It is estimated that more than 8 billion people live on Earth and the population is likely to hit more than 9 billion by 2050. Approximately 55 percent of Earth’s human population currently live in areas classified as urban. That number is expected to grow by 2050 to 68 percent, according to the United Nations (UN).The largest cities in the world include Tōkyō, Japan; New Delhi, India; Shanghai, China; México City, Mexico; and São Paulo, Brazil. Each of these cities classifies as a megacity, a city with more than 10 million people. The UN estimates the world will have 43 megacities by 2030.Most cities' populations are growing as people move in for greater economic, educational, and healthcare opportunities. But not all cities are expanding. Those cities whose populations are declining may be experiencing declining fertility rates (the number of births is lower than the number of deaths), shrinking economies, emigration, or have experienced a natural disaster that resulted in fatalities or forced people to leave the region.This Global Cities map layer contains data published in 2018 by the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). It shows urban agglomerations. The UN DESA defines an urban agglomeration as a continuous area where population is classified at urban levels (by the country in which the city resides) regardless of what local government systems manage the area. Since not all places record data the same way, some populations may be calculated using the city population as defined by its boundary and the metropolitan area. If a reliable estimate for the urban agglomeration was unable to be determined, the population of the city or metropolitan area is used.Data Citation: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. World Urbanization Prospects: The 2018 Revision. Statistical Papers - United Nations (ser. A), Population and Vital Statistics Report, 2019, https://doi.org/10.18356/b9e995fe-en.

All cities with a population > 1000 or seats of adm div (ca 80.000)Sources and ContributionsSources : GeoNames is aggregating over hundred different data sources. Ambassadors : GeoNames Ambassadors help in many countries. Wiki : A wiki allows to view the data and quickly fix error and add missing places. Donations and Sponsoring : Costs for running GeoNames are covered by donations and sponsoring.Enrichment:add country name

As of 2025, Tokyo-Yokohama in Japan was the largest world urban agglomeration, with 37 million people living there. Delhi ranked second with more than 34 million, with Shanghai in third with more than 30 million inhabitants.

Population of Urban Agglomerations with 300,000 Inhabitants or more in 2014, by city, 1950-2030 (thousands). Data for 1,692 cities contained in the Excel file.

Note: Each country has its own definition of what is 'urban' and therefore use exercise caution when comparing cities in different countries.

Data available from the United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2014). World Urbanization Prospects: The 2014 Revision, CD-ROM Edition.

Further detail of population estimates, land area, and population density for world urban areas with over 500,000 people (924 areas) is available with Demographia's World Urban Areas report (2014). Much of this data is based on the UN urban agglomerations, though a range of other sources are also used.

Population in the largest city (% of urban population) in World was reported at 16.05 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. World - Population in the largest city - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Hong Kong HK: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data was reported at 99.637 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 99.540 % for 2016. Hong Kong HK: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data is updated yearly, averaging 99.382 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 100.000 % in 2010 and a record low of 94.548 % in 1974. Hong Kong HK: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Hong Kong – Table HK.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.; ; United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.; Weighted average;

A range of indicators for a selection of cities from the New York City Global City database.

Dataset includes the following:

Geography

City Area (km2)

Metro Area (km2)

People

City Population (millions)

Metro Population (millions)

Foreign Born

Annual Population Growth

Economy

GDP Per Capita (thousands $, PPP rates, per resident)

Primary Industry

Secondary Industry

Share of Global 500 Companies (%)

Unemployment Rate

Poverty Rate

Transportation

Public Transportation

Mass Transit Commuters

Major Airports

Major Ports

Education

Students Enrolled in Higher Education

Percent of Population with Higher Education (%)

Higher Education Institutions

Tourism

Total Tourists Annually (millions)

Foreign Tourists Annually (millions)

Domestic Tourists Annually (millions)

Annual Tourism Revenue ($US billions)

Hotel Rooms (thousands)

Health

Infant Mortality (Deaths per 1,000 Births)

Life Expectancy in Years (Male)

Life Expectancy in Years (Female)

Physicians per 100,000 People

Number of Hospitals

Anti-Smoking Legislation

Culture

Number of Museums

Number of Cultural and Arts Organizations

Environment

Green Spaces (km2)

Air Quality

Laws or Regulations to Improve Energy Efficiency

Retrofitted City Vehicle Fleet

Bike Share Program

Mogadishu in Somalia led the ranking of cities with the highest population density in 2023, with ****** residents per square kilometer. When it comes to countries, Monaco is the most densely populated state worldwide.

