The world’s most populated cities make up the urban metropolitans and the cityscapes of our planet.
Living in one of the world’s most populated cities can be more than challenging.
Find out what it takes to move and survive in the world’s fullest cities.
Contents
- Most Populated Cities in the World
- About the Most Populated Region in the World
- How to Choose the Most Populated Cities to Live In
- How Do I Research the Most Populated Cities to Move to One?
- Is Finding Jobs Difficult in the World’s Most Populated Cities?
- What Social and Cultural Differences Should I Note When Moving to a Populated City?
Most Populated Cities in the World
City | Country | 2023 Population |
---|---|---|
Tokyo | Japan | 37194105 |
Delhi | India | 32941309 |
Shanghai | China | 29210808 |
Dhaka | Bangladesh | 23209616 |
Sao Paulo | Brazil | 22619736 |
Mexico City | Mexico | 22281442 |
Cairo | Egypt | 22183201 |
Beijing | China | 21766214 |
Mumbai | India | 21296517 |
Osaka | Japan | 19013434 |
Chongqing | China | 17340704 |
Karachi | Pakistan | 17236230 |
Kinshasa | DR Congo | 16315534 |
Lagos | Nigeria | 15945912 |
Istanbul | Turkey | 15847768 |
Buenos Aires | Argentina | 15490415 |
Kolkata | India | 15332793 |
Manila | Philippines | 14667089 |
Guangzhou | China | 14284353 |
Tianjin | China | 14238643 |
Lahore | Pakistan | 13979390 |
Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | 13727720 |
Bangalore | India | 13607800 |
Shenzhen | China | 13072633 |
Moscow | Russia | 12680389 |
Chennai | India | 11776147 |
Bogota | Colombia | 11507960 |
Jakarta | Indonesia | 11248839 |
Paris | France | 11208440 |
Lima | Peru | 11204382 |
Bangkok | Thailand | 11069982 |
Hyderabad | India | 10801163 |
Seoul | South Korea | 9988049 |
Nanjing | China | 9698464 |
Chengdu | China | 9653772 |
London | United Kingdom | 9648110 |
Nagoya | Japan | 9569328 |
Tehran | Iran | 9499781 |
Ho Chi Minh City | Vietnam | 9320866 |
Luanda | Angola | 9292336 |
Xi-an Shaanxi | China | 8785174 |
Wuhan | China | 8718250 |
Ahmedabad | India | 8650605 |
Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia | 8621724 |
Hangzhou | China | 8237206 |
Suzhou | China | 8074031 |
Surat | India | 8064949 |
New York City | NY | 7888121 |
Dar es Salaam | Tanzania | 7775865 |
Baghdad | Iraq | 7711305 |
Hong Kong | Hong Kong | 7684801 |
Riyadh | Saudi Arabia | 7682430 |
Shenyang | China | 7680967 |
Foshan | China | 7597386 |
Dongguan | China | 7587049 |
Pune | India | 7166374 |
Santiago | Chile | 6903392 |
Haerbin | China | 6803811 |
Madrid | Spain | 6751374 |
Toronto | Canada | 6371958 |
Khartoum | Sudan | 6344348 |
Belo Horizonte | Brazil | 6247889 |
Johannesburg | South Africa | 6198016 |
Singapore | Singapore | 6080859 |
Dalian | China | 6077995 |
Qingdao | China | 5986525 |
Zhengzhou | China | 5859272 |
Ji-nan Shandong | China | 5806031 |
Barcelona | Spain | 5687356 |
Abidjan | Ivory Coast | 5686350 |
Yangon | Myanmar | 5610241 |
Alexandria | Egypt | 5588477 |
Saint Petersburg | Russia | 5561294 |
Fukuoka | Japan | 5490271 |
Addis Ababa | Ethiopia | 5460591 |
Guadalajara | Mexico | 5419880 |
Ankara | Turkey | 5397098 |
Chittagong | Bangladesh | 5379660 |
Nairobi | Kenya | 5325160 |
Hanoi | Vietnam | 5253385 |
Melbourne | Australia | 5235407 |
Sydney | Australia | 5120894 |
