you.

While Tokyo is the largest city globally with a combined population of over 39 million, the majority of the world's most populous cities are located in the two most populous countries, China and India.

Among them are 6 cities from China. These; Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing, Tianjin and Guangzhou, Shenzhen.

There are 4 cities in India. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bangalore.

The largest city in the Americas is Sao Paulo, Brazil, with a population of 22 million. It is followed by Mexico City from Mexico and Buenos Aires from Argentina.

Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey, ranks 13th in the list of the world's most populated cities.

City Country Population (Million) Continent
1 Tokyo Japan 37.2 Asia
2 Delhi India 32.0 Asia
3 Shanghai China 28.5 Asia
4 Dhaka Bangladesh 22.4 Asia
5 Sao Paulo Brazil 22.4 South America
6 Mexico City Mexico 22.1 North America
7 Cairo Egypt 21.7 Africa
8 Beijing China 21.3 Asia
9 Mumbai India 20.9 Asia
10 Osaka Japan 19.0 Asia
11 New York City USA 18.8 North America
12 Chongqing China 16.8 Asia
13 Karachi Pakistan 16.8 Asia
14 Istanbul Türkiye 15.6 Asia, Europe
15 Kinshasa Congo 15.6 Africa
16 Lagos Nigeria 15.4 Africa
17 Buenos Aires Argentina 15.3 South America
18 Kolkata India 15.1 Asia
19 Manila Philippines 14.4 Asia
20 Tianjin China 14.0 Asia
21 Guangzhou China 13.9 Asia
22 Rio de Janeiro Brazil 13.6 South America
23 Lahore Pakistan 13.5 Asia
24 Bangalore India 13.1 Asia
25 Shenzhen China 12.8 Asia

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