List of cities in the world by population. List of cities in the world by population 10 largest cities by population

With the death rate falling and the birth rate rising, the world's population is constantly growing. The revolution that science is making is undoubtedly working wonders. But let's agree that she is responsible for an easily growing population. On the one hand, an increase in population can be a source of success and prosperity. But on the other hand, population growth causes destruction in the long run. This could be a very long discussion: a huge population has both pros and cons, and depends on many factors. Here is the list most populated cities in the world for 2019. From the list you can easily analyze that some of the cities are highly developed. While some are lagging behind and the main reason for this is the “large population”.

10. Dhaka

Country: Bangladesh

Population: 12043977

Total area: 1,463.6 km2

Population density: 8229/km2

The capital of Bangladesh - Dhaka is the largest city by population in Bangladesh. It is not only a cultural center, but also the economic center of the country. It is the home of the Mughal Empire to the legacy of colonial times, as well as mighty cultural buildings. Dhaka also enjoys its importance because it is also the center of the independence movement in Bangladesh. As indicated by the statistics, the maximum population in Bangladesh lives in urban houses.

9. Moscow

Country Russia

Population: 12197596

Total area: 2,510.12 km2

Population density: 4859/km2

Moscow is the capital of Russia. Moscow clearly represents both yesterday's and modern Russia. It is also one of the most expensive cities in the world. This is a global business center preserving the culture and architecture of Russia. Moscow is also home to various great writers and poets. The population of Moscow clearly shows that this is the home of talent and innovation.

8. Mumbai

Country: India

Population: 12655220

Total area: 603.4 km2

Population density: 20,680/km2

Mumbai is the capital of an Indian state. It is a metropolitan area in India with a high GDP. Mumbai is made up of seven islands that are home to fishing colonies. Most of the fishermen are from Mumbai. Mumbai is not only India's most populous city, but it is also home to the most billionaires and millionaires compared to other Indian states.

7. Guangzhou

Country: China

Population: 12,700,800

Total area: 3,843.43 km2

Population density: 3,305/km2

Guangzhou is the capital of South China. It is also the largest city when it comes to the population of Southern China. It is an important trading port in China. It is also an important transport hub and one of the five central national cities. Guangzhou is considered to be the third largest city in China. No wonder why China is excited about its most populous region!

6. Lagos

Country: Nigeria

Population: 13400000

Total area: 999.58 km2

Population density: 13,405/km2

Lagos' population is growing exponentially and it is the second largest growing city in Africa. Lagos is actually an island. The country's major financial events are held here. Lagos is popular because of its music and various inventions in the field of music like hip-hop, fuji, juju, etc. Football is Lagos' favorite sport.

5. Istanbul

Country: Türkiye

Population: 14377019

Total area: 5461 km2

Population density: 6467/km2

Istanbul is the most populous city in Turkey. The main reason for this is the area it covers. The city represents the economic, historical and cultural centers of the country. Türkiye is also included in the number, and also strives to attract maximum attention of tourists from all over the world.

4. Tianjin

Country: China

Population: 14,722,100

Total area: 4037 km2

Population density: 2,314/km2

China dominates the list. Here is another city in China that is densely populated. Tianjin is located in northern China. Tianjin has a main city area and a new city area, hence it is a "double city". Tianjin has some of the largest seaports and is important to the country's economy. The ancient architecture of Tianjin attracts a large number of tourists.

3. Beijing

Country: China

Population: 21,516,000

Total area: 16,410.54 km2

Population density: 1,311/km2

Beijing is the capital of China. Therefore, it is the educational, cultural, political and financial center of the country. Beijing Airport is the second busiest airport in the world, containing a large number of passenger traffic. The famous Great Wall of China is also located in Beijing. Beijing is rich in cultural heritage. Beijing is also a must-visit for those who want to see China.

2. Karachi

Country: Pakistan

Population: 23,500,000

Total area: 3527 km2

Population density: 6,663/km2

Karachi is the capital of Pakistan. It is also known as the "city of lights". Karachi is a vibrant city with a large number of industries and educational institutes. Karachi has due importance in European and Gulf countries because of Karachi Port and Bin Qasim Port. Karachi is a large, spacious city that houses the vast majority of the country's population. Other names for Karachi include "Bride of the City" and "Quaid City", in honor of the founder of Pakistan, Quaid e Azam, whose tomb is in Karachi.