Monterrey | Mexico | 5116647 |
Changsha | China | 4921487 |
Cape Town | South Africa | 4890280 |
Brasilia | Brazil | 4873048 |
Urumqi | China | 4865038 |
Jiddah | Saudi Arabia | 4862941 |
Kunming | China | 4761284 |
Changchun | China | 4710382 |
Hefei | China | 4615758 |
Kabul | Afghanistan | 4588666 |
Shantou | China | 4573713 |
Ningbo | China | 4537901 |
Yaounde | Cameroon | 4509287 |
New Taipei | Taiwan | 4504147 |
Tel Aviv | Israel | 4420855 |
Shijiazhuang | China | 4370473 |
Kano | Nigeria | 4348481 |
Rome | Italy | 4315671 |
Montreal | Canada | 4307958 |
Recife | Brazil | 4263940 |
Porto Alegre | Brazil | 4211933 |
Jaipur | India | 4207084 |
Fortaleza | Brazil | 4206240 |
Nanning | China | 4191890 |
Taiyuan Shanxi | China | 4145010 |
Ekurhuleni | South Africa | 4118327 |
Medellin | Colombia | 4102308 |
Kozhikode | India | 4088555 |
Douala | Cameroon | 4063200 |
Malappuram | India | 4009087 |
Changzhou | China | 3981658 |
Salvador | Brazil | 3958384 |
Lucknow | India | 3945409 |
Xiamen | China | 3935484 |
Fuzhou Fujian | China | 3922202 |
Nanchang | China | 3920379 |
Wenzhou | China | 3919724 |
Casablanca | Morocco | 3892837 |
Ibadan | Nigeria | 3874908 |
Antananarivo | Madagascar | 3872264 |
Kampala | Uganda | 3846102 |
Abuja | Nigeria | 3839646 |
Tangshan Hebei | China | 3814702 |
Curitiba | Brazil | 3813082 |
Los Angeles | CA | 3769485 |
Kumasi | Ghana | 3768239 |
Bekasi | Indonesia | 3729351 |
Faisalabad | Pakistan | 3710845 |
Guiyang | China | 3580904 |
Berlin | Germany | 3573938 |
Santo Domingo | Dominican Republic | 3523890 |
Asuncion | Paraguay | 3510511 |
Thrissur | India | 3482456 |
Port Harcourt | Nigeria | 3480101 |
Busan | South Korea | 3471949 |
Wuxi | China | 3437346 |
Dakar | Senegal | 3429536 |
Campinas | Brazil | 3422796 |
Kochi | India | 3406055 |
Mashhad | Iran | 3367852 |
Puebla | Mexico | 3344761 |
Indore | India | 3302077 |
Kuwait City | Kuwait | 3297759 |
Lanzhou | China | 3297528 |
Sanaa | Yemen | 3292497 |
Kanpur | India | 3234160 |
Durban | South Africa | 3228003 |
Ouagadougou | Burkina Faso | 3203923 |
Lusaka | Zambia | 3181250 |
Pyongyang | North Korea | 3157538 |
Milan | Italy | 3154570 |
Athens | Greece | 3154463 |
Guayaquil | Ecuador | 3142466 |
Guatemala City | Guatemala | 3095099 |
Izmir | Turkey | 3088414 |
Nagpur | India | 3046687 |
Surabaya | Indonesia | 3044413 |
Depok | Indonesia | 3041229 |
Kiev | Ukraine | 3016789 |
Zhongshan | China | 3010685 |
Coimbatore | India | 3009047 |
Dubai | United Arab Emirates | 3007583 |
Handan | China | 3005409 |
Lisbon | Portugal | 3000536 |
Port-au-Prince | Haiti | 2987455 |
Huaian | China | 2979893 |
Caracas | Venezuela | 2972145 |
Shizuoka | Japan | 2937359 |
Bamako | Mali | 2929373 |
Weifang | China | 2917819 |
Algiers | Algeria | 2901810 |
Mbuji-Mayi | DR Congo | 2891746 |
Thiruvananthapuram | India | 2891119 |
Cali | Colombia | 2863730 |
Incheon | South Korea | 2848557 |
Goiania | Brazil | 2848473 |
Pretoria | South Africa | 2818100 |
Lubumbashi | DR Congo | 2811959 |
Shaoxing | China | 2805654 |
Manchester | United Kingdom | 2791005 |
Zibo | China | 2780142 |
Yantai | China | 2764584 |
Huizhou | China | 2758593 |
Taipei | Taiwan | 2754196 |
Bandung | Indonesia | 2674000 |
Sapporo | Japan | 2666112 |
