According to the United Nations, the urban population is set to increase by almost 600 million by the year 2030 reaching a total of 5.2 billion. Mid-2023 approximately 4.6 of the more than 8 billion people worldwide lived in towns or cities. This represents 57% of the global population. By 2030 this figure is set to reach 60%.
At present there are 34 cities worldwide with more than 10 million inhabitants. Most of these so-called megacities are situated in Asia (21), Latin America (6) or Africa (3). Currently the largest city is the urban agglomeration of Tokio with a population of 37 million inhabitants. This is followed by Delhi (33 million) and Shanghai (29 million). According to United Nations calculations, the number of megacities is expected to increase to 43 by 2030. Delhi will then be the largest global city with a population of almost 39 million.
For more data on urban population trends please consult World Urbanization Prospects 2018 as published by the United Nations.
| Rank | Urban agglomeration | Country | 2023 | 2030 | Change 2023 to 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| in million | in % | ||||
| 1 | Tokyo | Japan | 37.2 | 36.6 | -1,7 |
| 2 | Delhi | India | 32.9 | 38.9 | 18,2 |
| 3 | Shanghai | China | 29.2 | 32.9 | 12,5 |
| 4 | Dhaka | Bangladesh | 23.2 | 28.1 | 21,0 |
| 5 | São Paulo | Brazil | 22.6 | 23.8 | 5,3 |
| 6 | Mexico City | Mexico | 22.3 | 24.1 | 8,2 |
| 7 | Cairo | Egypt | 22.2 | 25.5 | 15,0 |
| 8 | Beijing | China | 21.8 | 24.3 | 11,6 |
| 9 | Mumbai | India | 21.3 | 24.6 | 15,4 |
| 10 | Osaka | Japan | 19.0 | 18.7 | -1,9 |
| Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, projections | |||||