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This world cities layer presents the locations of many cities of the world, both major cities and many provincial capitals.Population estimates are provided for those cities listed in open source data from the United Nations and US Census.

The graph shows the proportion of the population in cities worldwide from 1985 to 2050. **** percent of the world's population lived in cities in the year of 2015. This percentage is forecasted to grow to **** percent in the year 2050.

Mexico MX: Population in Largest City data was reported at 21,500,251.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 21,419,976.000 Person for 2016. Mexico MX: Population in Largest City data is updated yearly, averaging 15,225,498.500 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 21,500,251.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 5,479,184.000 Person in 1960. Mexico MX: Population in Largest City data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Mexico – Table MX.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the urban population living in the country's largest metropolitan area.; ; United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.; ;

In 2025, the degree of urbanization worldwide was at 58 percent. North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean were the regions with the highest level of urbanization, with over four-fifths of the population residing in urban areas. The degree of urbanization defines the share of the population living in areas defined as "cities". On the other hand, less than half of Africa's population lives in urban settlements. Globally, China accounts for over one-quarter of the built-up areas of more than 500,000 inhabitants. The definition of a city differs across various world regions - some countries count settlements with 100 houses or more as urban, while others only include the capital of a country or provincial capitals in their count. Largest agglomerations worldwideThough North America is the most urbanized continent, no U.S. city was among the top ten urban agglomerations worldwide in 2023. Tokyo-Yokohama in Japan was the largest urban area in the world that year, with 37.7 million inhabitants. New York ranked 13th, with 21.4 million inhabitants. Eight of the 10 most populous cities are located in Asia. ConnectivityIt may be hard to imagine how the reality will look in 2050, with 70 percent of the global population living in cities, but some statistics illustrate the ways urban living differs from suburban and rural living. American urbanites may lead more “connected” (i.e., internet-connected) lives than their rural and/or suburban counterparts. As of 2021, around 89 percent of people living in urban areas owned a smartphone. Internet usage was also higher in cities than in rural areas. On the other hand, rural areas always have, and always will, attract those who want to escape the rush of the city.

This dataset contains global, city-level population data from 2250 BC - AD 1975 for 1,587 cities in .csv form.Version 2 removes spaces after some city names which can also be done programmatically after the datasets are combined. It also corrects/combines the spelling of one city - Magdeburg, Germany and updates Kiev's country name to Ukraine.

Database Name: population_cities

Description: The population_cities dataset provides information on the population of various cities worldwide. It includes key details such as the city's name, the country it is located in, the total population, and the continent it belongs to. This dataset is ideal for researchers, data analysts, and enthusiasts looking to explore global population trends, conduct regional comparisons, or analyze urban demographics across continents.

Columns:
1. City: Name of the city.
2. Country: Name of the country where the city is located.
3. Population: Total population of the city.
4. Continent: The continent where the city is situated (e.g., Asia, Europe, Africa, etc.).

Potential Uses: - Comparative analysis of city populations across continents.
- Visualization of population density in specific regions.
- Studies on urbanization trends and growth patterns.
- Development of machine learning models for population prediction or clustering analysis.

Feel free to explore and share insights from this dataset!

China Number of Prefecture Level City: Population over 4 Million data was reported at 22.000 Unit in 2020. This records an increase from the previous number of 20.000 Unit for 2019. China Number of Prefecture Level City: Population over 4 Million data is updated yearly, averaging 14.000 Unit from Dec 2002 (Median) to 2020, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 22.000 Unit in 2020 and a record low of 10.000 Unit in 2002. China Number of Prefecture Level City: Population over 4 Million data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GE: No of Prefecture Level City by Population.

In 2025, approximately 23 million people lived in the São Paulo metropolitan area, making it the biggest in Latin America and the Caribbean and the sixth most populated in the world. The homonymous state of São Paulo was also the most populous federal entity in the country. The second place for the region was Mexico City with 22.75 million inhabitants. Brazil's cities Brazil is home to two large metropolises, only counting the population within the city limits, São Paulo had approximately 11.45 million inhabitants, and Rio de Janeiro around 6.21 million inhabitants. It also contains a number of smaller, but well known cities such as Brasília, Salvador, Belo Horizonte and many others, which report between 2 and 3 million inhabitants each. As a result, the country's population is primarily urban, with nearly 88 percent of inhabitants living in cities. Mexico City Mexico City's metropolitan area ranks sevenths in the ranking of most populated cities in the world. Founded over the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan in 1521 after the Spanish conquest as the capital of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, the city still stands as one of the most important in Latin America. Nevertheless, the preeminent economic, political, and cultural position of Mexico City has not prevented the metropolis from suffering the problems affecting the rest of the country, namely, inequality and violence. Only in 2023, the city registered a crime incidence of 52,723 reported cases for every 100,000 inhabitants and around 24 percent of the population lived under the poverty line.