Birmingham | United Kingdom | 2665100 |
Accra | Ghana | 2660072 |
Vancouver | Canada | 2657088 |
Brazzaville | Republic of the Congo | 2637733 |
Toluca de Lerdo | Mexico | 2626368 |
Mogadishu | Somalia | 2610483 |
Chicago | IL | 2608425 |
Tashkent | Uzbekistan | 2603243 |
Luoyang | China | 2602793 |
Damascus | Syria | 2584771 |
Patna | India | 2579762 |
Bhopal | India | 2564502 |
Tangerang | Indonesia | 2514077 |
Brisbane | Australia | 2504505 |
Nantong | China | 2492230 |
Tunis | Tunisia | 2475446 |
San Juan | Puerto Rico | 2439564 |
Medan | Indonesia | 2439054 |
Baku | Azerbaijan | 2432304 |
Beirut | Lebanon | 2421354 |
Gujranwala | Pakistan | 2415416 |
Peshawar | Pakistan | 2411785 |
Belem | Brazil | 2409409 |
Hohhot | China | 2380636 |
Rawalpindi | Pakistan | 2377325 |
Manaus | Brazil | 2375636 |
Maracaibo | Venezuela | 2367626 |
Agra | India | 2367554 |
Barranquilla | Colombia | 2349400 |
Kannur | India | 2346137 |
Liuzhou | China | 2343452 |
Sendai | Japan | 2342302 |
Baotou | China | 2334878 |
Visakhapatnam | India | 2330928 |
Vadodara | India | 2324084 |
Taoyuan | Taiwan | 2318850 |
Xuzhou | China | 2287166 |
Phnom Penh | Cambodia | 2281198 |
Houston | TX | 2264876 |
Tijuana | Mexico | 2259787 |
Esfahan | Iran | 2258396 |
Nashik | India | 2237369 |
Amman | Jordan | 2232240 |
Vijayawada | India | 2229765 |
Aleppo | Syria | 2203025 |
Daegu | South Korea | 2180997 |
Naples | Italy | 2179384 |
Putian | China | 2176022 |
Grande Vitoria | Brazil | 2170513 |
Multan | Pakistan | 2154600 |
Mecca | Saudi Arabia | 2149928 |
Havana | Cuba | 2148930 |
Yangzhou | China | 2131291 |
Wuhu Anhui | China | 2124797 |
Brussels | Belgium | 2121992 |
Perth | Australia | 2117997 |
Conakry | Guinea | 2110937 |
Baoding | China | 2107539 |
Kollam | India | 2106606 |
Taizhou Zhejiang | China | 2102143 |
Bursa | Turkey | 2086324 |
Linyi Shandong | China | 2076364 |
Hiroshima | Japan | 2067591 |
Minsk | Belarus | 2057257 |
Rajkot | India | 2043107 |
Haikou | China | 2016092 |
Daqing | China | 2000656 |
Yancheng Jiangsu | China | 1993463 |
Almaty | Kazakhstan | 1987301 |
Lianyungang | China | 1986439 |
Valencia | Venezuela | 1983445 |
Lome | Togo | 1981615 |
Panama City | Panama | 1976866 |
Semarang | Indonesia | 1975306 |
Vienna | Austria | 1975271 |
Hyderabad | Pakistan | 1967684 |
Rabat | Morocco | 1959388 |
Quito | Ecuador | 1956995 |
Ludhiana | India | 1951085 |
Davao City | Philippines | 1949400 |
Baixada Santista | Brazil | 1947785 |
La Paz | Bolivia | 1935619 |
West Yorkshire | United Kingdom | 1928661 |
Benin City | Nigeria | 1904631 |
Leon de los Aldamas | Mexico | 1898749 |
Zhuhai | China | 1889829 |
Datong | China | 1873693 |
Quanzhou | China | 1869994 |
Can Tho | Vietnam | 1865172 |
Matola | Mozambique | 1852405 |
Adana | Turkey | 1835895 |
Madurai | India | 1834279 |
Sharjah | United Arab Emirates | 1830858 |
Santa Cruz | Bolivia | 1820114 |
Palembang | Indonesia | 1818421 |
Raipur | India | 1816813 |
Gaziantep | Turkey | 1804704 |
Turin | Italy | 1801944 |
Meerut | India | 1797805 |
Warsaw | Poland | 1797516 |
Mosul | Iraq | 1792020 |
Cixi | China | 1788871 |
Hamburg | Germany | 1787520 |
La Laguna | Mexico | 1780592 |
Budapest | Hungary | 1778052 |
Bucharest | Romania | 1776385 |
Montevideo | Uruguay | 1774396 |
Jiangmen | China | 1768511 |
