World’s most populated cities have always fascinated demographers, economists, and travelers alike. In 2025, the urban landscape is dominated by megacities across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, each bustling with millions of residents. These global hubs play critical roles in shaping economies, cultures, and policies on a planetary scale.
Understanding population rankings isn’t just about raw numbers. The methodology behind this list includes official census data, UN projections, and urban agglomeration estimates. These figures typically represent the metropolitan or extended urban area, not just the administrative city limits. Also, percentage growth reflects annual change projections, offering insight into emerging urban hotspots or cities facing population decline. Exceptions may exist due to geopolitical events, natural calamities, or data limitations in some regions.
Top 10 Most Populated Cities in the World (2025)
- Tokyo: 37,036,200 (Japan)
- Delhi: 34,665,600 (India)
- Shanghai: 30,482,100 (China)
- Dhaka: 24,652,900 (Bangladesh)
- Cairo: 23,074,200 (Egypt)
- São Paulo: 22,990,000 (Brazil)
- Mexico City: 22,752,400 (Mexico)
- Beijing: 22,596,500 (China)
- Mumbai: 22,089,000 (India)
- Osaka: 18,921,600 (Japan)
These top 10 megacities represent a powerful cross-section of global urbanization, with Asia clearly dominating. Tokyo, despite a slight decline (-0.21%), remains the largest city globally, emphasizing Japan’s urban centralization. Delhi and Shanghai continue surging, propelled by economic growth and rural-to-urban migration.
Rapidly growing cities like Dhaka and Cairo highlight the demographic booms in South Asia and North Africa. Latin American representation from São Paulo and Mexico City shows historical urban centralization in these regions, while China’s double appearance (Shanghai and Beijing) reflects its vast, tiered metropolis model.
Complete Global Ranking of Urban Population in 2025
| # | City | Population 2025 | Country | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tokyo | 3,70,36,200 | Japan | -0.21% |
| 2 | Delhi | 3,46,65,600 | India | 2.54% |
| 3 | Shanghai | 3,04,82,100 | China | 2.06% |
| 4 | Dhaka | 2,46,52,900 | Bangladesh | 3% |
| 5 | Cairo | 2,30,74,200 | Egypt | 1.99% |
| 6 | Sao Paulo | 2,29,90,000 | Brazil | 0.80% |
| 7 | Mexico City | 2,27,52,400 | Mexico | 1.10% |
| 8 | Beijing | 2,25,96,500 | China | 1.84% |
| 9 | Mumbai | 2,20,89,000 | India | 1.92% |
| 10 | Osaka | 1,89,21,600 | Japan | -0.24% |
| 11 | Chongqing | 1,81,71,200 | China | 2.23% |
| 12 | Karachi | 1,80,76,800 | Pakistan | 2.43% |
| 13 | Kinshasa | 1,77,78,500 | DR Congo | 4.38% |
| 14 | Lagos | 1,71,56,400 | Nigeria | 3.75% |
| 15 | Istanbul | 1,62,36,700 | Turkey | 1.18% |
| 16 | Kolkata | 1,58,45,200 | India | 1.76% |
| 17 | Buenos Aires | 1,57,52,300 | Argentina | 0.86% |
| 18 | Manila | 1,52,30,600 | Philippines | 1.93% |
| 19 | Guangzhou | 1,48,78,700 | China | 1.98% |
| 20 | Lahore | 1,48,25,800 | Pakistan | 2.91% |
| 21 | Tianjin | 1,47,04,100 | China | 1.61% |
| 22 | Bangalore | 1,43,95,400 | India | 2.76% |
| 23 | Rio de Janeiro | 1,39,23,200 | Brazil | 0.71% |
| 24 | Shenzhen | 1,35,45,400 | China | 1.75% |
| 25 | Moscow | 1,27,37,400 | Russia | 0.20% |
| 26 | Chennai | 1,23,36,000 | India | 2.34% |
| 27 | Bogota | 1,17,95,800 | Colombia | 1.18% |
| 28 | Jakarta | 1,16,34,100 | Indonesia | 1.73% |
| 29 | Lima | 1,15,17,300 | Peru | 1.37% |
| 30 | Bangkok | 1,13,91,700 | Thailand | 1.41% |
