Seven years ago, the Indonesian capital Jakarta had a population of about 10 million. However, in recent years, Jakarta has grown rapidly. The latest report shows that Jakarta’s population has reached 42 million, surpassing Tokyo, Japan and Dhaka, Bangladesh to become the most populous city in the world.
According to aggregated foreign media reports, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs released the “2025 World Urbanization Prospects” report on the 26th, naming Jakarta, Indonesia as the world’s most populous city with 42 million people. Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, ranked second with 40 million people, while Tokyo, Japan, ranked third with 33 million people.
Nine out of the top 10 most populous cities are in Asia, including: New Delhi, India (30.2 million), Shanghai, China (29.6 million), Guangzhou, China (27.6 million), Manila, Philippines (24.7 million), Kolkata, India (22.5 million), and Seoul, South Korea (22.5 million). The only non-Asian city in the top 10 is Cairo, Egypt, with a population of 32 million.
The report points out that in 1975, there were only eight “megacities” with populations over 10 million. But fifty years later, this number has increased to 33, more than half of which (19) are in Asian cities.
Due to intensified climate change causing worsening floods and rising sea levels in Bangladesh, people from rural areas are flocking to the capital. As a result, Dhaka’s population continues to rise and it is projected to become the world’s largest city by 2050.