Nachfolgend sind die städtischen Gebiete der Welt nach ihrer Bevölkerungszahl geordnet.
Städtisches Gebiet ist definiert als ein zusammenhängendes städtisches Gebiet oder eine Kombination von städtischen Gebieten, die statistisch als ein einziger Arbeitsmarkt betrachtet werden können.
Eine alternative Liste könnte eine andere Definition von „Stadt“ anwenden und eigentliche Städte auflisten, bei denen es sich um Städte mit einem administrativ anerkannten städtischen Status handelt. Diese könnten sich jedoch über die Metropolregion hinaus erstrecken und ländliche Gebiete einschließen.
| Rang | Städtisches Gebiet | Bevölkerungsschätzung (2015) | Land | Landfläche (km²) | Dichte (P/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tokyo-Yokohama | 37,843,000 | Japan | 8,547 | 4,400 |
| 2 | Jakarta | 30,539,000 | Indonesien | 3,225 | 9,500 |
| 3 | Delhi, DL-UP-HR | 24,998,000 | Indien | 2,072 | 12,100 |
| 4 | Manila | 24,123,000 | Philippinen | 1,580 | 15,300 |
| 5 | Seoul-Incheon | 23,480,000 | Südkorea | 2,266 | 10,400 |
| 6 | Shanghai, SHG-JS-ZJ | 23,416,000 | China | 3,820 | 6,100 |
| 7 | Karachi | 22,123,000 | Pakistan | 945 | 23,400 |
| 8 | Beijing, BJ | 21,009,000 | China | 3,820 | 5,500 |
| 9 | New York, NY-NJ-CT | 20,630,000 | Vereinigte Staaten | 11,642 | 1,800 |
| 10 | Guangzhou-Foshan, GD | 20,597,000 | China | 3,432 | 6,000 |
| 11 | Sao Paulo | 20,365,000 | Brasilien | 2,707 | 7,500 |
| 12 | Mexico City | 20,063,000 | Mexiko | 2,072 | 9,700 |
| 13 | Mumbai, MH | 17,712,000 | Indien | 546 | 32,400 |
| 14 | Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto | 17,444,000 | Japan | 3,212 | 5,400 |
| 15 | Moscow | 16,170,000 | Russland | 4,662 | 3,500 |
| 16 | Dhaka | 15,669,000 | Bangladesch | 360 | 43,500 |
| 17 | Cairo | 15,600,000 | Ägypten | 1,761 | 8,900 |
| 18 | Los Angeles, CA | 15,058,000 | Vereinigte Staaten | 6,299 | 2,400 |
| 19 | Bangkok | 14,998,000 | Thailand | 2,590 | 5,800 |
| 20 | Kolkata, WB | 14,667,000 | Indien | 1,204 | 12,200 |
| 21 | Buenos Aires | 14,122,000 | Argentinien | 2,681 | 5,300 |
| 22 | Tehran | 13,532,000 | Iran | 1,489 | 9,100 |
| 23 | Istanbul | 13,287,000 | Türkei | 1,360 | 9,800 |
| 24 | Lagos | 13,123,000 | Nigeria | 907 | 14,500 |
| 25 | Shenzhen, GD | 12,084,000 | China | 1,748 | 6,900 |
| 26 | Rio de Janeiro | 11,727,000 | Brasilien | 2,020 | 5,800 |
| 27 | Kinshasa | 11,587,000 | DR Kongo | 583 | 19,900 |
| 28 | Tianjin, TJ | 10,920,000 | China | 2,007 | 5,400 |
| 29 | Paris | 10,858,000 | Frankreich | 2,845 | 3,800 |
| 30 | Lima | 10,750,000 | Peru | 919 | 11,700 |
| 31 | Chengdu, SC | 10,376,000 | China | 1,541 | 6,700 |
| 32 | London | 10,236,000 | Vereinigtes Königreich | 1,738 | 5,900 |
