Tokyo is no longer the most populous city on the planet: in 2025 the record passes to Jakarta, marking an epochal change in global urban geography. The report certifies it World Urbanization Prospects 2025 of the United Nations, based on the harmonized methodology of the Degree of Urbanization.
Jakarta conquers the top
The Indonesian capital dominates with almost 42 million inhabitants, becoming the largest megalopolis in the world. Tokyo, undisputed queen for decades, slips directly to third place, also surpassed by Dhaka, which continues to grow at a dizzying pace.
Ranking of the Most Populous Cities in the World (2025 Estimates)
| Rank | City | Village | Population (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jakarta | Indonesia | 41,914 |
| 2 | Dhaka | Bangladesh | 36,585 |
| 3 | Tokyo | Japan | 33,413 |
| 4 | New Delhi | India | 30,222 |
| 5 | Shanghai | China | 29,559 |
| 6 | Guangzhou | China | 27,563 |
| 7 | Cairo | Egypt | 25,566 |
| 8 | Manila | Philippines | 24,735 |
| 9 | Kolkata | India | 22,550 |
| 10 | Seoul | South Korea | 22,490 |
In 2025 Jakarta is the most populous city on the planet, with almost 42 million inhabitants. Immediately behind is Dhaka, which is close to 37 million and according to projections is destined to become the largest in the world by 2050. Tokyo, for decades the undisputed queen, drops to third place and will lose further ground in the coming years, with a declining demographic trend.
Asian dominance is total: nine of the ten largest cities in the world are located in Asia, with Cairo as the only exception. Forecasts to 2050 indicate a scenario in which large metropolises will continue to expand almost exclusively on the Asian continent. Tokyo and Seoul represent the only cases in the top ten where the population is expected to decrease. On the contrary, centers such as Karachi, currently outside the top ten, should rapidly climb positions until they overtake historically dominant cities such as Cairo and Tokyo itself.
The number of megacities — urban agglomerations with at least 10 million inhabitants — has increased from 8 in 1975 to 33 in 2025, of which 19 are in Asia. By the middle of the century it is expected that they will become 37. Europe remains marginal and Italy completely excluded from this global scenario: Rome and Milan are not even remotely comparable to the numbers of the large metropolises taken into consideration.
In essence, the world’s urban center of gravity is definitively shifting towards Asia. Jakarta leads, Dhaka prepares to dominate, Tokyo abdicates. Europe observes, and Italy does not appear.
The report
The United Nations World Urbanization Prospects 2025 is a report that provides detailed estimates and projections on global urbanization dynamics from 1950 to 2050. The analysis covers over 12,000 settlements and tracks the evolution of the world population distributed across cities, towns and rural areas. The paper explores trends in megacities and shrinking cities, also evaluating urban development patterns through the analysis of population density and built-up area. Finally, the report compares the impact of different statistical definitions on the measurement of urbanization levels and their correlation with the economic development of countries.