1. Shanghai

Country: China

Population: 24150000

Total area: 6,340.5 km2

Population density: 3,809/km2

Shanghai most populous city in the world. Its population is used very constructively. Shanghai is the financial center of China. It is also one of the world's transport hubs and contains some of the busiest ports. Shanghai plays a very important role in China's success and prosperity. Unlike other trading cities, Shanghai also generates its economy through its tourism area. City of God Temple, The Bund, China Art Museum, Shanghai Museum and Yu Garden are some of the places to see.

The role of the city in the life of a modern person is increasing: many people no longer see prospects for development outside its borders. Scientists call this phenomenon urbanization. The most populated cities in the world - what are they? In this article you will find a list of the largest cities in the world.

Urbanization and its modern scale

Urbanization refers to the trend of increasing the role of the city in the life of society. The word urbanus is translated from Latin as “urban”.

Modern urbanization can take place in three ways:

1. Transformation of villages and villages into small and medium-sized cities.
2. The outflow of population from villages to cities.
3. Formation of extensive suburban residential areas.

The world's most populous cities are often held hostage by their sheer size. Poor ecology, a huge amount of transport on the streets, a shortage of green spaces and recreation areas, constant noise pollution - all this, of course, negatively affects the health (physical and mental) of a person, a resident of a metropolis.

Urbanization processes, according to scientists, began around the middle of the 19th century. But then they were local, local in nature. They reached the global level a century later - in the 50s of the twentieth century. At this time, the urban population of the planet is growing rapidly, and the largest megacities of our time are being formed.

If in 1950 the share of the urban population on the planet was only 30%, then in 2000 it had already reached 45%. Today, the level of global urbanization is about 57%.

The most urbanized countries on the planet are Luxembourg (100%), Belgium (98%), UK (90%), Australia (88%) and Chile (88%).

The most populated cities in the world

In fact, determining the population of a large city is quite difficult. Firstly, researchers are not always able to obtain up-to-date and reliable statistical information (especially when it comes to the megacities of third world countries - Asia, Africa or Latin America).

Secondly, the approaches to counting the number of city residents may be different. Thus, some demographers do not take into account people living in the suburban area, while others ignore temporary labor migrants. That is why it can be very difficult to name exactly the most populated city in the world.

Another problem that demographers and statisticians face is the problem of determining the boundaries of a metropolis. To solve this problem, a very interesting method was recently invented. To do this, a photograph of the populated area is taken from the air, in the evening. The city boundaries can then be easily drawn along the edge of the urban lighting distribution.

Top most populated cities in the world

In ancient times, Jericho was considered the largest (by population) city on the planet. About 2 thousand people lived there nine thousand years ago. Today this is the number of residents in a large village and a small European town.

The total number of inhabitants living in the ten most populated cities on the planet is almost 260 million people! In other words, this is 4% of the entire world population.

1. Tokyo (Japan, 37.7 million people);
2. Jakarta (Indonesia, 29.9);
3. Chongqing (China, 29.0);
4. Delhi (India, 24.2);
5. Manila (Philippines, 22.8);
6. Shanghai (China, 22.6);
7. Karachi (Venezuela, 21.7);
8. New York (United States of America, 20.8);
9. Mexico City (Mexico, 20.5).

Six out of ten of these cities are located in Asia, with 2 in China. It is worth noting that the largest city in Europe, Moscow, would take only 17th place in this ranking. About 16 million people live in the capital of the Russian Federation.

Tokyo, Japan)

The capital of Japan today is the most populous city in the world, home to at least 37 million people. For comparison: this is the number of inhabitants in the whole of Poland!

Today Tokyo is not only the largest metropolis, but also the most important financial, industrial and cultural center of East Asia. The world's largest metro operates here: it carries at least 8 million passengers a day. Tokyo will amaze any traveler with a huge number of faceless, gray streets and alleys. Some of them don't even have their own names.

