Jakarta Becomes the World's Most Populous City, According to New UN Data

"Jakarta has become the world's most populous city, according to the World Urbanization Prospects 2025 released by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). Using an updated and harmonized method for defining urban areas, the report estimates Jakarta's population at nearly 42 million, placing it ahead of Dhaka, which is about 40 million, and Tokyo, 33 million. The revised ranking illustrates how updated measurement criteria and continued demographic growth are reshaping understandings of urban scale in Asia and globally."

"The 2025 edition introduces the Degree of Urbanization, a geospatial approach that applies consistent population and density thresholds to classify cities, towns, and rural areas. This method replaces earlier versions of the report that relied on country-specific definitions, which varied widely. UN DESA notes that the updated criteria produce a more comparable representation of urban areas across regions. Under this method, Tokyo remains one of the world's largest metropolitan regions but has shown a slight population decrease,"

Jakarta’s continuous urban area contains nearly 42 million people, exceeding Dhaka (about 40 million) and Tokyo (33 million) under updated urban definitions. A harmonized Degree of Urbanization geospatial method applies consistent population and density thresholds to classify cities, towns, and rural areas, replacing varied country-specific definitions. Cities now house 45% of the global 8.2 billion population, up from 20% in 1950, and urban residents have more than doubled since mid-century. The number of megacities (10+ million) reached 33 in 2025, mostly in Asia, with projections of 37 by 2050 and continued fast growth in small and medium-sized cities.

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