Most Populated City in the World: Jakarta Tops 2025 Rankings

Jakarta has overtaken Tokyo as the world’s most populous city, with 41.9 million residents in 2025, while Dhaka surges toward the top spot. The UN’s latest urbanization data reveals a dramatic shift in the global megacity hierarchy.

Current #1: Jakarta · #2: Dhaka · #3: Tokyo · Megacities: 33 in 2025 · 2050 #1: Dhaka at 52.1M

What are the 10 most populated cities in the world?

Current top 10 rankings

The UN World Urbanization Prospects 2025 data paints a clear picture: Asia dominates the list of most populous cities. Jakarta leads at 41.9 million, followed by Dhaka at nearly 40 million and Tokyo at 33.4 million (UN DESA Data Booklet). New Delhi sits fourth with 30.2 million, while Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Cairo round out the top seven.

Only Cairo breaks the Asian monopoly in the top 10, according to the UN Sustainable Development press release. The global picture now stands at 58% of the world’s 8.2 billion people living in urban areas, per the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).

Methodology for urban area populations

Here is where things get tricky. The UN uses “urban agglomeration” definitions — the continuous built-up area around a city — which tends to inflate numbers. Other sources, like Ontario Tech University, apply stricter boundaries that can produce wildly different rankings (Ontario Tech University). That university’s list puts Tokyo at 36.4 million as #1, with Jakarta absent from the top 20 entirely. The lesson: always check which definition a source uses before comparing figures.

Where is the most populated city on Earth?

Tokyo’s current status

Jakarta now holds the title. The UN’s official data booklet confirms Indonesia’s capital as the world’s most populous city in 2025, with 41.9 million residents (UN DESA Data Booklet). Tokyo, which held the crown for decades after overtaking New York in the mid-20th century, has slipped to third place. Japanese media, reporting on the UN data, noted Tokyo’s remarkable descent from first in 2000 to third in 2025 (Webull News).

Urban agglomeration definitions

The discrepancy between rankings stems from how “city” is defined. The UN’s agglomeration approach captures the functional urban economy — the commute zone where people live and work — rather than arbitrary municipal borders. This inflates Jakarta’s count compared to sources counting only registered city residents. Both approaches are valid; they simply measure different things.

Is Tokyo no longer the world’s most populous city?

Recent shifts in rankings

Yes — and the shift is now official. According to the UN Sustainable Development press release, Jakarta leads with nearly 42 million residents, Dhaka follows with almost 40 million, and Tokyo trails at 33 million (UN Sustainable Development). Worldometers, a popular population tracker, independently lists Jakarta #1, Dhaka #2, and Tokyo #3 for 2025 (Worldometers).

Reasons for change

Several factors drive Tokyo’s decline. Japan’s overall population is shrinking due to low birth rates and an aging society. Even though Tokyo proper gained over 300,000 residents between 2015-2025, the metro area is expected to decline to 30.7 million by 2050 — an 8.1% drop, according to UN projections (Destatis). Meanwhile, Jakarta and Dhaka benefit from strong urbanization flows across Indonesia and Bangladesh, two of the world’s most densely populated nations.

“Cities are home to 45 per cent of the global population, with megacities continuing to grow.”

— UN DESA Voice, December 2025 feature on urbanization data

“Jakarta (Indonesia) is now the world’s most populous city, with nearly 42 million residents, followed by Dhaka (Bangladesh) with almost 40 million, and Tokyo (Japan) with 33 million.”

— UN Sustainable Development press release The UN Sustainable Development press release highlights Jakarta as the world’s most populous city, and you can find more details about the Google Pixel 10 Ireland price and specs at Google Pixel 10 Ireland.

Which city is expected to be largest in 2050?

UN projections

Dhaka is the undisputed future leader. The UN projects Bangladesh’s capital to reach 52.1 million by 2050, a 42.3% increase from its 2025 population (Destatis). The number of megacities globally will grow from 33 today to 37 by 2050, per the UN World Urbanization Prospects 2025 summary (UN Population Division).

Dhaka’s rise

Dhaka’s trajectory reflects Bangladesh’s broader urbanization boom. The country’s rural-to-urban migration shows no signs of slowing, and Dhaka absorbs the lion’s share. By 2050, the top six cities globally — Dhaka, Jakarta, Shanghai, New Delhi, Karachi, and Cairo — are all expected to be Asian or African megacities, with Tokyo falling to seventh place (Webull News).

Is the largest city also the most densely populated?

Population vs density

No — size and density are entirely different metrics. Dhaka, with around 40 million people spread across its urban area, faces immense density pressure, but other cities punch harder per square kilometer. Manila in the Philippines and parts of Manhattan in New York City exceed Dhaka’s density in localized zones. The distinction matters for urban planning: a city can be globally massive but locally manageable, or compact and locally overwhelming.

Top dense cities

When the conversation shifts to density rather than total population, cities like Manila, Dhaka, Karachi, and Mumbai appear near the top of different lists. The densest urban cores can exceed 70,000 people per square kilometer in some neighborhoods — orders of magnitude higher than the sprawling metro figures cited for Jakarta or Tokyo.

Related reading: Top Universities in the World

Jakarta edges out Tokyo in the Jakarta vs Tokyo 2025 matchup, as UN projections place Indonesia’s capital at 41.9 million residents for 2025.

Frequently asked questions