It is surprising that the largest metropolis on the planet is located in a seismically unstable zone. About a hundred fluctuations of varying intensity are recorded in Tokyo every year.

Chongqing (China)

Chinese Chongqing holds the absolute world championship among cities in terms of territory size. It occupies the same area as the state of Austria in Europe - 82,000 square kilometers.

The metropolis has an almost perfect circular shape: 470 by 460 kilometers. About 29 million Chinese live here. However, since a large number of them live in the suburban area, some statisticians sometimes do not include Chongqing in the lists of the most populated cities on the planet.

In addition to its colossal size, the city also boasts an ancient history. After all, it is already more than 3 thousand years old. Chongqing arose at the confluence of two Chinese rivers, surrounded by three picturesque hills.

New York, USA)

Although New York is not the largest city on the planet by population, it can be considered the most popular metropolis in the world.

The city is often called the Big Apple. Why? Everything is very simple: according to one of the legends, it was the apple tree that was the first to take root within the boundaries of the future metropolis.

New York is an important financial center of the world; about 700 thousand (!) different companies are located here. City residents are served daily by at least 6 thousand metro cars and about 13 thousand taxi cars. By the way, it is no coincidence that local taxis are painted yellow. The founder of a shipping company once conducted special research trying to determine which color is most pleasing to the human eye. It turned out that it was yellow.

Conclusion

Amazing fact: if you collect all the residents of the 10 most populous cities in the world, you will get a number that is almost twice the total population of Russia! In addition, these already huge megacities continue to grow.

The most populated cities in the world are Tokyo, Jakarta, Chongqing, Delhi and Seoul. All of them are located in Asia.

More than 50% of the world's population are urban residents. Based on the fact that there are 7 billion people on the planet, there are approximately 50 people for every square kilometer of the earth's surface. However, there are places where the density of people is amazing. For example, the largest favela in Rio de Janeiro has a density of 48 thousand people per square meter. km.

Largest cities in the world by population

We present to you the top 10 largest cities in the world by population. All data on the number of citizens is taken from Wikipedia, Worldatlas and other open sources and is current for 2017.

Population: 13.5 million people

Guangzhou is the educational, economic, technological and cultural center of southern China. Its location on the banks of the Pearl River contributed to its growth as an important port city.

The population of Guangzhou is replenished mainly by foreign emigrants, as well as illegal migrants from the countries of the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe. Thanks to this, the city earned a reputation as the “capital of the Third World.”

Population: 13.7 million people

Japan's capital is known for its modern design, dedication to cutting-edge technology and crowded streets. In 2010, Tokyo began a demographic boom and for the first time in its history the population exceeded 13 million people. City officials attributed the population growth to intensive condominium construction and an increase in the number of foreigners.

Population: 14.8 million people

Istanbul is a tourist city that attracts visitors from all over the world. However, in addition to this, it serves as the center of Turkey's economy.

Construction of a new Istanbul airport is now in full swing, which will be able to accommodate 150 million passengers a year. It should become the largest airport in the world. The opening of the new air harbor is scheduled for 2018. After this, the old Ataturk Airport will be closed.

Population: 15.1 million people

The commercial center of its country and one of the fastest growing African cities. Lagos is also famous for being the center of Nollywood (Nigerian film industry).

Population: 15.4 million people

Tianjin is located in the northern coastal region of China and is home to more than 15 million residents.

It is curious that in this Chinese port city there was a Russian post office until 1919. Or rather, the Russian Empire.

Population: 16.7 million people

Delhi is an ancient city located in northern India. According to the UN forecast, by 2030 Delhi's population will grow by almost 10 million people.

Population: 21.5 million people

By 2030, the population of the Chinese capital may reach 27 million people. And as the cultural center of China, Beijing boasts seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

In addition, Beijing has established itself as an industrial sector since the communist revolution of 1949. Automobiles, textiles, aerospace and semiconductors are just a few of the products produced in the city.

Population: 23.5 million people

It's hard to imagine that this multimillion-dollar city was once a small fishing village. Currently, Karachi is the economic and industrial center of Pakistan and its population is constantly growing, mainly due to migrants from various countries of South Asia.