| 33 | Nagoya | 10,177,000 | Japan | 3,885 | 2,600 |
| 34 | Lahore | 10,052,000 | Pakistan | 790 | 12,700 |
| 35 | Bangalore, KA | 9,807,000 | Indien | 1,166 | 8,400 |
| 36 | Chennai, TN | 9,714,000 | Indien | 971 | 10,000 |
| 37 | Chicago, IL-IN-WI | 9,156,000 | Vereinigte Staaten | 6,856 | 1,300 |
| 38 | Bogota | 8,991,000 | Kolumbien | 492 | 18,300 |
| 39 | Ho Chi Minh City | 8,957,000 | Vietnam | 1,489 | 6,000 |
| 40 | Hyderabad, AP | 8,754,000 | Indien | 1,230 | 7,100 |
| 41 | Dongguan, GD | 8,442,000 | China | 1,619 | 5,200 |
| 42 | Johannesburg-East Rand | 8,432,000 | Südafrika | 2,590 | 3,300 |
| 43 | Wuhan, HUB | 7,509,000 | China | 1,166 | 6,400 |
| 44 | Taipei | 7,438,000 | Taiwan | 1,140 | 6,500 |
| 45 | Hangzhou, ZJ | 7,275,000 | China | 1,217 | 6,000 |
| 46 | Hong Kong | 7,246,000 | Hongkong | 275 | 26,400 |
| 47 | Chongqing, CQ | 7,217,000 | China | 932 | 7,700 |
| 48 | Ahmadabad, GJ | 7,186,000 | Indien | 350 | 20,600 |
| 49 | Kuala Lumpur | 7,088,000 | Malaysia | 1,943 | 3,600 |
| 50 | Quanzhou, FJ | 6,710,000 | China | 1,528 | 4,400 |
| 51 | Essen-Dusseldorf | 6,679,000 | Deutschland | 2,655 | 2,500 |
| 52 | Baghdad | 6,625,000 | Irak | 673 | 9,800 |
| 53 | Toronto, ON | 6,456,000 | Kanada | 2,287 | 2,800 |
| 54 | Santiago | 6,225,000 | Chile | 984 | 6,300 |
| 55 | Dallas-Fort Worth, TX | 6,174,000 | Vereinigte Staaten | 5,175 | 1,200 |
| 56 | Madrid | 6,171,000 | Spanien | 1,321 | 4,700 |
| 57 | Nanjing, JS | 6,155,000 | China | 1,269 | 4,800 |
| 58 | Shenyang, LN | 6,078,000 | China | 1,010 | 6,000 |
| 59 | Xi'an, SAA | 5,977,000 | China | 932 | 6,400 |
| 60 | San Francisco-San Jose, CA | 5,929,000 | Vereinigte Staaten | 2,797 | 2,100 |
| 61 | Luanda | 5,899,000 | Angola | 894 | 6,600 |
| 62 | Qingdao, SD | 5,816,000 | China | 1,489 | 3,900 |
| 63 | Houston, TX | 5,764,000 | Vereinigte Staaten | 4,644 | 1,200 |
| 64 | Miami, FL | 5,764,000 | Vereinigte Staaten | 3,209 | 1,800 |
| 65 | Bandung | 5,695,000 | Indonesien | 466 | 12,200 |
| 66 | Riyadh | 5,666,000 | Saudi-Arabien | 1,502 | 3,800 |
| 67 | Pune, MH | 5,631,000 | Indien | 479 | 11,800 |
| 68 | Singapore | 5,624,000 | Singapur | 518 | 10,900 |
| 69 | Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 5,570,000 | Vereinigte Staaten | 5,131 | 1,100 |
| 70 | Surat, GJ | 5,447,000 | Indien | 233 | 23,400 |
| 71 | Milan | 5,257,000 | Italien | 1,891 | 2,800 |
| 72 | Suzhou, JS | 5,246,000 | China | 1,127 | 4,700 |
| 73 | St. Petersburg | 5,126,000 | Russland | 1,347 | 3,800 |
| 74 | Khartoum | 5,125,000 | Sudan | 932 | 5,500 |
| 75 | Atlanta, GA | 5,015,000 | Vereinigte Staaten | 6,851 | 700 |
| 76 | Zhengzhou, HEN | 4,942,000 | China | 829 | 6,000 |
| 77 | Washington, DC-VA-MD | 4,889,000 | Vereinigte Staaten | 3,424 | 1,400 |
