Top 10 largest cities in the world by population in 2025: According to UN projections, the global population is expected to reach 8.2 billion in 2025, climbing to 9.7 billion by 2050 and peaking at 10.3 billion in the mid-2080s. India, now the world’s most populous country with 1.42 billion people, overtook China in 2023. China follows closely with a population of 1.4 billion in 2025. With urbanisation accelerating, cities are absorbing more people than ever before—one in four people today live in places where population levels are at or near their peak. While India and China dominate the rankings of the largest cities, the world’s most populous city in 2025 is Tokyo, Japan, with 37 million residents. Another Japanese city, Osaka, also makes the top 10 with 18.9 million people. Delhi, with 32.9 million residents, ranks #2, followed by Shanghai at #3 with 29.9 million. Other Asian and Latin American megacities continue to grow: Dhaka (24.6 million), São Paulo (23.9 million), Mexico City (22.8 million), and Karachi (18 million). In contrast, Europe’s urban populations are shrinking. Istanbul, with 16.2 million people, is the continent’s largest city at #15 globally. Moscow ranks #25 with 12.7 million, and Paris sits at #31 with 11.3 million. Top 10 largest cities in the world by population in 2025: Rank City Country 2025 Population Growth Rate 1 Tokyo Japan 37,036,200 -0.21% 2 Delhi India 34,665,600 2.54% 3 Shanghai China 30,482,100 2.06% 4 Dhaka Bangladesh 24,652,900 3.00% 5 Cairo Egypt 23,074,200 1.99% 6 Sao Paulo Brazil 22,990,000 0.80% 7 Mexico City Mexico 22,752,400 1.10% 8 Beijing China 22,596,500 1.84% 9 Mumbai India 22,089,000 1.92% 10 Osaka Japan 18,921,600 -0.24% Source: World Urbanization Prospects - United Nations population estimates and projections of major Urban Agglomerations (accessed via World Population Review) Stay updated with the latest – Click here to read more Top 10 exclusive reports!
