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The 2021 edition of The 20 Biggest Cities in the World


The 20 Largest Cities in the World: 2021 Edition

The 20 Largest Cities in the World: 2021 Edition - Image 1 of 21
Tokyo By ESB Professional. Image via Shutterstock

According to the United Nationslatest report on populations in cities, by 2030, “urban areas are projected to house 60 percent of people globally and one in every three people will live in cities with at least half a million inhabitants”. Growing in both size and number, cities are hubs of government, commerce, and transportation, and in 2021, the world’s 20 largest cities are home to half a billion people. In fact, one in five people worldwide lives in a city with more than 1 million inhabitants.

Below, we have rounded up the top 20 megacities in the world of 2021, according to the number of people that live in their metropolitan area. While Tokyo is the largest city on a global level, with a total of more than 37 million residents, the majority of the most populous cities in the world are in the two most populated countries, China and India. Among these, we have 5 metropolises in China, Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing, Tianjin, and Guangzhou, and 3 in India, Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata. The largest city in the American continent is Sao Paulo in Brazil with 22 million people, followed by Mexico City and Buenos Aires in Argentina. Istanbul takes the 13th position with one part of the city lying in Europe and the other part in Asia.

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Read on below for the full results.

1- Tokyo, Japan

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Population: 37,339,804

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Tokyo. Image via Shutterstock

2- Delhi, India

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Population: 31,181,376

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Delhi. Image via Shutterstock

3- Shanghai, China

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Population: 27,795,702

The 20 Largest Cities in the World: 2021 Edition - Image 6 of 21
Shanghai. Image via Shutterstock

4- Sao Paulo, Brazil

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Population: 22,237,472

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Sao Paulo. Image via Shutterstock

5- Mexico City, Mexico

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Population: 21,918,936

The 20 Largest Cities in the World: 2021 Edition - Image 8 of 21
Mexico. Image via Shutterstock

6- Dhaka, Bangladesh

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Population: 21,741,090

The 20 Largest Cities in the World: 2021 Edition - Image 10 of 21
Dhaka. Image via Shutterstock

7- Cairo, Egypt

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Population: 21,322,750

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Cairo By Prin Adulyatham. Image via Shutterstock

8- Beijing, China

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Population: 20,896,820

The 20 Largest Cities in the World: 2021 Edition - Image 2 of 21
Beijing. Image via Shutterstock

9- Mumbai, India

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Population: 20,667,656

The 20 Largest Cities in the World: 2021 Edition - Image 5 of 21
Mumbai. Image via Shutterstock

10- Osaka, Japan

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Population: 19,110,616

The 20 Largest Cities in the World: 2021 Edition - Image 11 of 21
Osaka. Image via Shutterstock

11- Karachi, Pakistan

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Population: 16,459,472

The 20 Largest Cities in the World: 2021 Edition - Image 14 of 21
Karachi By ibrar.kunri. Image via Shutterstock

12- Chongqing, China

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Population: 16,382,376

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Chongqing By zhangyuqiu. Image via Shutterstock

13- Istanbul, Turkey

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Population: 15,415,197

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Istanbul By kukuruxa. Image via Shutterstock

14- Buenos Aires, Argentina

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Population: 15,257,673

The 20 Largest Cities in the World: 2021 Edition - Image 4 of 21
Buenos Aires. Image via Shutterstock

15- Kolkata, India

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Population: 14,974,073

The 20 Largest Cities in the World: 2021 Edition - Image 9 of 21
Kolkata. Image via Shutterstock

16- Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

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Population: 14,970,460

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Kinshasa By Issa Kashala. Image via Shutterstock

17- Lagos, Nigeria

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Population: 14,862,111

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Lagos By Tayvay. Image via Shutterstock

18- Manila, Philippines

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Population: 14, 158,573

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Manila By KieferPix. Image via Shutterstock

19- Tianjin, China

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Population: 13,794,450

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Tianjin By chuyuss. Image via Shutterstock

20- Guangzhou, China

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Population: 13,635,397

The 20 Largest Cities in the World: 2021 Edition - Image 3 of 21
Guangzhou. Image via Shutterstock

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Cite: Christele Harrouk. "The 20 Largest Cities in the World: 2021 Edition" 21 Apr 2021. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/906605/the-20-largest-cities-in-the-world-of-2018> ISSN 0719-8884

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