Karachi has a reputation as a center of higher education in South Asia and the Muslim world.

Population: 24.2 million people

Shanghai's population is expected to reach 50 million by 2050, driven by economic growth and rapid urbanization.

Population: 53.2 million people

The largest city by population, it is one of the 5 national central cities of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and is located in southwest China.

This large number of residents is due to the huge number of migrant workers, many of whom live in Chongqing for less than 6 months of the year. However, less than 7 million people live in the urbanized area of ​​the metropolis.

For comparison: 12.4 million people live in Moscow. And taking into account the Moscow region - 16 million.

Like the rest of China, Chongqing has a demographic problem. While the labor force is still fueled by economic growth, the consequences of the one-child policy have taken their toll. The workforce is shrinking while the elderly population is growing exponentially. China could become the first major country to become old before it is rich, one analyst said.

The world's largest city by population has a large gap between the births of boys and girls under 20, and this threatens problems in the future. For example, this could cause a drop in the birth rate and, accordingly, a labor shortage. But the majority of Chongqing women are unlikely to face the fate of remaining an old maid “with 40 cats.”

The largest cities in the world by area

Many Russians, when asked “what is the largest city in the world?” They will proudly answer: “Moscow.” And they will be wrong. Although the Russian capital is the largest metropolis in Europe both in terms of area (2,561 km2) and population, it is inferior in size to foreign cities with a million population.

We present to you the largest cities in the world, if the main parameter is the territory controlled by the city administration.

Area: 9,965 km²

Most (60%) of the capital of the Republic of Congo is occupied by sparsely populated rural areas. However, it is within the administrative boundaries of the city. Populous but small urban areas are located in the west of the province.

Kinshasa is one of the cities with the largest French-speaking population (in first place, of course, is Paris). And if the current demographic situation continues, then in 2020 Kinshasa will surpass Paris in number of inhabitants.

Area: 9,990 km²

In Australia, one of the most urbanized countries in the world, 89.01% of the population lives in urban areas. With a population of 4.44 million, Melbourne is only slightly behind number seven on the list. But all large Australian cities have one thing in common - they are located near the coastline. Coastal areas encouraged the growth of early European settlements, which quickly grew into today's bustling metropolises.

Area: 11,943 km²

Tianjin, the "commercial gateway" of Beijing, began to develop as a commercial center after the Grand Canal was built during the Sui Dynasty.

The city grew especially during the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China. The most dynamically developing sector of the city's economy is the seaport of Tianjin.

Rosneft and the China National Petroleum Corporation also agreed to build an oil refinery in Tianjin. The signing of the construction schedule became known back in 2014. The launch of the plant is scheduled for 2019.

Area: 12,367 km²

The city of 4.84 million has expanded rapidly since the development of the Harbor Bridge. Its residential areas are surrounded by beautiful national parks. And on the extremely rugged coastline there was room for numerous beaches, bays, coves and islands.

Area: 12,390 km²

The city, once famous for its brocade and at one time the capital of China, boasts, in addition to its impressive size, the world's largest Buddha statue. The height of the Big Buddha, carved into the rock, is 71 meters. According to local residents, “Gradually the mountain becomes Buddha, and Buddha becomes the mountain.”

Area: 15,061 km²

Once upon a time, the capital of the state of Eritrea consisted of 4 villages founded in the 12th century. And now it is the largest city in the country, which is called “New Rome” thanks to the Italian spirit in architecture. In 2017, Asmara was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The name of the metropolis was previously pronounced Asmara - “flowering forest” translated from the Tigrinya language.

Area: 15,826 km²

The administrative center (and once the capital) of the state of Queensland was not always a city. It came together from 20 separate municipalities and acquired city status in 1925.

Brisbane is now the fastest growing Australian city, and at the same time one of the most multinational in the world.

Area: 16,411 km²

The capital of China is home to more than 20 million people. The Beijing urban area radiates in circles that are located between concentric city ring roads. The largest of them is the Sixth Ring Road, which even runs through the satellite cities of the Chinese capital.

In 2020, Beijing will host guests and participants of the Winter Olympics, and in 2008 it hosted the Summer Games.

