Megacities: the number of 10-million-person cities, 1975 to 2050

The world had 8 cities of 10 million or more in 1975 and has 33 in 2025; the UN projects 37 by 2050 as growth in megacities slows.

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What the data shows

Megacities (10M+ people): 8 in 1975, 37 in 2050 (projected) (4.6× higher). The latest estimate is 33 in 2025. It is projected to peak at 37 in 2045.

About this chart

A megacity here is a city of 10 million or more people. In 1975 there were 8. The count reached 16 by 1990, 20 by 2000, 25 by 2010 and 33 in 2025. The UN projects only 4 more over the next 25 years, 34 in 2035 and 37 in 2050, which means the rapid era of adding megacities is slowing down, even though existing ones keep growing.

Jakarta is the largest in 2025 at about 41.9 million, followed by Dhaka at 36.6 million and Tokyo at 33.4 million. London is the smallest on the list at 10.4 million. More than half of the 33 are in Asia. The UN counts each city as a contiguous dense area, not a city proper or a metro region, so some figures differ from those you may know. Counts after 2025 are projections.

The data

Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 21), number of cities with 10 million or more people, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025). Retrieved November 4, 2026. Cities as defined by the Degree of Urbanization (contiguous dense areas).

The rise of the megacity, Cities with 10 million+ people, 1975 to 2050, 1975–2050
Date	Megacities (10M+ people)
1975	8
1976	8
1977	8
1978	8
1979	8
1980	8
1981	10
1982	10
1983	10
1984	10
1985	10
1986	11
1987	13
1988	13
1989	16
1990	16
1991	16
1992	16
1993	16
1994	17
1995	17
1996	18
1997	19
1998	20
1999	20
2000	20
2001	21
2002	21
2003	21
2004	22
2005	23
2006	23
2007	23
2008	23
2009	24
2010	25
2011	25
2012	26
2013	27
2014	27
2015	28
2016	28
2017	28
2018	28
2019	28
2020	30
2021	33
2022	33
2023	33
2024	33
2025	33
2026	34
2027	34
2028	34
2029	34
2030	34
2031	34
2032	34
2033	34
2034	34
2035	34
2036	35
2037	35
2038	35
2039	35
2040	35
2041	36
2042	36
2043	36
2044	36
2045	37
2046	37
2047	37
2048	37
2049	37
2050	37

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Suggested caption: “8 megacities in 1975. 33 today. The UN projects 37 by 2050.” Credit the source in your caption; it heads off the 'source?' comments.

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Frequently asked questions

How many megacities are there?

The UN counts 33 megacities in 2025, meaning cities of 10 million or more people. That is up from 8 in 1975. The UN projects 34 in 2035 and 37 in 2050.

What is the largest megacity in the world?

Jakarta is the largest in 2025, at about 41.9 million people under the UN's Degree of Urbanization definition. Dhaka is second at about 36.6 million and Tokyo third at about 33.4 million.

Why are New York and Los Angeles in the UN list with larger numbers than I expected?

The UN counts contiguous dense urban areas, so New York City is listed at about 13.9 million and Los Angeles at about 12.7 million. These are neither city-proper counts nor official metro figures. The definition is the same for every city, which allows comparison across countries.

Where does this data come from?

UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 21), number of cities with 10 million or more people, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025). Retrieved November 4, 2026. Cities as defined by the Degree of Urbanization (contiguous dense areas). You can download the full table as a CSV from this page.

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