Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta has officially become the world’s largest city by population, according to the United Nations’ World Urbanization Prospects 2025 report.
The Indonesian capital now has 41.9 million inhabitants, surpassing Tokyo, which slipped to third place with 33.4 million people, and Dhaka, Bangladesh, which climbed to second with 36.6 million.
Located on the western coast of Java, Jakarta rose to the top of the global rankings due to rapid population growth.
Dhaka – previously ninth – also recorded a significant surge and is projected to become the world’s most populous city by 2050.
The UN report also underscored the continuing expansion of “mega cities,” defined as urban areas with more than 10 million inhabitants.
Their number has increased from eight in 1975 to 33 today, 19 of them in Asia.
Besides the three, other Asian cities in the top 10 are 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).
Among non-Asian cities, Cairo (Egypt, 32 million inhabitants) leads the way, while São Paulo (Brazil, 18,9 million) is the largest city in the Americas, and Lagos (Nigeria) is the most populous in sub-Saharan Africa. (PNA)