Area: 16,847 km²

During the Southern Song Dynasty, Hangzhou was the most populous city in the world. It is still quite large; the number of city residents has exceeded 8 million people.

The city is famous for its natural beauty and tea plantations. As the Chinese proverb says: “There is heaven in heaven, and on earth there are Suzhou and Hangzhou.”

Area: 82,403 km²

The largest and most populated city in the world is Chongqing. Most of the population lives outside the urbanized zone, which is 1,473 km² in size. And the total area of ​​the city, together with suburban and rural areas, corresponds to the size of Austria.

Hello, dear readers of the site “I and the World”! We are glad to welcome you again! What do you think is the largest city in the world and what is its name? In our new article we want to talk about cities and present the top 10 largest in the world by area and population.

10th place - New York - 1214.4 sq. km

America starts the list. If you look at the population for 2017, the city is small - 8,405,837 people. Quite young, about 400 years old.

In the territory where New York is now located there were Indian tribes. Arrows, dishes and other Indian attributes are found here. Throughout the 19th century, emigrants from different countries came here, due to which it grew. It includes several islands, the largest of which is Manhattan. People of almost all religions live here, but Christians predominate.

We give 9th place to Mexico City – 1485 sq. km

The population of the capital of Mexico is 9,100,000 people. Mexico City was founded by the Aztecs in 1325. According to legend, the Sun God ordered them to come to this place.

At the beginning of the 16th century, Mexico City was the most beautiful in the Western Hemisphere until it was destroyed during the reign of Cortez, but was soon rebuilt. It is located at an altitude of more than 2000 km above sea level and is surrounded by mountains.

London is in 8th place – 1572 sq. km

London is the capital of Great Britain and the largest city in the country. It was founded in 43 AD. e. There are now 8,600,000 people living in London.

The terrible plague of the 17th century claimed about 70,000 lives. This is a place of remarkable historical and architectural monuments: the Tower, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral and others.

We put Tokyo in 7th place - 2188.6 sq. km

But the population is quite large - 13,742,906 people. Tokyo is one of the modern cities and the capital of Japan. Even if you live here for a month, you won’t see all the sights.

The main part is solid concrete and wires. Tokyo was inhabited by tribes of people back in the Stone Age. Over the course of several years from 1703 to 2011, Tokyo suffered many earthquakes, and as a result of one of them, 142,000 people died at once.

In 6th place is Moscow – 2561.5 sq. km

Moscow is the capital of the Russian Federation, located between the Oka and Volga rivers. 12,500,123 people live here. In terms of length, Moscow is quite long - 112 km. It is an important tourist center in Russia.

The age of the city is still unknown exactly, but there is evidence that the first settlements appeared on this territory around 8 thousand years BC. e.

Middle of the top - Sydney - 12144 sq. km

The development and history of Australia began with a small settlement. 200 years ago the navigator Cook landed here. Sydney is the largest metropolis and capital of the state of New South Wales.

The capital is home to 4,500,000 people. The city is located in one of the beautiful bays of the world, where business skyscrapers coexist with cozy beaches, which are always full of tourists.

In 4th place is Beijing – 16,808 sq. km

Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China. Huge and noisy, its population numbers 21,500,000 inhabitants.

In the 13th century it was almost completely burned by Genghis Khan, but rebuilt 43 years later in a different place. Here is a famous architectural monument - the Forbidden City - the residence of the rulers.

At the beginning of the 20th century it was occupied by the Japanese. After Russia's victory in World War II and the fall of Japan, the capital became free again.

We give 3rd place to Hangzhou – 16847 sq. km

The city has 8,750,000 inhabitants. The metropolis is famous for its tea plantations and natural beauty.

Previously, it was the capital of China, and now it is a major religious center. In the 19th century, as a result of an uprising, it was partially destroyed and restored in the 50s, where industry began to rapidly develop.

Weaving folk items, harvesting tea leaves, and making bamboo products are still done by hand.

In second place is Chongqing – 82,300 sq. km

Chongqing is the largest city in the world in terms of population, with about 32 million people living here. The highest population density is 600 people per square meter. km.