| 31 | Paris | 1,13,46,800 | France | 0.62% |
| 32 | Hyderabad | 1,13,37,900 | India | 2.43% |
| 33 | Nanjing | 1,01,74,900 | China | 2.28% |
| 34 | Luanda | 1,00,27,900 | Angola | 3.91% |
| 35 | Seoul | 1,00,25,800 | South Korea | 0.21% |
| 36 | Chengdu | 99,98,870 | China | 1.74% |
| 37 | London | 98,40,740 | United Kingdom | 0.95% |
| 38 | Ho Chi Minh City | 98,16,320 | Vietnam | 2.60% |
| 39 | Tehran | 97,29,740 | Iran | 1.18% |
| 40 | Nagoya | 95,34,790 | Japan | -0.23% |
| 41 | Xi-an | 92,22,080 | China | 2.31% |
| 42 | Ahmedabad | 90,61,820 | India | 2.34% |
| 43 | Kuala Lumpur | 90,00,280 | Malaysia | 2.10% |
| 44 | Wuhan | 89,86,480 | China | 1.53% |
| 45 | Suzhou | 85,92,820 | China | 2.90% |
| 46 | Hangzhou | 85,91,040 | China | 2.03% |
| 47 | Surat | 85,81,730 | India | 3.02% |
| 48 | Dar es Salaam | 85,61,520 | Tanzania | 4.91% |
| 49 | Baghdad | 81,41,120 | Iraq | 2.78% |
| 50 | Shenyang | 79,74,270 | China | 1.84% |
| 51 | Riyadh | 79,52,860 | Saudi Arabia | 1.69% |
| 52 | New York City | 79,36,530 | United States | -1.98% |
| 53 | Foshan | 78,17,160 | China | 1.46% |
| 54 | Dongguan | 77,72,860 | China | 1.27% |
| 55 | Hong Kong | 77,68,510 | Hong Kong | 0.55% |
| 56 | Pune | 75,25,720 | India | 2.45% |
| 57 | Haerbin | 70,66,860 | China | 1.86% |
| 58 | Santiago | 69,99,460 | Chile | 0.70% |
| 59 | Madrid | 68,10,530 | Spain | 0.40% |
| 60 | Khartoum | 67,54,180 | Sudan | 3.24% |
| 61 | Toronto | 64,91,290 | Canada | 0.93% |
| 62 | Johannesburg | 64,44,580 | South Africa | 1.90% |
| 63 | Belo Horizonte | 63,51,680 | Brazil | 0.81% |
| 64 | Dalian | 63,47,380 | China | 2.09% |
| 65 | Qingdao | 62,17,970 | China | 1.86% |
| 66 | Singapore | 61,57,270 | Singapore | 0.62% |
| 67 | Zhengzhou | 61,56,140 | China | 2.35% |
| 68 | Ji nan Shandong | 60,65,850 | China | 2.11% |
| 69 | Abidjan | 60,56,880 | Ivory Coast | 3.24% |
| 70 | Addis Ababa | 59,56,680 | Ethiopia | 4.44% |
| 71 | Yangon | 58,13,190 | Myanmar | 1.81% |
| 72 | Alexandria | 58,07,050 | Egypt | 1.95% |
| 73 | Nairobi | 57,66,990 | Kenya | 4.08% |
| 74 | Barcelona | 57,33,250 | Spain | 0.37% |
| 75 | Chittagong | 56,53,490 | Bangladesh | 2.54% |
| 76 | Hanoi | 56,02,200 | Vietnam | 3.14% |
| 77 | Saint Petersburg | 55,97,340 | Russia | 0.28% |
| 78 | Guadalajara | 55,78,580 | Mexico | 1.44% |
| 79 | Ankara | 55,50,490 | Turkey | 1.34% |
| 80 | Fukuoka | 54,65,920 | Japan | -0.22% |
| 81 | Melbourne | 53,91,890 | Australia | 1.44% |
| 82 | Monterrey | 52,72,360 | Mexico | 1.48% |
| 83 | Sydney | 52,48,790 | Australia | 1.23% |
| 84 | Urumqi | 51,32,170 | China | 2.52% |
| 85 | Changsha | 51,28,270 | China | 1.99% |
| 86 | Cape Town | 50,63,580 | South Africa | 1.72% |
| 87 | Jiddah | 50,21,600 | Saudi Arabia | 1.59% |
| 88 | Brasilia | 49,90,930 | Brazil | 1.13% |
| 89 | Kunming | 49,55,680 | China | 1.95% |
| 90 | Changchun | 48,91,020 | China | 1.84% |
| 91 | Kabul | 48,77,020 | Afghanistan | 3.14% |
| 92 | Yaounde | 48,54,260 | Cameroon | 3.68% |
| 93 | Hefei | 48,30,170 | China | 2.18% |
| 94 | Ningbo | 47,70,300 | China | 2.37% |
| 95 | Shantou | 47,37,590 | China | 1.74% |
| 96 | Kano | 46,45,320 | Nigeria | 3.44% |
| 97 | Tel Aviv | 45,68,530 | Israel | 1.62% |
| 98 | New Taipei | 45,63,850 | Taiwan | 0.64% |
| 99 | Shijiazhuang | 45,34,990 | China | 1.81% |
| 100 | Jaipur | 44,11,110 | India | 2.38% |
| 101 | Kozhikode | 43,87,410 | India | 3.38% |
| 102 | Nanning | 43,83,600 | China | 2.15% |
| 103 | Montreal | 43,77,310 | Canada | 0.82% |
| 104 | Rome | 43,47,100 | Italy | 0.35% |