| 78 | Surabaya | 4,881,000 | Indonesien | 673 | 7,200 |
| 79 | Harbin, HL | 4,815,000 | China | 570 | 8,500 |
| 80 | Abidjan | 4,800,000 | Elfenbeinküste | 324 | 14,800 |
| 81 | Yangon | 4,800,000 | Myanmar | 544 | 8,800 |
| 82 | Nairobi | 4,738,000 | Kenia | 557 | 8,500 |
| 83 | Barcelona | 4,693,000 | Spanien | 1,075 | 4,400 |
| 84 | Alexandria | 4,689,000 | Ägypten | 293 | 16,000 |
| 85 | Kabul | 4,635,000 | Afghanistan | 259 | 17,900 |
| 86 | Guadalajara | 4,603,000 | Mexiko | 751 | 6,100 |
| 87 | Ankara | 4,538,000 | Türkei | 660 | 6,900 |
| 88 | Belo Horizonte | 4,517,000 | Brasilien | 1,088 | 4,200 |
| 89 | Boston, MA-NH-RI | 4,478,000 | Vereinigte Staaten | 5,325 | 800 |
| 90 | Xiamen, FJ | 4,420,000 | China | 583 | 7,600 |
| 91 | Kuwait | 4,283,000 | Kuwait | 712 | 6,000 |
| 92 | Dar es Salaam | 4,219,000 | Tansania | 570 | 7,400 |
| 93 | Phoenix, AZ | 4,194,000 | Vereinigte Staaten | 3,196 | 1,300 |
| 94 | Dalian, LN | 4,183,000 | China | 777 | 5,400 |
| 95 | Accra | 4,145,000 | Ghana | 971 | 4,300 |
| 96 | Monterrey | 4,083,000 | Mexiko | 894 | 4,600 |
| 97 | Berlin | 4,069,000 | Deutschland | 1,347 | 3,000 |
| 98 | Sydney | 4,036,000 | Australien | 2,037 | 2,000 |
| 99 | Fuzhou | 3,962,000 | China | 440 | 9,000 |
| 100 | Medan | 3,942,000 | Indonesien | 479 | 8,200 |
| 101 | Dubai | 3,933,000 | Vereinigte Arabische Emirate | 1,347 | 2,900 |
| 102 | Melbourne | 3,906,000 | Australien | 2,543 | 1,500 |
| 103 | Rome | 3,906,000 | Italien | 1,114 | 3,500 |
| 104 | Busan | 3,906,000 | Südkorea | 401 | 9,700 |
| 105 | Cape Town | 3,812,000 | Südafrika | 816 | 4,700 |
| 106 | Jinan | 3,789,000 | China | 725 | 5,200 |
| 107 | Ningbo | 3,753,000 | China | 738 | 5,100 |
| 108 | Hanoi | 3,715,000 | Vietnam | 466 | 8,000 |
| 109 | Naples | 3,706,000 | Italien | 1,023 | 3,600 |
| 110 | Taiyuan | 3,702,000 | China | 518 | 7,100 |
| 111 | Jeddah | 3,677,000 | Saudi-Arabien | 842 | 4,400 |
| 112 | Detroit | 3,672,000 | Vereinigte Staaten | 3,463 | 1,100 |
| 113 | Hefei | 3,665,000 | China | 725 | 5,100 |
| 114 | Changsha | 3,657,000 | China | 622 | 5,900 |
| 115 | Kunming | 3,649,000 | China | 712 | 5,100 |
| 116 | Wuxi | 3,597,000 | China | 738 | 4,900 |
| 117 | Medellín | 3,568,000 | Kolumbien | 228 | 15,700 |
| 118 | Faisalabad | 3,560,000 | Pakistan | 181 | 19,600 |
| 119 | Aleppo | 3,560,000 | Syrien | 259 | 13,700 |
| 120 | Kano | 3,550,000 | Nigeria | 251 | 14,100 |
| 121 | Montréal | 3,536,000 | Kanada | 1,546 | 2,300 |
| 122 | Dakar | 3,520,000 | Senegal | 194 | 18,100 |
| 123 | Athens | 3,484,000 | Griechenland | 583 | 6,000 |
Quelle: Demographia World Urban Areas: 11th Annual Edition: 2015.01 (Bebaute Stadtgebiete oder Weltagglomerationen)