The metropolis arose 3,000 years ago and at that time was the capital of the kingdom of Ba. Now it is a huge industrial center. There is a large base for the production of automobiles - 5 factories and 400 - for the production of car parts. Real estate construction here is proceeding at such a fast pace that 10 years of construction for Moscow is 1 year for Chongqing. Old buildings are being demolished very actively, in their place skyscrapers are appearing. It is more business than architectural. And the main attraction is the overpasses that entangle the entire city.

We give 1st place to the unusual city of Ordos - 86,752 sq. km

Ordos is a ghost town. Where is the strange metropolis, the largest in territory, but empty? In China, it began to be built 20 years ago for people involved in the extraction and sale of coal.

A large city was built with museums, theaters, and a stadium. There is everything for the life of a city dweller here. But almost no one wanted to move here. Over the past few years, the number of people has increased to 300,000. There are so few inhabitants in the huge settlement that even in broad daylight, the streets are completely empty.

Beautiful, abandoned houses, museums, cinemas. There are even unfinished buildings - there is no one to build for. Everywhere is clean and well-groomed. And silence! A metropolis inhabited by “ghosts”. There are several of these in China.

Also, there are cities beyond the Arctic Circle and living there is quite cold. The largest “cold” city is in Russia - Murmansk - 154.4 square meters. km. It is quite small in size and has a population of 298,096 people.

We showed you the ranking of major cities in the world with photos and descriptions. Ten different megacities, with different numbers of inhabitants, different lengths and architecture. 2018 will be a new year for everyone and everything, and our rankings may change. In the meantime, if you liked the information, share it with your friends.

Incredible facts

On our planet, the population is constantly increasing, and this has already grown into a real problem. There are sparsely populated places, there are simply big cities, and there are megacities, the population of which is amazing, calculated at tens of millions.

Exactly about such giant cities we will tell you further. At the same time, we included in the list of such cities agglomerations, representing a merger of settlements.

Population of Sao Paulo

Brazil

20,900,000 people

© cifotart/Getty Images

Sao Paulo remained a small city until the mid-19th century, and then rapidly began to develop into a commercial agglomerate with a developed coffee industry.

Population of Manila

Philippines

21,950,000 people

© fazon1/Getty Images Pro

We are talking about the formation of Metro Manila (exists since 1975), which includes 17 cities.

Population of New York

22,200,000 people

© rabbit75_cav

New York is a symbol of American capitalism, freedom and democracy. This is a city where life never stops boiling - neither day nor night. You can always see crowds of tourists here, because New York is famous for its architecture, museums and other attractions.

Population of Mumbai

India

22,800,000 people

© Sanjog Mhatre/Getty Images Pro

It is the second largest city in India. Mumbai is considered a rich city in India. The high standard of living of this city is very different from the rest of the country.

Mumbai attracts many tourists every year from all over the world, making it one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world.

Population of New Delhi

India

23,200,000 people

© GuyN/Getty Images

New Delhi is one of the most important cultural and political centers in India. The city has been the epicenter of power struggles throughout the country's history, contributing to both the creation and destruction of entire kingdoms and empires on several occasions.

Population of Mexico City

Mexico

23,400,000 people

© jose carlos macouzet espinosa / Getty Images Pro

In 1950, there were already 3 million people in Mexico City. No one thought that 60 years later the capital of Mexico would become one of the largest cities in the world. Mexico City is the country's largest city, as well as its most important political, cultural, educational and financial center.

Shanghai population

China

24,150,000 people

© zhanghaitao/Getty Images Pro

Shanghai is practically the largest city in China, and one of the most densely populated in the world. The metropolis continues to grow very quickly year after year.

Population of Guangzhou

China

24,200,000 people

© Nikolay Tsuguliev/Getty Images

The city of Guangzhou (Canton) is approximately 2,200 years old. The best time to visit Guangzhou is from October to November and from April to May inclusive. This city has a subtropical climate with high levels of humidity in the summer. Temperatures can reach almost 40 degrees Celsius.

Population of Seoul

South Korea

29,500,000 people

© kamponwarit/Getty Images Pro

A city with an incredible population density: 17,288 people per 1 sq. km! Seoul is the largest city in South Korea and undoubtedly the economic, political and cultural center of the country.