![[Updated] Top 10 Largest Cities in the World By Population 2024](https://truongmamnontrucviet.edu.vn/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Updated-Top-10-Largest-Cities-in-the-World-By-Population-1024x576.jpg)
As of 2024, Japan’s capital Tokyo is the most populous city in the world with more than 37 million people. New Delhi of India and Shanghai of China took the 2nd and 3rd positions.
The global population has surpassed 8 billion people and continues to grow rapidly. This increase is reflected in the significant population growth observed in cities worldwide. The two main drivers of this trend are globalization and urbanization, leading to increasingly crowded urban areas and the emergence of megacities with populations of up to tens of millions of people.
Below is a list of the 10 most populous cities as of 2024, highlighting ongoing urban growth and its impact on global demographics.
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The 10 largest cities by population
As expected, the three largest cities by population belong to the three most populous countries in the world. Japan, India and China. Here they are:
| Ranking | City | Nation | Population in 2024 | Population in 2023 | Growth rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tokyo | Japan | 37,115,035 | 37.194.105 | -0.21% |
| 2 | Delhi | India | 33,807,403 | 32,941,309 | 2.63% |
| 3 | Shanghai | China | 29,867,918 | 29,210,808 | 2.25% |
| 4 | Dhaka | Bangladesh | 23,935,652 | 23,209,616 | 3.13% |
| 5 | Sao Paulo | Brazil | 22,806,704 | 22,619,736 | 0.83% |
| 6 | Cairo | Egypt | 22,623,874 | 22,183,201 | 1.99% |
| 7 | Mexico City | Mexico | 22,505,315 | 22,281,442 | 1% |
| 8 | Beijing | China | 22,189,082 | 21,766,214 | 1.94% |
| 9 | Mumbai | India | 21,673,149 | 21,296,517 | 1.77% |
| 10 | Osaka | Japan | 18,967,459 | 19,013,434 | -0.24% |
With a population of slightly more than 1.4 billion, China remains the second-largest country globally, although the population begins to decline in 2023. China’s two major cities are Beijing and Shanghai has a population of 22.2 million and 29.9 million respectively. .
Similarly, Mumbai, India’s financial center, has a population of 21.7 million, while the capital Delhi is home to 33.8 million people. However, the most populous city is Tokyo, Japan, with a population of 37.1 million in the metropolitan area. Another major Japanese city, Osaka, has a population of 19 million people.
World’s largest cities by population in 2024
According to worldpopulationreview.com, these are the largest cities by population in the world. Take a look:
| Ranking | City | Nation | Population in 2024 | Population in 2023 | Growth rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tokyo | Japan | 37,115,035 | 37.194.105 | -0.21% |
| 2 | Delhi | India | 33,807,403 | 32,941,309 | 2.63% |
| 3 | Shanghai | China | 29,867,918 | 29,210,808 | 2.25% |
| 4 | Dhaka | Bangladesh | 23,935,652 | 23,209,616 | 3.13% |
| 5 | Sao Paulo | Brazil | 22,806,704 | 22,619,736 | 0.83% |
| 6 | Cairo | Egypt | 22,623,874 | 22,183,201 | 1.99% |
| 7 | Mexico City | Mexico | 22,505,315 | 22,281,442 | 1% |
| 8 | Beijing | China | 22,189,082 | 21,766,214 | 1.94% |
| 9 | Mumbai | India | 21,673,149 | 21,296,517 | 1.77% |
| 10 | Osaka | Japan | 18,967,459 | 19,013,434 | -0.24% |
| 11 | Chongqing | China | 17,773,923 | 17,340,704 | 2.5% |
| 12 | Karachi | Pakistan | 17,648,555 | 17,236,230 | 2.39% |
| 13 | Kinshasa | DR Congo | 17,032,322 | 16,315,534 | 4.39% |
| 14 | Lagos | Nigeria | 16,536,018 | 15,945,912 | 3.7% |
| 15 | Istanbul | Türkiye | 16,047,350 | 15,847,768 | 1.26% |
| 16 | Buenos Aires | Argentina | 15,618,288 | 15,490,415 | 0.83% |
| 17 | Kolkata | India | 15,570,786 | 15,332,793 | 1.55% |
| 18 | Manila | Philippines | 14,941,953 | 14,667,089 | 1.87% |
| 19 | Guangzhou | China | 14,590,096 | 14,284,353 | 2.14% |
| 20 | Tianjin | China | 14,470,873 | 14,238,643 | 1.63% |
| 21 | Lahore | Pakistan | 14,407,074 | 13,979,390 | 3.06% |
| 22 | Bangalore | India | 14,008,262 | 13,607,800 | 2.94% |
| 23 | Rio De Janeiro | Brazil | 13,824,347 | 13,727,720 | 0.7% |
| 24 | Shenzhen | China | 13,311,855 | 13,072,633 | 1.83% |
| 25 | Moscow | Russia | 12,712,305 | 12,680,389 | 0.25% |
| 26 | Chennai | India | 12,053,697 | 11,776,147 | 2.36% |
| 27 | Bogota | Colombia | 11,658,211 | 11,507,960 | 1.31% |
| 28 | Jakarta | Indonesia | 11,436,004 | 11,248,839 | 1.66% |
| 29 | Lima | Peru | 11,361,938 | 11,204,382 | 1.41% |
| 30 | Paris | France | 11,276,701 | 11,208,440 | 0.61% |
The most populous city in the world is Tokyo, Japan, which has about 37 million people. Japan is the 12th most populous country in the world. In second place is New Delhi, the capital of the world’s most populous country, India. China’s Shanghai ranked third.
The strain on infrastructure, resources and services in these megacities is becoming more and more pronounced, posing challenges for city planners and policymakers. As urban living trends continue, finding sustainable solutions to accommodate this growth will be critical for the future of these cities.
The figures mentioned above provide insight into the changing demographics of the global population.
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