This dataset contains global, city-level population data from 3700 BC - AD 1000 for 154 cities in .csv form.Version 2 removes spaces after some city names which could also be done programmatically after the dataset is combined and corrects the spelling of Istanbul, Turkey in one instance.

1. Global_1028_cities_Gini_trend.shpThis data represents the annual dynamic and trends of the Gini index for global 1028 cities in 2000-2018 using the WorldPop population and Landsat-derived greenspace mappings. Key attributes in the shapefile data:(1) Trend: temporal trend of Gini index;(2) P: P-value at a statistically significant level of 0.05;(3) Y2000-Y2018: Annual Gini index for year 2000 to 2018;(4) SouthNorth: Categories of Global South or Global North;(5) Continent: Categories of continents;(6) lat/long: Latitude/longitude of the city centriod;(7) urbanArea: urban areas in Km2.2. Global_1028_cities_Gini_thres20_trend.shpThis data represents the annual dynamic and trends of the Gini index (threshold = 0.20) for global 1028 cities in 2000-2018 using the WorldPop population and Landsat-derived greenspace mappings, together with threshold-based linear unmixing classification approach Key attributes in the shapefile data:(1) Trend_20: temporal trend of Gini index;(2) P_20: P-value at a statistically significant level of 0.05;(3) Y2000-Y2018: Annual Gini index for year 2000 to 2018;(4) SouthNorth: Categories of Global South or Global North;(5) Continent: Categories of continents;(6) lat/long: Latitude/longitude of the city centriod;(7) urbanArea: urban areas in Km2.3. Global_1028_cities_Gini_thres30_trend.shpThis data represents the annual dynamic and trends of the Gini index (threshold = 0.30) for global 1028 cities in 2000-2018 using the WorldPop population and Landsat-derived greenspace mappings, together with threshold-based linear unmixing classification approach Key attributes in the shapefile data:(1) Trend_30: temporal trend of Gini index;(2) P_30: P-value at a statistically significant level of 0.05;(3) Y2000-Y2018: Annual Gini index for year 2000 to 2018;(4) SouthNorth: Categories of Global South or Global North;(5) Continent: Categories of continents;(6) lat/long: Latitude/longitude of the city centriod;(7) urbanArea: urban areas in Km2.4. Global_1028_cities_Gini_thres40_trend.shpThis data represents the annual dynamic and trends of the Gini index (threshold = 0.40) for global 1028 cities in 2000-2018 using the WorldPop population and Landsat-derived greenspace mappings, together with threshold-based linear unmixing classification approach Key attributes in the shapefile data:(1) Trend_40: temporal trend of Gini index;(2) P_40: P-value at a statistically significant level of 0.05;(3) Y2000-Y2018: Annual Gini index for year 2000 to 2018;(4) SouthNorth: Categories of Global South or Global North;(5) Continent: Categories of continents;(6) lat/long: Latitude/longitude of the city centriod;(7) urbanArea: urban areas in Km2.5. Global_1028_cities_Gini_thres50_trend.shpThis data represents the annual dynamic and trends of the Gini index (threshold = 0.50) for global 1028 cities in 2000-2018 using the WorldPop population and Landsat-derived greenspace mappings, together with threshold-based linear unmixing classification approach Key attributes in the shapefile data:(1) Trend_50: temporal trend of Gini index;(2) P_50: P-value at a statistically significant level of 0.05;(3) Y2000-Y2018: Annual Gini index for year 2000 to 2018;(4) SouthNorth: Categories of Global South or Global North;(5) Continent: Categories of continents;(6) lat/long: Latitude/longitude of the city centriod;(7) urbanArea: urban areas in Km2.

Kazakhstan KZ: Population in Largest City data was reported at 1,547,257.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,534,894.000 Person for 2016. Kazakhstan KZ: Population in Largest City data is updated yearly, averaging 1,069,962.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,547,257.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 528,653.000 Person in 1960. Kazakhstan KZ: Population in Largest City data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kazakhstan – Table KZ.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the urban population living in the country's largest metropolitan area.; ; United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.; ;