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South America's largest cities, 1975 to 2050

São Paulo is South America's largest city at about 18.95 million in 2025; Bogotá (10.62 million) edges out Lima (10.58 million) for third.

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What the data shows

  • In 2025, São Paulo ranks #1 with 18.9M, ahead of Buenos Aires (14.0M) and Bogotá (10.6M).
  • By 2050, on the UN's projections, São Paulo is projected to rank #1 with 18.2M, ahead of Buenos Aires (14.2M) and Bogotá (12.5M).
  • São Paulo holds #1 for the whole period, 1975 to 2025.
  • Biggest climber: Belo Horizonte, from #11 in 1975 to #7 in 2050.
  • São Paulo grew 1.8× between 1975 and 2025.

About this chart

São Paulo has led South America since 1975, at about 10.54 million then and 18.95 million now, with Buenos Aires second at 14.02 million. The tightest race is for third. Bogotá has about 10.62 million people in 2025 and Lima about 10.58 million. In 1975 Lima was slightly ahead, at 3.52 million to Bogotá's 3.39 million, and both have roughly tripled since.

Rio de Janeiro is fifth at 9.5 million and Santiago sixth at 6.73 million. Brazil supplies five of the top ten. Looking ahead, the UN projects São Paulo to shrink to 18.22 million by 2050 while Bogotá and Lima reach about 12.5 million and 12.4 million. These are Degree of Urbanization figures for contiguous dense areas, so they differ from city-proper or metro counts. Years after 2025 are projections.

The data

Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 21), city population, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025). Retrieved November 4, 2026. Cities as defined by the Degree of Urbanization (contiguous dense areas), so figures differ from city-proper or metro counts.

South America's largest cities, Population in millions, 1975 to 2050, 1975–2050
Date🇧🇷 São Paulo🇦🇷 Buenos Aires🇨🇴 Bogotá🇵🇪 Lima🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro🇨🇱 Santiago🇧🇷 Belo Horizonte🇧🇷 Recife🇨🇴 Medellín🇧🇷 Fortaleza🇪🇨 Guayaquil🇻🇪 Caracas🇺🇾 Montevideo
197510.5M8.6M3.4M3.5M5.9M2.8M1.3M1.8M1.9M1.0M0.9M2.4M1.4M
198013.0M9.3M3.8M4.2M6.7M3.4M1.7M2.0M2.1M1.4M1.2M2.7M1.4M
198514.1M9.8M4.4M4.8M7.0M3.9M2.1M2.3M2.3M1.7M1.4M2.8M1.4M
199015.3M10.4M4.9M5.5M7.3M4.3M2.6M2.6M2.4M2.1M1.6M2.8M1.4M
199516.0M11.1M5.6M6.3M7.8M4.8M3.0M2.8M2.5M2.3M1.9M2.9M1.4M
200016.7M11.7M6.3M7.0M8.4M5.3M3.5M3.0M2.8M2.5M2.1M2.9M1.3M
200517.4M12.5M7.1M7.8M8.7M5.7M3.7M3.1M3.0M2.8M2.3M3.0M1.3M
201018.2M13.3M8.0M8.5M9.0M6.0M3.8M3.3M3.1M3.0M2.5M3.1M1.3M
201518.7M13.8M8.9M9.3M9.3M6.2M4.0M3.5M3.2M3.1M2.8M3.0M1.3M
202018.8M13.9M9.9M10.0M9.4M6.6M4.1M3.6M3.3M3.2M3.0M2.6M1.2M
202518.9M14.0M10.6M10.6M9.5M6.7M4.2M3.7M3.4M3.2M3.2M2.6M1.2M
203019.0M14.1M11.2M11.1M9.5M6.9M4.2M3.7M3.4M3.3M3.3M2.6M1.2M
203518.9M14.2M11.7M11.6M9.6M6.9M4.2M3.7M3.4M3.3M3.4M2.6M1.2M
204018.8M14.3M12.1M11.9M9.5M7.0M4.2M3.7M3.4M3.4M3.5M2.6M1.2M
204518.6M14.3M12.3M12.2M9.4M7.0M4.1M3.7M3.4M3.4M3.6M2.6M1.2M
205018.2M14.2M12.5M12.4M9.3M6.9M4.1M3.7M3.3M3.4M3.6M2.6M1.2M

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Frequently asked questions

What is the largest city in South America?

In 2025, São Paulo ranks #1 with 18.9M, followed by Buenos Aires (14.0M) and Bogotá (10.6M). Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 21), city population, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025).

What is the largest city in South America?

São Paulo is the largest city in South America in 2025, with about 18.95 million people under the UN's Degree of Urbanization definition. Buenos Aires is second at about 14.02 million, followed by Bogotá at about 10.62 million and Lima at about 10.58 million.

Is Buenos Aires bigger than São Paulo?

No. Buenos Aires is estimated at about 14.02 million in 2025 against about 18.95 million for São Paulo. The UN projects Buenos Aires at about 14.24 million and São Paulo at about 18.22 million in 2050, so the gap narrows but remains.

Why might these numbers differ from the metro figures for Buenos Aires or Lima?

The UN counts a contiguous dense urban area, not an official metro region or an administrative city. That can produce a different figure from a local statistics office. The same definition is used for every city here, so comparisons across countries are consistent.

Where does this data come from?

UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 21), city population, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025). Retrieved November 4, 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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