Tokyo Third in UN Ranking of Global Megacities at 33.4 Million

Asian Giants

According to the United Nations report Prospects for World Urbanization (2025 edition), the population of the Tokyo metropolitan area is 33.4 million, ranking third worldwide. Osaka ranks twenty-fifth, with a population of 13.0 million, while Nagoya is forty-ninth with 7.1 million.

The world’s largest urban agglomeration is the Indonesian capital Jakarta, whose population is 41.9 million, followed by Dhaka in Bangladesh, at 36.6 million.

Under the United Nations definition, an “urban agglomeration” consists of a major city and its sprawling suburbs, and is not based on administrative boundaries. In the 2005 report, Tokyo was the most highly populated urban agglomeration in the world, with a population of 31.4 million. According to projections for 2050, Tokyo’s population is expected to decline to 30.7 million, with its global ranking falling to seventh.

Among the top 10 urban agglomerations in the 2025 ranking, all are in Asia except for seventh ranked Cairo. There are currently 33 megacities worldwide with populations exceeding 10 million, but the report predicts that this number will increase to 37 by 2050. Cities such as Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Hajipur (India), and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) are expected to surpass the 10-million mark.

Data Sources

• World Urbanization Prospects 2025 from the United Nations.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)