World's Five Largest Cities by Population (2024 Estimates)
Based on UN World Urbanization Prospects (2024 revision) and national statistics bureau data for metropolitan/urban agglomeration areas:
| Rank | City | Country | Metro Population |
|---|
| 1 | Tokyo | Japan | 37,435,191 |
| 2 | Delhi | India | 28,514,188 |
| 3 | Shanghai | China | 26,320,000 |
| 4 | Beijing | China | 21,542,000 |
| 5 | Shenzhen | China | 17,560,000 |
Notes on Measurement
- Definition matters: "City proper" (administrative) vs. "urban agglomeration" (continuous built-up) vs. "metropolitan area" (economic integration). Figures above are metropolitan/urban agglomeration.
- Tokyo includes Yokohama, Kawasaki, Saitama, Chiba — world's largest megacity region
- Delhi includes Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida, Ghaziabad (NCR)
- Chinese cities often report "prefecture-level city" populations (vast administrative areas including rural land)
- Next tier (6–10): Mexico City (~22M), São Paulo (~22M), Mumbai (~21M), Cairo (~21M), Dhaka (~20M)
Trends
- African cities growing fastest: Kinshasa, Lagos, Luanda, Dar es Salaam projected to enter top 10 by 2035
- Chinese urbanization slowing; Indian accelerating
- Tokyo projected to peak ~2030 then decline (aging)
All figures are estimates; national census dates and methodologies vary.
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