Jakarta Becomes World’s Largest City with 42M Residents

DID Press: According to a new UN report, Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, has surpassed Tokyo to become the world’s largest city, with a population approaching 42 million.

The UN’s latest report, World Urbanization Prospects 2025, indicates that Jakarta’s population has reached around 42 million, overtaking Tokyo, which previously held the top spot with 33.4 million residents.

In this ranking, Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, ranks second with 36.6 million inhabitants. The report notes that the total number of megacities worldwide—cities with populations exceeding 10 million—has risen to 33, a fourfold increase from 1975 when there were only eight such cities.

Of these 33 megacities, 19 are in Asia, and nine of the world’s 10 largest cities are located on the continent. Cairo is the only city outside Asia to be among the top 10.

The UN report emphasizes the continued urbanization trend in Asia and the rapid growth of the world’s urban population.