Where are the Most Populated Cities in the World?

Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo is the capital city of Japan. As part of the Greater Tokyo metropolitan area, it occupies 5200 square miles, and has a population of almost 38 million people according to 2016 UN estimates. In some parts of the city, population density exceeds 30,000 people per square kilometer while the areas with the lowest density being 1500 per square kilometer according to ArcGIS.

New Delhi, India

India’s capital city is New Delhi. The city has 11 districts with total population of about 24,953,000. New Delhi has a population density of 29,259.12 per square mile according to the World Population Review.

Shanghai, China

Shanghai is China’s largest city and the country’s financial hub. This city has a population of 22,991,000 people, according to 2014 census. Shanghai Bureau of Statistics reports 9 million of the city’s population is migrants. The city has a population density of about 3630.5 per square kilometer according to country Digest study.

Mexico City, Mexico

Mexico City is Mexico’s capital and the Americas main financial hub with a population of 20,843,000 according to 2014 census. Mexico City has a population density of 15,600 residents per square mile according to World Capital Cities.

Sao Paulo, Brazil

Sao Paulo is Brazil’s wealthiest city and its financial and commerce capital. The city has a population of 20,831,000 according to 2014’s UN data, but 32 percent of its residents live in slums. Sao Paulo has a population density of 21,000 per square mile according to GeoCases data.

Mumbai, India

Mumbai is India’s most populous and largest city and the capital of Maharashtra. It has a population of 20,741,000 according to 2014 country’s census. Mumbai has some areas with a population density of over 30,000 per square kilometer according to ArcGIS.

Osaka, Japan

Osaka is a Japanese port city in Kansai region and Osaka prefecture capital. It is Japan’s third largest city and has a population of 20,123,000 people according to 2013 census. Osaka has a population density of 5,400 per square kilometer according to Reuters data.

Beijing, China

China’s capital Beijing in northern region has a population of 19,520,000 according to 2014 census. The 16,411 kilometer square city has a population density of 1,322 people per square kilometer, according to Country Digest. Beijing is also China’s political, economic, and cultural hub.

New York/Newark

New York-Newark is America’s most populous city according to 2014 census data. New York-Newark is a metropolitan area of New York that touches the state of New Jersey. It has a population density of 1,654 per square mile according to City Data. This metropolitan city is hub of international trade, real estate, tourism, and manufacturing.

Cairo, Egypt

Cairo is Egypt’s capital and its largest city. The city plus its metropolitan area, the Greater Cairo has a population of 18,419,000 people according to 2014 data. Cairo’s population density is 19,376 people per square kilometer according to World Population Review. This city is also the country’s main financial and manufacturing hub.

Dhaka, Bangladesh

Dhaka is the capital Bangladesh and the country’s largest city. It’s located at the centre of the country and is the main commercial and administrative hub. Dhaka has a population of 16,982,000 according to 2014 UN data, and accommodates 10 percent of the country’s populace. It has a population density of 115,000 people per square mile, which is among the world's highest density rate.

Karachi, Pakistan

Karachi is Pakistan’s most populous city where 10 percent of the country’s population resides. This bustling and trouble plagued city has a population of 16,126,000 according to 2014 UN data. As a port city it’s a vibrant commercial, transport, and political hub in Pakistan that draws many people from the rest of the country. As a result, it has a population density of 63,000 people per square mile according to World Population Review. It is among the top ten most densely populated cities in the world.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Buenos Aires is Argentina’s capital and its most populous city. The city and the greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area has a population of 15,024,000 people, according to 2014 UN data. It has a population density of 36,828 people per square mile according to 2013 World Population Statistics making it among Latin America’s most populous of cities. Buenos Aires is the nation’s commercial, political, industrial, technological and cultural hub. The city is where the Tango dance originated.

Calcutta, India

Calcutta is the capital city of the Indian State of West Bengal. This crowded city is famous due to Mother Theresa charitable work with the poor and clogged transport system. It has a population of 14,766,000 people according to UN 2014 data. According to World Population Review, Calcutta has a population density of 63,000 people per square mile, making it among the world’s most densely populated cities.

Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul is Turkey’s most populous city with a population of 13,954,000 according to 2014 UN data. This historical and culturally diverse port city has a population density of 6,530 per square miles according to World Population Review. Istanbul has the largest population of ethnic minority, the Kurds who are about 3 million which is also the largest Kurdish population in the world.

Chongqing, China

The 82,400 square kilometers Chongqing is an industrial city in Southwest China with a population of 12,916,000 according to UN 2014 data. It has a population density of 910 people per square mile according to World Population Review. Chongqing has a booming vehicle, military, iron, aluminum and steel industries, which attract half a million people every year, making it among the fastest growing cities in the world according to the Guardian Newspaper report.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio de Janeiro is Brazil’s second most populous and second largest city after Sao Paulo. As Brazil’s main tourist city, it’s famous for its Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, and vibrant cultural activities like the Rio carnival. Rio de Janeiro’s most famed landmark is Christ the Redeemer statue. The city has a population of 12,825,000 people according to the UN 2014 data, with a population density of 12,382 people per square mile, according to Country Digest.

Manila, Philippines

Manila is Philippines capital city, in the northwestern coast of the country and has a population of 12,764,000 people, according to 2014 UN data. The city has a population density of 38,000 people per square kilometer according to New Geography. That makes it among the most crowded cities of the world making social amenities to be over stretched and low cost housing like slums to spring up.