Mega-urban population in 2025 and 2050
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
The world of the 21st century is predominantly urban, with currently 54% of the global population residing in cities, and an expected increase to 66% until 2050. While the level of urbanization is already high in North America (82%), Latin America and the Caribbean (80%) and Europe (73%), the future urban growth is expected to take place mainly in Asia and Africa. Cities in these two regions will have to accommodate 2.2 billion additional people until 2050, by then hosting 73% of the global urban population (compared to 65% in 2014).
The number of megacities and the number of inhabitants living in these cities has been growing quickly during the last decades. Until 1950, only two megacities with more than 10 million inhabitants existed: New York and Tokyo. In 2015, 29 megacities existed worldwide, accommodating around 12% of the global urban dwellers. The largest megacity, Tokyo, alone had 38 million inhabitants, followed by Delhi (25 million) and Shanghai (23 million).
In 2023, 33 megacities exist worldwide. The most populous cities are Tokyo (37.3 million), Delhi (32.3 million), Shanghai (28.7 million), Dhaka (22.6 million), So Paulo (22.5 million), and Mexico City (22.1 million).
By 2030, there are likely to be 41 megacities and 63 emerging megacities, which will then accommodate 23% of the global urban population (1.2 million inhabitants).
By 2050, 70% of the world’s population will live in cities, and 14 more cities are set to join their ranks, with a total increased population of some 213 million people. The new order will then become Delhi (49.6 million), Dhaka (34.6 million), Tokyo (32.6 million), Cairo (32.6 million) and Mumbai (32.4 million).
