The largest cities in the Americas, 1975 to 2050
São Paulo, Mexico City, New York, Buenos Aires and Los Angeles, raced from 1975 to 2050.
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What the data shows
- In 2025, São Paulo ranks #1 with 18.9M, ahead of Mexico City (17.7M) and Buenos Aires (14.0M).
- By 2050, on the UN's projections, São Paulo is projected to rank #1 with 18.2M, ahead of Mexico City (17.7M) and Buenos Aires (14.2M).
- Back in 1975, New York City was #1 with 12.1M.
- The top spot changed hands twice: Mexico City in 1980 and São Paulo in 2020.
- Biggest climber: São Paulo, from #3 in 1975 to #1 in 2050.
- São Paulo grew 1.8× between 1975 and 2025.
About this chart
Latin America urbanized early, so its giants grew fastest in the 1970s and 80s and have been leveling off since. Bogotá and Lima are the ones still climbing quickly.
New York and Los Angeles appear as the UN measures them: continuous dense areas, not the much larger combined statistical areas used by the US Census Bureau.
The data
Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 19), largest cities in the Americas, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025). 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 | 🇧🇷 São Paulo | 🇲🇽 Mexico City | 🇦🇷 Buenos Aires | 🇺🇸 Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 New York City | 🇨🇴 Bogotá | 🇵🇪 Lima | 🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 10.5M | 11.1M | 8.6M | 7.7M | 12.1M | 3.4M | 3.5M | 5.9M |
| 1980 | 13.0M | 13.2M | 9.3M | 8.2M | 11.7M | 3.8M | 4.2M | 6.7M |
| 1985 | 14.1M | 14.4M | 9.8M | 9.3M | 11.9M | 4.4M | 4.8M | 7.0M |
| 1990 | 15.3M | 15.6M | 10.4M | 10.2M | 12.0M | 4.9M | 5.5M | 7.3M |
| 1995 | 16.0M | 16.6M | 11.1M | 10.7M | 12.5M | 5.6M | 6.3M | 7.8M |
| 2000 | 16.7M | 17.6M | 11.7M | 11.2M | 13.0M | 6.3M | 7.0M | 8.4M |
| 2005 | 17.4M | 17.9M | 12.5M | 11.4M | 13.2M | 7.1M | 7.8M | 8.7M |
| 2010 | 18.2M | 18.3M | 13.3M | 11.7M | 13.4M | 8.0M | 8.5M | 9.0M |
| 2015 | 18.7M | 19.0M | 13.8M | 12.1M | 13.7M | 8.9M | 9.3M | 9.3M |
| 2020 | 18.8M | 17.6M | 13.9M | 12.5M | 14.0M | 9.9M | 10.0M | 9.4M |
| 2025 | 18.9M | 17.7M | 14.0M | 12.7M | 13.9M | 10.6M | 10.6M | 9.5M |
| 2030 | 19.0M | 17.8M | 14.1M | 13.1M | 13.8M | 11.2M | 11.1M | 9.5M |
| 2035 | 18.9M | 17.9M | 14.2M | 13.3M | 13.7M | 11.7M | 11.6M | 9.6M |
| 2040 | 18.8M | 17.9M | 14.3M | 13.5M | 13.6M | 12.1M | 11.9M | 9.5M |
| 2045 | 18.6M | 17.8M | 14.3M | 13.7M | 13.5M | 12.3M | 12.2M | 9.4M |
| 2050 | 18.2M | 17.7M | 14.2M | 13.9M | 13.2M | 12.5M | 12.4M | 9.3M |
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Frequently asked questions
What is the largest city in the Americas?
In 2025, São Paulo ranks #1 with 18.9M, followed by Mexico City (17.7M) and Buenos Aires (14.0M). Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 19), largest cities in the Americas, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025).
Where does this data come from?
UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 19), largest cities in the Americas, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025). 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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