Dhaka Becomes the World's Second Largest City

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Publish : 26 Nov 2025, 11:27 AM

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The population and perimeter of the capital city, Dhaka, are constantly increasing. As a result, Dhaka has risen from ninth to become the second-largest city in the world. The city is projected to take the top spot on the list of largest cities by 2050. This information has recently emerged in a new report by the United Nations.

The news outlet Al Jazeera confirmed the matter in a report on Wednesday (November 26).

Previously, Japan's capital, Tokyo, was the world's largest city. However, Tokyo has been surpassed, with Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, taking the lead. Dhaka is now in second place, and Tokyo has dropped to third.

The UN had last identified Japan's nerve center as the largest city around the year 2000, but this time, Jakarta has left them behind.

According to the UN data:

Jakarta is now home to 41.9 million people.
Dhaka has 36.6 million residents.
Tokyo is home to 33.4 million people.

The 'World Urbanization Prospects 2025' report from the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs further states that the global number of megacities has reached 33. A megacity is defined as a city with a population of more than 10 million people. In comparison, there were only eight megacities in 1975.

Of these 33 megacities, 19 are located in Asia. Furthermore, nine of the top ten megacities are also in Asia.

These include:

New Delhi, India (30.2 million residents)
Shanghai, China (29.6 million residents)
Guangzhou, China (27.6 million residents)
Manila, Philippines (24.7 million residents)
Kolkata, India (22.5 million residents)
Seoul, South Korea (22.5 million residents)

The only city outside of Asia among the world's top 10 megacities is Cairo, the capital of Egypt, with a population of 32 million people.

Meanwhile, the largest city in the Americas region is São Paulo, Brazil, with 18.9 million residents. The largest city in the Sub-Saharan region is Lagos, Nigeria.

The UN stated that the primary reason for Dhaka's massive population increase is the influx of people from remote areas of the country.

Many have migrated to Dhaka in search of work or opportunities, while others have relocated due to the risks posed by flooding and rising sea levels.

Source: Al Jazeera

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