The UN’s economic office has found Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, is the world’s most populous city.
Home to 42 million people, Jakarta outranked Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka (2nd), and Japan’s capital, Tokyo (3rd).
The last time the UN issued this report, Tokyo was in the lead with 37 million people, and Jakarta was in 30th place with 12 million.
Here’s how that happened.
Ranking
Indonesia has a population of 286 million people, making it the world’s fourth most populous country.
In 2018, the UN found Jakarta had about 10.5 million residents, and predicted it would increase to 12.7 million by 2030.
In its latest report, the UN cited changes in data from Jakarta authorities, which had previously excluded urban areas connected to the city’s centre.
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With those areas included, the city’s population was more accurately recorded, landing at 41.9 million people.
In 2019, the Indonesian Government announced plans to relocate its capital from Jakarta to Nusantara, a new city currently under construction.
The decision followed international reports that Jakarta was at high risk of sinking under rising sea levels caused by climate change.
Megaacities
The UN defines a megacity as a region with at least 10 million residents.
Since 1975, the number of megacities has increased from eight to 33. The UN projects at least four more will emerge by 2050.
Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania are expected to be among the next cities to join the list.
Almost half of the world’s population now lives in major cities, more than double the percentage recorded in 1950.
