The world's largest cities in 2050
Where the world's megacities are heading: the UN's projections for the biggest cities from 2025 to 2050.
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What the data shows
- In 2025, Jakarta ranks #1 with 41.9M, ahead of Dhaka (36.6M) and Tokyo (33.4M).
- By 2050, on the UN's projections, Dhaka is projected to rank #1 with 52.1M, ahead of Jakarta (51.8M) and Shanghai (34.9M).
- Biggest climber: Karachi, from #11 in 2025 to #5 in 2050.
About this chart
These are the UN's medium projections from World Urbanization Prospects 2025 for the cities that are largest today. Fast-growing South Asian and African cities keep climbing, while East Asian giants level off as their countries' populations age.
Projections are not forecasts carved in stone. They extend recent birth, death and migration trends, so treat the 2050 numbers as a well-informed scenario and say so when you post.
The data
Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 19), projected population of the largest cities, millions, 2025–2050. Retrieved November 3, 2026. Cities as defined by the Degree of Urbanization (contiguous dense areas), so figures differ from city-proper or metro counts.
| Date | 🇧🇩 Dhaka | 🇮🇩 Jakarta | 🇨🇳 Shanghai | 🇮🇳 New Delhi | 🇵🇰 Karachi | 🇪🇬 Cairo | 🇯🇵 Tokyo | 🇨🇳 Guangzhou | 🇵🇭 Manila | 🇮🇳 Kolkata | 🇰🇷 Seoul |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 36.6M | 41.9M | 29.6M | 30.2M | 21.4M | 25.6M | 33.4M | 27.6M | 24.7M | 22.5M | 22.5M |
| 2030 | 40.8M | 44.6M | 31.3M | 31.3M | 23.6M | 27.2M | 33.0M | 28.4M | 25.5M | 23.0M | 22.6M |
| 2035 | 44.4M | 47.0M | 32.6M | 32.2M | 25.9M | 28.7M | 32.5M | 28.9M | 26.2M | 23.5M | 22.6M |
| 2040 | 47.4M | 49.0M | 33.8M | 32.9M | 28.2M | 30.2M | 31.9M | 29.3M | 26.7M | 23.6M | 22.3M |
| 2045 | 49.8M | 50.6M | 34.4M | 33.5M | 30.4M | 31.4M | 31.3M | 29.3M | 27.0M | 23.8M | 21.8M |
| 2050 | 52.1M | 51.8M | 34.9M | 33.9M | 32.6M | 32.4M | 30.7M | 29.2M | 27.1M | 23.8M | 21.2M |
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Frequently asked questions
What will be the largest city in 2050?
By 2050, on the UN's projections, Dhaka ranks #1 with 52.1M, followed by Jakarta (51.8M) and Shanghai (34.9M). Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 19), projected population of the largest cities, millions, 2025–2050.
How reliable are 2050 city projections?
They are the UN's best central estimate, built from national population projections and recent urban growth. Real outcomes depend on migration, policy and economics, so differences of a few million by 2050 are well within normal uncertainty.
Where does this data come from?
UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 19), projected population of the largest cities, millions, 2025–2050. Retrieved November 3, 2026. Cities as defined by the Degree of Urbanization (contiguous dense areas), so figures differ from city-proper or metro counts. You can download the full table as a CSV from this page.
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