World

20 Biggest Cities by Population

The population of the world is growing rapidly every day. The rise in population is bringing new challenges to mankind. Some places are affected more than others with the rise in world population. We will take a look at the 20 most populated cities in the world.

1. Tokyo

Tokyo

Tokyo is the capital of Japan. The population of Tokyo in 2021 is 37,339,804. This is the highest population of any city in the entire world. Their population in 2020 was 37,393,128 and their population has dropped by 0.14%. The area of Tokyo is 2,194 km².

2. Delhi

India is one of the first countries to come to mind when we think of populated countries. That assumption is correct. Delhi is the second most populated city in the world. The population of Delhi in 2021 is 31,181,376 and in 2020 was 30,290,936. Their population has grown by 2.94%. The area of Delhi is 1,484 km².

3. Shanghai

Shanghai takes the third position on our list with a population of 27,795,702 in 2021. Shanghai is located in China and its area is 6,340 km². Shanghai is way bigger than the previous two cities. Shanghai isn’t as densely populated as the previous two cities.

4. Sao Paulo

Sau Paulo is a city in Brazil that has the fourth highest population in the world. San Paulo’s population is 22,237,472 in 2021 and 22,043,028 in 2020. The population has risen by only 0.88% from the previous year. The area of Sao Paulo is 1,521 km².

5. Mexico City

Mexico City is the largest city in Mexico. It is also the capital of Mexico and the fifth-highest populated city in the world. The area of Mexico City is only 1,485 km². The population of Mexico City is 21,918,936 in 2021.

6. Dhaka

The sixth highest populated city is also from Asia. Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh. Dhaka is home to 21,741,090 people as of 2021. The population of Dhaka was 21,005,860 in 2020. The population has risen by 3.5% from 2020. The land area of Dhaka is only 306.4 km². Dhaka is one of the most densely populated cities in the world as 70,956 people live per square kilometer.

7. Cairo

Cairo is the capital and largest city of Egypt. It is the seventh most populated city in the world. The population of Cairo is 21,322,750 in 2021 and 20,900,604 in 2020. The population of Cairo has grown by 2.02% from last year. The land area of Cairo is 3,085 km².

8. Beijing

China is back on the list with its capital being the eighth-most populated city in the world. Beijing has a population of 20,896,820 in 2021 and 20,462,610 in 2020. Beijing’s population has grown by 2.12% and its area is 16,411 km². It is a big city in both land area and population. Beijing has the least population density among all the cities we have discussed so far.

9. Mumbai

Mumbai is located in India and it is the ninth most populated city in the world. It is also one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Mumbai’s population is 20,667,656 in 2021 and 20,411,274 in 2020. The area of Mumbai is just 603.4 km².

10. Osaka

Osaka holds the tenth position on our list. Osaka is a Japanese city with a population of 19,110,616 in 2021 and 19,165,340 in 2020. The population of Osaka has dropped by 0.29%. There has been a population drop for both the Japanese cities on the list so far. Osaka has an area of 223 km² and it is one of the major financial cities of Japan.

11. Karachi

Karachi is the most populated city in Pakistan. It takes the 11th position in our list with a population of 16,459,472 in 2021. Karachi’s population was 16,093,786 in 2020 and it has risen by 2.27% in 2021. The area of Karachi is 3,780 km² and it is one of the main transport hubs of Pakistan.

12. Chongqing

We have another Chinese city holding the twelfth position in our ranking. The population of Chongqing is 16,382,376 in 2021. Chongqing’s population has grown by 3.21% since 2020. Chongqing is one of the largest cities in the world with a massive area of 82,300 km².

13. Istanbul

Istanbul is the most populated city in Turkey. It is home to 15,415,197 residents as of 2021. In 2020, the population of Istanbul was 15,190,336. There has been a population growth of 1.48% in Istanbul. The size of Istanbul is 5,343 km². It is a unique city as it has parts in both Asia and Europe.

14. Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina and it is the fourteenth most populated city in the world. Buenos Aires is a small city that has an area of only 203 km². Despite its small size, it hosts 15,257,673 residents in 2021. The population has risen by 0.69% from 2020 when the population was 15,153,729.

15. Kolkata

Kolkata is a famous city in India. It is the fifteenth-most populous city in the world. Kolkata’s population is 14,974,073 in 2021 and it was 14,850,066 in 2020 with a population growth of 0.84%. Kolkata is a small city with an area of 206.1 km².

16. Kinshasa

Kinshasa is the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is also the largest city of Congo and the sixteenth most populated city in the world. The area of Kinshasa is 9,965 km². The population of Kinshasa is 14,970,460 as of 2021.

17. Lagos

Lagos is the largest city in Nigeria. It is home to 14,862,111 people in 2021. The population has grown by 3.44% from the previous year. The city has an area of 1,171 km² and it is one of the major financial centers of Nigeria.

18. Manila

The eighteenth most populated city in the world in Manila. It is the capital of the Philippines. Manila is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. This small city is only 42.88 km² but it’s home to a massive population of 14,158,573.

19. Tianjin

Tianjin is another Chinese city with a massive population. Tianjin has an area of 11,760 km² and 13,794,450 people live there in 2021. The population has grown by 1.51% since 2020 when it used to be 13,589,078.

20. Guangzhou

The twentieth city on our list is also a Chinese city. The population of Guangzhou is 13,635,397 as of 2021. Guangzhou is a large Chinese city with an area of 7,434 km²