| 105 | Douala | 43,46,420 | Cameroon | 3.41% |
| 106 | Recife | 43,44,050 | Brazil | 0.90% |
| 107 | Malappuram | 43,43,910 | India | 3.80% |
| 108 | Taiyuan Shanxi | 43,05,290 | China | 1.86% |
| 109 | Fortaleza | 42,84,450 | Brazil | 0.90% |
| 110 | Porto Alegre | 42,68,960 | Brazil | 0.69% |
| 111 | Kampala | 42,65,160 | Uganda | 5.29% |
| 112 | Ekurhuleni | 42,62,130 | South Africa | 1.70% |
| 113 | Antananarivo | 42,28,980 | Madagascar | 4.45% |
| 114 | Abuja | 42,09,940 | Nigeria | 4.58% |
| 115 | Changzhou | 41,80,040 | China | 2.31% |
| 116 | Medellin | 41,72,810 | Colombia | 0.86% |
| 117 | Ibadan | 41,44,130 | Nigeria | 3.49% |
| 118 | Lucknow | 41,32,670 | India | 2.34% |
| 119 | Nanchang | 41,04,120 | China | 2.19% |
| 120 | Wenzhou | 40,93,180 | China | 2.09% |
The full dataset paints a fascinating picture. While the Top 10 hold monumental status, several fast-growing secondary cities are rising rapidly. For instance, Kinshasa in Democratic Republic of Congo (17,778,500) is seeing a staggering 4.38% growth, indicating explosive urban expansion in Central Africa. Lagos in Nigeria follows a similar pattern, projected to reach 17,156,400 with 3.75% growth.
Surprising names such as Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) show over 4% annual growth, reflecting the urban boom across Africa. Meanwhile, Indian cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Surat also feature among the fastest growers, solidifying India’s rapid urban shift.
In contrast, major cities in developed nations—like New York City (declining by -1.98%), Osaka, and Nagoya—show negative growth, largely due to aging populations, suburban migration, or economic restructuring.
Noteworthy Observations Beyond the Top 10
- China dominates the list with the highest number of cities featured (over 20), showcasing its well-distributed urban development model.
- India follows closely, with Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, and Chennai all crossing 10 million.
- Africa is the rising continent. Cities like Abuja, Kampala, and Antananarivo show above 4% growth, indicating a seismic shift in global urbanization trends.
- Smaller cities like Malappuram (India) and Douala (Cameroon) are growing faster than some megacities, reflecting new economic opportunities in tier-2 urban centers.
- Latin America, despite urban saturation, continues moderate growth in cities like Bogotá, Lima, and Buenos Aires.
The Rise of African Megacities
Africa is now the fastest urbanizing continent, and its cities are central to this transformation. With Kampala (Uganda) expected to grow by 5.29%, and Abuja (Nigeria) by 4.58%, future megacities are being born today. These cities, often facing infrastructure and governance challenges, are also hubs of youth population, digital innovation, and entrepreneurial energy.
As the world becomes more urban, understanding population shifts in major cities offers insights into economic trends, climate challenges, infrastructure planning, and global mobility. The largest cities in 2025 showcase where human ambition, migration, and modern civilization are converging. Whether you’re a policymaker, investor, or global citizen, these cities matter more than ever.
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Data compiled from United Nations – World Urbanization Prospects, WorldPop – Global Population Data, Data Commons – City-Level Demographics, Statista – Largest Cities by Population, and World Population Review – Urban Population Estimates.