Kathrine Frich
A new United Nations assessment of urban populations has upended decades of assumptions about which city is the largest on Earth.
For years Tokyo has been known as the biggest city in the world, but that is not the case anymore.
A new number one
According to a new UN report, Indonesia’s capital Jakarta is now the most populous city in the world, with an urban area of nearly 42 million people.
The revised ranking pushes Tokyo out of the top spot for the first time in years.
The change follows a new UN methodology that defines cities as continuous urban areas with at least 50,000 residents and a population density of 1,500 people per square kilometer.
Under this approach, Jakarta surged from 30th place in 2018 to first.
Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka ranks second with 36.6 million residents, while Tokyo falls to third with 33.4 million.
Asia dominates
Asian cities now dominate the global list. Half of the world’s 33 megacities, urban areas with at least 10 million inhabitants, are located in Asia, the UN said.
India leads with five cities on the list, overtaking China, which has four.
Beyond Jakarta, Dhaka and Tokyo, the top five also include New Delhi with 30.2 million people and Shanghai with 29.6 million.
Only two European cities appear among the megacities: Istanbul in 18th place and Moscow in 19th. New York, with 13.9 million residents, is the most populous city in the Americas, ranking 22nd.
Disputed method
Jakarta’s government and several urban planning experts have questioned the UN’s revised methodology, according to the Financial Times.
Still, they acknowledge that the new ranking highlights serious challenges facing the Indonesian capital.
Jakarta, often nicknamed “The Great Durian,” is densely populated, heavily polluted and sinking by around 20 centimeters a year.
These pressures have long fueled debate about the city’s future.
A city under strain
Three years ago, then-president Joko Widodo approved plans to move Indonesia’s capital to a new city, Nusantara, being built in the jungle of Borneo.
The project, scheduled for completion in 2045, has raised concerns that it could become a “ghost city.”
Meanwhile, Jakarta continues to struggle with infrastructure. Plans to expand public transport have been slowed by President Prabowo Subianto’s decision to cut spending and redirect funds to a $28 billion annual free school meal program.
The capital’s governor, Pramono Anung, said central government funding for Jakarta will fall by $1 billion next year, complicating efforts to maintain infrastructure.
Despite its problems, Jakarta remains Indonesia’s political and financial heart. With an official population of about 11 million, it generated 16.7% of national GDP last year.
“For me, Jakarta is a city of dreams,” Pramono said. “That’s why I don’t object to people coming to Jakarta, because that’s where the hopes and dreams are.”
Sources: United Nations, Financial Times, Digi24.
