Estimated reading time: 1 min
The world’s largest cities by population vary depending on the criteria used—whether considering city proper populations within administrative boundaries or broader metropolitan areas. Below are the top 20 cities based on both definitions:
Top 20 Cities by Population Within Administrative Boundaries:
| Rank | City | Country | Population |
| 1 | Chongqing | China | 32,054,159 |
| 2 | Shanghai | China | 24,870,895 |
| 3 | Beijing | China | 21,893,095 |
| 4 | Chengdu | China | 20,937,757 |
| 5 | Delhi | India | 20,591,874 |
| 6 | Karachi | Pakistan | 20,382,881 |
| 7 | Guangzhou | China | 18,676,605 |
| 8 | Shenzhen | China | 17,494,398 |
| 9 | Istanbul | Turkey | 15,907,951 |
| 10 | Kinshasa | DR Congo | 14,565,700 |
| 11 | Bengaluru | India | 14,254,786 |
| 12 | Tokyo | Japan | 14,047,594 |
| 13 | Tianjin | China | 13,866,009 |
| 14 | Mumbai | India | 13,127,825 |
| 15 | Moscow | Russia | 13,010,112 |
| 16 | Lahore | Pakistan | 13,004,135 |
| 17 | Suzhou | China | 12,748,262 |
| 18 | Zhengzhou | China | 12,600,574 |
| 19 | Wuhan | China | 12,447,718 |
| 20 | Xi’an | China | 12,183,280 |
Note: These figures represent populations within official city limits and may include surrounding rural areas, especially in Chinese cities.
Top 20 Urban Agglomerations by Population:
| Rank | Urban Area | Country | Population |
| 1 | Tokyo-Yokohama | Japan | 37,785,000 |
| 2 | Jakarta | Indonesia | 35,386,000 |
| 3 | Delhi | India | 31,190,000 |
| 4 | Guangzhou-Foshan | China | 27,119,000 |
| 5 | Mumbai | India | 25,189,000 |
| 6 | Manila | Philippines | 24,156,000 |
| 7 | Shanghai | China | 24,042,000 |
| 8 | Seoul-Incheon | South Korea | 23,225,000 |
| 9 | Cairo | Egypt | 22,679,000 |
| 10 | Mexico City | Mexico | 21,905,000 |
| 11 | Kolkata | India | 21,747,000 |
| 12 | São Paulo | Brazil | 21,486,000 |
| 13 | New York | USA | 21,396,000 |
| 14 | Karachi | Pakistan | 20,249,000 |
| 15 | Dhaka | Bangladesh | 19,134,000 |
| 16 | Bangkok | Thailand | 18,884,000 |
| 17 | Beijing | China | 18,883,000 |
| 18 | Moscow | Russia | 17,878,000 |
| 19 | Shenzhen | China | 17,778,000 |
| 20 | Buenos Aires | Argentina | 15,748,000 |
Note: These figures represent continuous urbanized areas, reflecting the population residing in densely developed territories without regard to administrative boundaries.
Tags: world’s largest cities, city populations, urban agglomerations, metropolitan areas, population statistics, global cities, megacities, urbanization trends, demographic data, city rankings
Discover more from HelpZone
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
