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The most populated cities in the world

This is a list of the most populous cities in the world, defined based on 2018 United Nations estimates, official census estimates, and the 2021 "Demographia World Urban Areas" report.

"World Urbanization Prospects," a publication by theONU, defines the population of a real city as "the population living within the administrative boundaries of a city." For many of the metropolises, however, the metropolitan area is administratively distinct from the urban agglomeration proper. For this reason, ONU recent estimates distinguish three definitions of cities: cities proper, urban areas and metropolitan areas.

According to the definition of "city proper", based on administrative uniqueness, the Chinese city of Chongqing is the largest in the world.

According to the other two definitions, Tokyo, despite being divided into several administrative units, is the most populous "urban agglomeration" (i.e. the agglomeration without rural areas) in the world, while the Chinese city of Shanghai is the most populous "metropolitan city" (i.e. the area interconnected by common infrastructure and frequent transport).

The data in this gallery include the total population of agglomerations in their highest estimates, thus also including metropolitan areas.

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The most populated cities in the world
This is a list of the world's most populous cities, defined based on 2018 United Nations estimates, official census estimates, and the 2021Demographia World Urban Areasreport.Recent UN estimates distinguish three definitions of cities: cities proper, urban areas, and metropolitan areas. According to the definition of "city proper", the Chinese city of Chongqing is the largest in the world. According to the other two definitions Tokyo, it is the most populous "urban agglomeration" in the world, while the Chinese city of Shanghai is the most populous "metropolitan city". The data in this gallery include the total population of agglomerations in their highest estimates, thus also including metropolitan areas.
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São Paulo (Brazil)
In the metropolitan region of São Paulo, made up of 39 municipalities, live 27 million people (about 70% of the population of the entire State of São Paulo which counts more than 40 million) making it the fifth most populous metropolitan area in the world in the world after Chongqing, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing.
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New York (United States)
The New York metropolitan area also includes areas located in the two adjacent states of New Jersey and Connecticut. Overall, the inhabitants are 23,582,649. The city of New York is located on an area of about 785 km² at the mouth of the HudsonRiver, on the Atlantic Ocean, and with 8.8 million inhabitants, it is the most populous city in the State and the United States doubling Los Angeles.
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Manila (Philippines)
Manila is situated on the east coast of the bay of the same name on the largest of the Philippine islands, Luzón. The city has 23,971,000 inhabitants. Despite the pockets of poverty present, it is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world and its metropolitan area is the economic, cultural and industrial center of the country.
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Mumbai (India)
24,400,000 inhabitants, surface of 437.71 square kilometers. Mumbai is located on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbor, which handles almost half of India's maritime freight traffic.
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Seoul (South Korea)
Seoul is located in the northwest of the country, just south of the Korean Demilitarized Zone, on the HanRiver, is the most important political, cultural, social and economic center of the state. It has 25,514,000 inhabitants, the surface is 2,507 square kilometers.
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Delhi (India)
Today the inhabitants of Delhi are 31,870,000 inhabitants and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is located on the banks of the YamunaRiver, in northern India,
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Chongqing (China)
Chongqing is a city in south-central China, and one of four autonomous municipalities of the People's Republic of China. On an area of 82,401 square kilometers live 32,054,159 people.
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Jakarta (Indonesia)
Jakarta is the capital and main city of Indonesia, located on the northwest coast of the island of Java. Jakarta is located on the northwest coast of the island of Java, at the mouth of the Ciliwung River in Jakarta Bay, which is an inlet of the Java Sea. Jakarta is located in a depression with an average height of about 7 meters above sea level. The inhabitants are 35,362,000 on an area of 7,062 square kilometers.
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Tokyo (Japan)
Tokyo is the capital of Japan, located in the Kantō region on the southeastern side of Japan's main island, Honshū, and also includes the islands Izu and Ogasawara. The inhabitants are 39,105,000 on an area of 2,194 square kilometers. It houses, in the district of Chiyoda, the seat of the national parliament and the national government, and the imperial palace while the seat of the metropolitan assembly is in the district of Shinjuku.
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Shanghai (China)
41,354,149 inhabitants, area of 14,923 square kilometers. Shanghai is located on the Huangpu River at the delta of the Yangtze River. Shanghai is seen as the economic capital of China: thanks to the development of the past decades Shanghai is a major economic, financial, commercial and communications center of the People's Republic of China. Its port, the first in the country, is one of the busiest in the world along with Singapore and Rotterdam.
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