The 20 most populated cities in the world

Two thousand years ago, there were a mere 170 million people living on Earth. The human race has been on an upward trajectory ever since – logging in at 7.96 billion people in 2022 and projected to reach 10 billion by the 22nd century.

Our burgeoning population presents many challenges, according to the United Nations, especially as countries look to hit sustainability goals by 2030. Basically, the more humans there are on Earth, the more resources such as food, water, and the land we need, the more resources we take away from other species, and the more waste we generate.

There is some good news. Population increases are slowing down and in some countries, and elsewhere, some populations are shrinking. Still, there are other places that are virtually bursting at the seams. We’re looking at the 20 most populous metropolitan areas on the planet.

Current population: 13,634,075 people

Almost 5400 people per square kilometre are packed into this urban area on Brazil’s coast. It’s one of the most popular travel destinations in South America, and yet over 20 per cent of its residents live in impoverished conditions in almost 800 favelas, or so-called ‘substandard’ districts around town. On the plus side, though, population growth is slowing.

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Current population: 14,012,000 people

The population of this 12,000-square-kilometre port city in Northeastern China expanded by a whopping 188 per cent between the years of 1953 and 1982. Luckily, growth has slowed considerably since then – it expanded a mere 1.4 per cent between 2019 and 2020 – but it’s showing no signs of levelling off or even decreasing. Manufacturing is the largest industry in the city and accounts for its speedy and consistent growth.

Current population: 14,406,059 people

Although growth in the urban population of Manila has actually slowed down over the years as the surrounding suburbs have seen an uptick in residents, that doesn’t mean the city is getting any less crowded. In fact, Manila is the world’s most densely populated city with 42,857 people per square kilometre. Plus, with many poor migrants moving into Manila from rural areas, Manila’s projected increasing growth rates are certain to put further strains on resources.

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Current population: 15,628,000 people

The capital city is growing quickly, with a 4.4 per cent growth 2021. The 15.6 million number is even more incredible when you consider that in 1950, the population of this city was a mere 201,905 people. Kinshasa’s population may seem enormous, but it’s nothing compared to the population of the entire world.

Current population: 15,388,000 people

This port city – and the largest city in Africa – originated on the islands of the protected Lagos Lagoon, but has since expanded some 50-plus kilometres inland and now encompasses about 452 square kilometres. Its diverse population is represented by about 250 groups, many of which have emigrated both from the Nigerian countryside and from surrounding countries. The vast majority of residents – 66 per cent – live in slum conditions.

Current population: 15,134,000 people

India (1.42 billion) and China (1.45 billion) are the two most populous countries in the world, so it should come as no surprise that Indian and Chinese cities rank as some of the most crowded. Kolkata, a.k.a. Calcutta, a former East Indian Company trading post, as well as the headquarters of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity, is the third most inhabited metropolitan area in India – a trend that is slowing but, thanks to the increasing popularity of its suburbs, shows no signs of reversing any time soon.

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Current population: 15,370,000 people

Although the capital city of Argentina has only 3 million people living within its urban core, its wider, 2681-square-kilometre region is home to the second largest population in South America. Although the suburbs of the greater metropolitan region have burgeoned over the last 70 years, the city centre has remained pretty constant, size-wise; its stagnant economy has meant that folks are more prone to move out of town than into it. The best cities that people move to usually have a strong economy, but the people living there actually define a city.

Current population: 15,636,00 people

Istanbul, formerly Constantinople, ranks as the most populated city in all of Europe, although technically, half of the city lies in Asia. The city’s residents doubled their population in the 1980s when the parameters of its borders greatly expanded.

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Current population: 16,875,000 people

Like many other cities in Asia, Chongqing has seen a big population spike – a hefty 3.0 percent since 2021. In fact, Chongqing is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world and, as World Population Review points out, that’s not fixing to change anytime soon. The city has another problem in addition to its rapid expansion: its workforce is shrinking while its population ages – an odd and sobering fact to consider in conjunction with the total population of the Chongqing municipality, which currently stands at a staggering 33 million people.