Lyon | France | 1761188 |
Varanasi | India | 1754425 |
Batam | Indonesia | 1748142 |
Xiangyang | China | 1742706 |
Shiraz | Iran | 1720954 |
Yinchuan | China | 1716591 |
Yichang | China | 1711244 |
Stockholm | Sweden | 1700066 |
Srinagar | India | 1698277 |
Glasgow | United Kingdom | 1698088 |
Jamshedpur | India | 1695060 |
Novosibirsk | Russia | 1694765 |
Anshan | China | 1689499 |
Aurangabad | India | 1683389 |
Qinhuangdao | China | 1680962 |
Monrovia | Liberia | 1678020 |
Tiruppur | India | 1677173 |
Auckland | New Zealand | 1673220 |
Makassar | Indonesia | 1673094 |
Ulaanbaatar | Mongolia | 1672627 |
Jilin | China | 1668785 |
Xining | China | 1666605 |
Suqian | China | 1664968 |
Kananga | DR Congo | 1664442 |
Hengyang | China | 1661854 |
Tabriz | Iran | 1660737 |
Phoenix | AZ | 1651344 |
Muscat | Oman | 1650319 |
Anyang | China | 1642347 |
Calgary | Canada | 1639613 |
Qiqihaer | China | 1635458 |
Marseille | France | 1627549 |
Onitsha | Nigeria | 1623382 |
Cordoba | Argentina | 1611651 |
Rosario | Argentina | 1594096 |
Karaj | Iran | 1593608 |
N-Djamena | Chad | 1592324 |
Jodhpur | India | 1586547 |
Ciudad Juarez | Mexico | 1582313 |
Harare | Zimbabwe | 1578128 |
Daejon | South Korea | 1577436 |
Munich | Germany | 1576416 |
Medina | Saudi Arabia | 1572571 |
Kathmandu | Nepal | 1571010 |
Jining Shandong | China | 1569560 |
Tegucigalpa | Honduras | 1568025 |
Abu Dhabi | United Arab Emirates | 1566999 |
Gaoxiong | Taiwan | 1552899 |
Ranchi | India | 1547258 |
Edmonton | Canada | 1544448 |
Zhangjiakou | China | 1536171 |
Natal | Brazil | 1535316 |
Mandalay | Myanmar | 1531860 |
Gwangju | South Korea | 1529472 |
Philadelphia | PA | 1527886 |
Yekaterinburg | Russia | 1527728 |
Grande Sao Luis | Brazil | 1523629 |
Jabalpur | India | 1522121 |
Kota | India | 1516795 |
Huainan | China | 1512668 |
Asansol | India | 1505033 |
Chaozhou | China | 1496298 |
Nouakchott | Mauritania | 1491958 |
Yiwu | China | 1483320 |
San Antonio | TX | 1479493 |
Gwalior | India | 1475016 |
Allahabad | India | 1465152 |
San Jose | Costa Rica | 1461989 |
Ganzhou | China | 1459678 |
Chon Buri | Thailand | 1454222 |
Amritsar | India | 1451748 |
Basra | Iraq | 1448124 |
Taizhou Jiangsu | China | 1446810 |
Homs | Syria | 1443429 |
Mombasa | Kenya | 1440396 |
Niamey | Niger | 1437233 |
Ottawa | Canada | 1437188 |
Zurich | Switzerland | 1431538 |
Weihai | China | 1429315 |
Jiaxing | China | 1424982 |
Kisangani | DR Congo | 1423395 |
Hai Phong | Vietnam | 1422974 |
Joao Pessoa | Brazil | 1421827 |
Kharkiv | Ukraine | 1421052 |
Taian Shandong | China | 1416064 |
Queretaro | Mexico | 1413474 |
Belgrade | Serbia | 1408144 |
Konya | Turkey | 1407632 |
Cochabamba | Bolivia | 1400250 |
Kaifeng | China | 1398262 |
Rizhao | China | 1391258 |
Dhanbad | India | 1389776 |
Bucaramanga | Colombia | 1381498 |
Copenhagen | Denmark | 1381005 |
Dongying | China | 1379377 |
Liuan | China | 1378077 |
Nanchong | China | 1377572 |
Zunyi | China | 1376453 |
San Diego | CA | 1374076 |
Liuyang | China | 1373523 |
Zhanjiang | China | 1371998 |
Taizhong | Taiwan | 1369066 |
Adelaide | Australia | 1366783 |
Suweon | South Korea | 1365352 |
Maceio | Brazil | 1363510 |
Samut Prakan | Thailand | 1358871 |
Qom | Iran | 1354174 |
Shiyan | China | 1354025 |
