Tokyo has lost its long-held title as the world’s most populous megacity and now ranks third. Jakarta has taken the lead. This is reported by Sky News with reference to a new United Nations report, UNN reports.
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Jakarta in Indonesia has taken the top spot and is projected to retain it until 2050, when Dhaka’s growth is expected to lead the Bangladeshi capital to top the ranking.
A new United Nations report shows that the number of megacities – cities with a population of 10 million or more – has quadrupled from eight in 1975 to 33 in 2025, and they are predominantly located in Asia.
The report, which uses UN estimates and updates the organization’s 2018 data, highlights the dramatic rise of urban life, a relatively new phenomenon.
As recently as 1950, city life was very unusual – only 20% of the world’s population lived in one.
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Tokyo, which for decades held the title of the world’s most populous city, has seen its population gradually increase over the past 25 years.
Although 33.4 million people call the Japanese capital home, it has been surpassed by Jakarta and Dhaka.
Since 2000, the populations of these two cities have grown more than five and seven times faster than Tokyo’s population, respectively.
Today, Jakarta’s population is almost 42 million, followed by Dhaka with almost 37 million.
By 2050, Dhaka’s population is projected to reach 52.1 million, surpassing Jakarta in first place by only 300,000.
Tokyo will continue to fall in the ranking to seventh position by 2050, overtaken by cities such as Shanghai and New Delhi.
London will remain one of Europe’s few megacities
Although the number of megacities is expected to increase from 33 to 37 by 2050, none of the new ones will be in Europe.
London, Istanbul and Moscow will remain the continent’s only megacities.
According to the UN, London’s population will grow by almost 1.5 million by 2050, meaning it will retain its title as the world’s 33rd largest city.
The English capital will remain the smallest of Europe’s megacities, with Istanbul retaining its leading position and Moscow taking second place.
AloJapan.com