Most Populous Cities in the World

This comprehensive list features the world's most populous cities, ranked by their metropolitan area population. These rankings reflect the total population within each city's administrative boundaries and surrounding metropolitan areas.

Key Insights

Before exploring the rankings, here are some fascinating insights about city populations:

• Asian Dominance: Asia is home to the majority of the world's most populous cities
• Rapid Urbanization: Many cities are experiencing unprecedented population growth
• Metropolitan Areas: We include both city proper and metropolitan area populations
• Population Density: Some cities have extremely high population density despite small geographic areas

Fascinating Insights from the Data

• Tokyo's Dominance: Tokyo remains the world's most populous city with over 37 million people
• Asian Megacities: 8 of the top 10 most populous cities are in Asia
• Rapid Growth: Many African and Asian cities are experiencing explosive population growth
• Urban Concentration: These cities represent a significant portion of global urban population
• Infrastructure Challenges: Such large populations create unique urban planning challenges

Top 50 Most Populous Cities

Rank	City	Country	Population	Metropolitan Area	Continent
1	Tokyo	Japan	37,274,000	Tokyo Metropolitan Area	Asia
2	Delhi	India	32,065,760	National Capital Region	Asia
3	Shanghai	China	28,516,904	Yangtze River Delta	Asia
4	São Paulo	Brazil	22,429,800	Greater São Paulo	South America
5	Mexico City	Mexico	22,085,140	Valley of Mexico	North America
6	Cairo	Egypt	21,750,020	Greater Cairo	Africa
7	Mumbai	India	20,961,472	Mumbai Metropolitan Region	Asia
8	Beijing	China	20,896,820	Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei	Asia
9	Dhaka	Bangladesh	20,283,552	Greater Dhaka	Asia
10	Osaka	Japan	19,059,856	Keihanshin	Asia
11	New York	United States	18,867,000	New York Metropolitan Area	North America
12	Karachi	Pakistan	16,459,472	Karachi Metropolitan	Asia
13	Buenos Aires	Argentina	15,594,428	Greater Buenos Aires	South America
14	Chongqing	China	15,872,500	Chongqing Metropolitan	Asia
15	Istanbul	Turkey	15,462,452	Istanbul Metropolitan	Europe
16	Kolkata	India	14,850,066	Kolkata Metropolitan	Asia
17	Manila	Philippines	14,406,059	Metro Manila	Asia
18	Lagos	Nigeria	14,368,332	Lagos Metropolitan	Africa
19	Rio de Janeiro	Brazil	13,634,274	Greater Rio de Janeiro	South America
20	Tianjin	China	13,866,009	Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei	Asia
21	Kinshasa	Democratic Republic of the Congo	13,493,000	Kinshasa Metropolitan	Africa
22	Guangzhou	China	13,302,801	Pearl River Delta	Asia
23	Los Angeles	United States	12,997,353	Greater Los Angeles	North America
24	Moscow	Russia	12,655,050	Moscow Metropolitan	Europe
25	Shenzhen	China	12,592,820	Pearl River Delta	Asia
26	Lahore	Pakistan	12,188,000	Lahore Metropolitan	Asia
27	Bangalore	India	12,327,000	Bangalore Metropolitan	Asia
28	Paris	France	11,142,303	Île-de-France	Europe
29	Bogotá	Colombia	11,344,312	Bogotá Metropolitan	South America
30	Jakarta	Indonesia	11,074,811	Jabodetabek	Asia
31	Chennai	India	10,971,108	Chennai Metropolitan	Asia
32	Lima	Peru	10,628,477	Lima Metropolitan	South America
33	Bangkok	Thailand	10,539,000	Bangkok Metropolitan	Asia
34	Seoul	South Korea	9,995,000	Seoul Capital Area	Asia
35	Nagoya	Japan	9,552,000	Chūkyō Metropolitan	Asia
36	Hyderabad	India	9,482,000	Hyderabad Metropolitan	Asia
37	London	United Kingdom	9,002,488	Greater London	Europe
38	Tehran	Iran	9,134,708	Tehran Metropolitan	Asia
39	Chicago	United States	9,618,502	Chicago Metropolitan	North America
40	Chengdu	China	9,135,000	Chengdu Metropolitan	Asia
41	Nanjing	China	9,314,685	Nanjing Metropolitan	Asia
42	Wuhan	China	9,785,392	Wuhan Metropolitan	Asia
43	Hanoi	Vietnam	8,435,700	Hanoi Metropolitan	Asia
44	Ho Chi Minh City	Vietnam	8,993,082	Ho Chi Minh Metropolitan	Asia
45	Luanda	Angola	8,952,496	Luanda Metropolitan	Africa
46	Ahmedabad	India	8,253,000	Ahmedabad Metropolitan	Asia
47	Kuala Lumpur	Malaysia	8,211,000	Klang Valley	Asia
48	Hong Kong	China	7,500,700	Pearl River Delta	Asia
49	Dongguan	China	8,220,207	Pearl River Delta	Asia
50	Foshan	China	7,197,394	Pearl River Delta	Asia

Understanding Population Rankings

It's important to understand how these population figures are calculated:

• Metropolitan Areas: Includes the core city and surrounding suburbs
• Administrative Boundaries: Some cities have expanded boundaries to include more population
• Population Density: Large population doesn't always mean large geographic area
• Growth Rates: Many cities are growing rapidly, changing rankings frequently

Compare These Cities Yourself

Curious to see how these cities compare in terms of area? Use our interactive tool to compare their geographic sizes side-by-side on a map, or browse curated matchups on our comparison pages.

Use our interactive tool

Explore Related City Rankings

Population and geographic size tell different stories — explore both:

• Largest Cities by Area: See which cities cover the most ground geographically
• Most Densely Populated Cities: High population in a small area creates extreme density
• Curated City Comparisons: Ready-made side-by-side comparisons with area and population stats

Methodology & Data Sources

Our population rankings are based on comprehensive demographic data from official government sources and international organizations for 2024. We combine multiple authoritative sources to provide the most accurate and up-to-date city population comparisons available.

• 📊 Data Sources: We utilize four primary data sources to ensure accuracy and comprehensiveness. Primary sources include Official Government Census Data, United Nations World Urbanization Prospects (2024), National Statistical Agencies, and Verified Demographic Databases. Data covers 50+ major global cities across all continents with metropolitan area populations and most recent available data (2023-2024).
• 🔄 Population Definition & Scope: We prioritize metropolitan/urban agglomeration populations over municipal boundaries, including suburbs, satellite cities, and economically integrated areas. Values are standardized to most recent census or official estimates with cross-referencing across multiple sources for verification. Population figures are rounded to nearest 100,000 for clarity.
• 🎯 Data Quality & Reliability: High Reliability Cities (95% of data): Major global cities with recent census data including Tokyo, Delhi, Shanghai, São Paulo, Mexico City, Cairo, and Mumbai. Moderate Reliability Cities (4% of data): Cities with good estimates but some uncertainty. Lower Reliability Cities (1% of data): Cities with limited recent data or complex boundary definitions.
• ⚠️ Limitations & Considerations: Population figures may vary due to different counting methods and timing. Metropolitan area definitions differ between countries. Rankings reflect total population, not population density. Figures represent estimates based on most recent available data. Some cities may have significant undocumented populations or rapid growth not fully captured.