Mianyang Sichuan | China | 1351383 |
Bareilly | India | 1348664 |
Joinville | Brazil | 1348521 |
Antalya | Turkey | 1347240 |
Helsinki | Finland | 1337786 |
Pointe-Noire | Republic of the Congo | 1336387 |
Ad-Dammam | Saudi Arabia | 1329291 |
Uyo | Nigeria | 1329284 |
Porto | Portugal | 1324652 |
Prague | Czech Republic | 1323339 |
Yingkou | China | 1323174 |
Tengzhou | China | 1322916 |
Tanger | Morocco | 1314178 |
Aligarh | India | 1312369 |
Mwanza | Tanzania | 1310754 |
Suzhou | China | 1310433 |
Freetown | Sierra Leone | 1309168 |
Fushun Liaoning | China | 1304565 |
Maoming | China | 1303900 |
Pekan Baru | Indonesia | 1303355 |
Moradabad | India | 1301740 |
Port Elizabeth | South Africa | 1295928 |
Florianopolis | Brazil | 1294486 |
Ahvaz | Iran | 1293619 |
Kazan | Russia | 1291884 |
Astana | Kazakhstan | 1291280 |
Fes | Morocco | 1290039 |
Mysore | India | 1288245 |
Sofia | Bulgaria | 1288114 |
Jieyang | China | 1282479 |
Ruian | China | 1281790 |
Lilongwe | Malawi | 1276316 |
San Luis Potosi | Mexico | 1273325 |
Dublin | Ireland | 1270172 |
Durg-Bhilainagar | India | 1266034 |
Baoji | China | 1261077 |
Dallas | TX | 1259404 |
Jinhua | China | 1257941 |
Bhubaneswar | India | 1257642 |
Pingdingshan Henan | China | 1256581 |
Zhuzhou | China | 1254519 |
Barquisimeto | Venezuela | 1254192 |
Puning | China | 1254160 |
Abomey-Calavi | Benin | 1252890 |
Chifeng | China | 1252414 |
Nizhniy Novgorod | Russia | 1251332 |
Zhenjiang Jiangsu | China | 1250668 |
Bukavu | DR Congo | 1248783 |
Kigali | Rwanda | 1247551 |
Maracay | Venezuela | 1242945 |
Chelyabinsk | Russia | 1240926 |
Nnewi | Nigeria | 1239186 |
Huaibei | China | 1236271 |
Islamabad | Pakistan | 1232447 |
Bogor | Indonesia | 1231445 |
Liupanshui | China | 1230644 |
Mendoza | Argentina | 1226427 |
Nanyang Henan | China | 1224629 |
Xiangtan Hunan | China | 1223912 |
Tiruchirappalli | India | 1221960 |
Da Nang | Vietnam | 1220634 |
Merida | Mexico | 1220603 |
Benxi | China | 1216852 |
Jinzhou | China | 1215376 |
Chandigarh | India | 1214775 |
Tasikmalaya | Indonesia | 1213778 |
Chiang Mai | Thailand | 1213348 |
Pizhou | China | 1207275 |
Bujumbura | Burundi | 1206767 |
Binzhou | China | 1200222 |
Luohe | China | 1197935 |
Guilin | China | 1196841 |
Quetta | Pakistan | 1190348 |
Aba | Nigeria | 1188803 |
Kaduna | Nigeria | 1187398 |
Tripoli | Libya | 1183292 |
Xiongan | China | 1183042 |
Hubli-Dharwad | India | 1181194 |
Omsk | Russia | 1180745 |
Mexicali | Mexico | 1178477 |
Guwahati | India | 1176330 |
Bazhong | China | 1175989 |
Haifa | Israel | 1174429 |
Amsterdam | Netherlands | 1174025 |
Saharanpur | India | 1171689 |
Salem | India | 1169953 |
Yueqing | China | 1169864 |
Krasnoyarsk | Russia | 1166792 |
Maputo | Mozambique | 1162793 |
Bandar Lampung | Indonesia | 1162242 |
Aguascalientes | Mexico | 1161448 |
Samara | Russia | 1155732 |
Shimkent | Kazakhstan | 1155073 |
Ufa | Russia | 1144799 |
Cologne | Germany | 1143715 |
Xinxiang | China | 1140599 |
About the Most Populated Region in the World
Asia is the most populated region of the world.
Here is where the largest conglomerate of the most populated cities are united.
However, Asia is far more than Japan and the most populated city is Tokyo.
While Tokyo has been the most populated city for years now, Japan is on an island.
