Tokyo is not the most populated city in the world. Report Prospects of world urbanization 2025 The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DAES) study, which provides the United Nations’ official estimates and forecasts of urbanization in the world’s 237 countries and territories – and more than 12,000 urban settlements with 50,000 or more inhabitants – for this year, reveals that Yakarta, the capital of Indonesia, overtakes the capital of Japan, with a population of 42 million.
Tokyo falls to third place on this list, because second place is occupied by the city of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, which has a population of 37 million people, while the Japanese city has a population of 33 million people. This change in classifications is due to the new methodology used by the United Nations, which distinguishes between three main groups of areas studied: cities, towns and rural areas.
This innovation, which is key to the 2025 Review, combines data on the level of urbanization with country-specific definitions. When applied, it allows for better comparison on an international scale between regions with similar demographic and geospatial parameters.
More and more big cities
Of the ten largest megacities (more than ten million people) in the world, none of them – including the three competing cities – are in Asia. Cairo (Egypt) is the only exception. The number of cities of this size increased to 33 in 2025, including 19 in Asia, compared to the number in 1950.
According to UN estimates, by 2050 there will be 37 megacities: more than ten million inhabitants will be surpassed in the cities of Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Dar es Salaam (United Republic of Tanzania), Hajipur (India) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). In the same year, experts indicate that Dhaka, which currently ranks second, will occupy first place in the world in terms of population.
Cities, towns and rural areas
The report predicts the world’s largest urban expansion, with more and more people living in cities, defined as “population centers with a population of at least 50,000 and a density of at least 1,500 people per square kilometer.” In 2025, 45% of the planet’s 8.2 million people live in a city, compared to only 20% in 1950.
In villages – “population groups of at least 5,000 and densities of at least 300 people per square kilometre” – this proportion has declined slightly: from about 40% in 1950 to 36% today. While rural areas, which are less populated than the previous categories, are now home to only about 19% of the world’s population, that is, less than they were in 1950.
Seven countries focus on urban growth
Projections indicate that from now on, the growth of the world’s urban population will be concentrated in seven countries (four of which are in Africa): India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia. Together, these countries are expected to add more than 500 million urban residents in the next 25 years, representing more than half of the projected 986 million increase in the global city population.
Although population growth is noticeable in the majority of cities, some are lagging behind: more than 3,000 cities have seen their population decline in the past 10 years. This decrease, according to the report, is of particular importance in China, which includes more than a third of the affected cities. It highlights more and more information and people around the world who choose to reside in small and medium-sized cities.
The importance of villages
While cities represent the world’s population, the DAES study highlights the importance of cities for sustainable development, because they can serve as links between cities and rural areas, providing basic services and sustaining local economies. In 71 countries from different regions and levels of economic development (Germany, India, Uganda, and the United States, for example), villages are the most common habitat. Rural areas, in turn, are the most popular in 62 countries, especially all European and African countries.
Regarding current affairs, the report points to increasing poverty in rural areas in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as population creep and migration to other parts of the world (many young people are moving to cities and towns in search of education and work opportunities). In order to avoid and reduce gaps between regions, the United Nations recommends strengthening links between urban and rural areas.