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Jakarta Claims Top Spot as Tokyo Falls to Third in Global Megacity Rankings
27 Nov, 2025
Tokyo has lost its long-standing position as the world’s most populous megacity, now ranking third, according to a new report from the United Nations.
Jakarta, Indonesia, has claimed the top spot and is projected to maintain it until 2050, when the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, is expected to surpass it. The UN report highlights that the number of megacities, defined as cities with populations exceeding 10 million, has quadrupled over the past 50 years, rising from eight in 1975 to 33 in 2025, with the majority located in Asia.
The report, an update of the UN’s 2018 data, underscores the dramatic growth in urban living, a relatively recent global phenomenon. As recently as 1950, only 20% of the world’s population lived in cities, making urban life far less common.
Tokyo, which held the world’s most populous city title for decades, has experienced gradual population growth over the last 25 years. The city currently has 33.4 million residents. However, its growth rate has been outpaced by Jakarta and Dhaka, which have expanded more than five and seven times faster than Tokyo since 2000, respectively.
Presently, Jakarta’s population stands at nearly 42 million, followed by Dhaka with approximately 37 million inhabitants. By 2050, Dhaka’s population is projected to reach 52.1 million, narrowly surpassing Jakarta by around 300,000. Tokyo, meanwhile, is expected to fall to seventh position by mid-century, overtaken by rapidly growing cities such as Shanghai and New Delhi.
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