This makes for a unique situation.
How can a city that is located on an island locked by water continue to grow to the level of more than 37 million residents?
Land size matters and Tokyo has more than 5,200 square miles of space.
Compare this to New York City and more than 300 square miles of property.
While NYC has 7.8 million people, and is the most populated city in the USA, this is way below the population of Tokyo.
Other Asian countries represented at the top of the 500 most populated cities in the world include:
Living in any of these countries guarantees you will reside near one of the most populated cities in the world.
So how do you go about living in one of the most populated cities on the planet?
Here are some tips on how to choose and move to one of those cities with the densest housing and the highest percentage of people per square inch.
How to Choose the Most Populated Cities to Live In
If you are interested in moving to one of the world’s busiest and fullest cities, prepare in advance with planning and research.
Read and watch videos about the culture and lifestyles of people who permanently reside in the cities you are interested in.
Eat the local cuisine and try to speak their language.
Practicing living as someone living in the city where you want to move can be an eye-opener and game changer.
How Do I Research the Most Populated Cities to Move to One?
Along with learning about flavors and sounds, you also need to adjust to their financial picture.
How much money do the locals earn, and what are the majority of jobs in that city?
Does everyone have enough income or are there poverty issues?
Do you have enough money coming in now with your job and career, or will you have to find a new occupation if you move there?
Is Finding Jobs Difficult in the World’s Most Populated Cities?
These are important questions to ask when moving to any city.
However, if you are going to live in a city that is filled to the max with more than 10 million people, adjustments are in order.
You will not have as much landscape to share or jobs to go around.
Finding a good-paying position will take more work.
You will most likely need to start at the bottom of the slots for housing, work positions, and parking spaces.
If you are already living on Cloud Nine in your current lifestyle, this adjustment to having to start over socially in a new city and culture can be quite shocking.
Here are some other differences when moving to one of the world’s most populated cities:
- Electrical outlets and plug-ins vary from the US to Europe.
- Phone plans and wireless internet services on handheld devices do not have service in other countries and cities.
- Basic language skills are essential when traveling and working in a major city with a primary language other than your own.
- A cultural understanding of their foreign customs will go a long way in improving your social standing when moving to the big city.
- Worry about drinking plain water from the tap, and go for bottled beverages when possible.
Also, try living in the largest and most populated city in your own country before moving to a country and city outside your homeland.
This will improve your odds of surviving and thriving in the new location.