Tokyo finally loses top spot in UN survey's 'World's Most Populous Cities Ranking'
On November 18, 2025,
Press Release | Cities are home to 45 per cent of the global population, with megacities continuing to grow, UN report finds - United Nations Sustainable Development
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2025/11/press-release-wup2025/
Jakarta overtakes Tokyo as world's largest city, according to UN - ABC News
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-25/jakarta-overtakes-tokyo-as-worlds-largest-city/106049122
Jakarta world's most populous capital with 42 million people: UN report
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/jakarta-world-s-most-populous-capital-with-42-million-people-un-report/3751868
The United Nations has been conducting research on so-called 'megacities,' cities with a population of over 10 million, and has reported that the number of megacities has increased from just eight in 1975 to 33 by 2025. Of these, 19, more than half, are located in Asia. It has also been revealed that 45% of the world's population of 8.2 billion people live in megacities. Incidentally, in 1950, the world's population was only 2.5 billion, and at that time, only 20% of the total population lived in megacities.
In a 2025 survey, Jakarta, Indonesia, was named the world's most populous city. Jakarta's population is approximately 42 million. According to the latest UN data, Indonesia's population is approximately 286 million, making it the fourth most populous country in the world. In 2019, Indonesia announced it would move its capital to Nusantara, a new city currently under construction. At the time of writing, the move is expected to be completed in 2028.
The next most populous city is Dhaka, Bangladesh, with approximately 40 million people. Dhaka is projected to become the most populous city in the world by 2050.
The third most populous city is Tokyo, Japan, with a population of approximately 33 million. Tokyo was the world's most populous city for a long time, but its population growth has slowed over the past 25 years, causing it to be overtaken by Jakarta and Dhaka. Due to Japan's declining and aging population, Tokyo's population is expected to decline over the next 25 years.
The top 10 most populous cities in the world are as follows: Cairo, Egypt is the only city outside of Asia to make the list.
4. New Delhi (India): 30 million
5th place: Shanghai (China): 30 million people
6. Guangzhou (China): 28 million
7. Cairo (Egypt): 26 million
8. Manila (Philippines): 25 million
9. Kolkata (India): 23 million
10th place: Seoul (South Korea): 22 million people
While the rise of megacities seems prominent, the report also reveals that small and medium-sized cities are home to large populations and are growing at a rapid pace, particularly in Africa and Asia: Of the 12,000 cities analysed, 96% have a population of less than 1 million, and 81% have a population of less than 250,000.
Most cities experiencing population decline are expected to have populations of less than 250,000 by 2025, with more than one-third of these cities in China and 17% in India. Population declines have also been confirmed in some megacities, such as Mexico City in Mexico and Chengdu in China.
The number of megacities is expected to increase to 37 by 2050, with the UN predicting that cities such as Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, Dar es Salaam in the United Republic of Tanzania, Hajipur in India, and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia are likely candidates.
On the social message board Hacker News, one person wrote, 'I used to spend a lot of time in Jakarta for work, and it's an underrated city. Yes, it's hot, crowded, polluted, and poor, but then so is Bangkok. Public transport is still not great, but it's improved a lot with the airport, subway, LRT , TransJakarta , etc. Southeast Asia's only legitimate high-speed rail now connects to Bandung in minutes. Grab/Gojek (Jakarta's equivalent of Uber) is a cheap way to get around and avoids the language barrier. Hotels are incredibly good value, you can stay in a top five-star hotel for $100 (about 15,600 yen). Locally produced clothing and other items are incredibly cheap. Indonesian food is excellent; there's a lot more to it than nasi goreng, and you can also find delicious Japanese and Italian food, which are relatively expensive, but rich in flavor. Lunch at an Italian restaurant inside the Tbilisi-Carlton was less than $10 (about 1,560 yen). The nightlife is wild, but to really get into it you need to make local friends. It's also relatively safe, with very little violent crime, and I've never been pickpocketed (though it does exist) or scammed. I think Jakarta's biggest problem is its lack of marketing and top-notch tourist attractions. Bangkok has many royal palaces and temples, and is famous for go-go bars, but Jakarta doesn't have those, so no one thinks of it as a vacation destination,' said one comment praising Jakarta .
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