In short:
Asia is home to nine of the world’s 10 most populous cities in 2025, according to the United Nations.
A new report identifies Jakarta, with 42 million residents, as having the largest population globally.
Tokyo had long held the title as the world’s largest city, but its population growth has stagnated.
I grew up in Jakarta in the 80s, and it was a massive shit hole then. Went back to visit in 2015 and it was far far worse.
How so?
The funny thing about Tokyo is that it’s not actually a city. It’s a completely urban state with a bunch of cities inside it.
No shit. Riding the JR line you wont be able to tell what’s Tokyo and not for an hour.
It’s insane that a city has a larger population than most countries
And it’s sinking enough that they’re trying to move capitals to a new city. Oof.
With Japan’s population losing almost a million a year, Tokyo is not likely to regain the title.
Tokyo’s (and other major Japanese cities) population are predicted to continue growing. The rest of the country is depopulating.
Tokyo just needs to annex a few surrounding cities to keep up.
Meanwhile, China has 10 cities with over 10M people and another 150 with over 1M.





