List of metropolitan areas by population
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- Largest city redirects here. For a list of the most populous cities within administrative limits, see List of cities by population. See also historical urban community sizes for historical data.
This page lists the 100 largest metropolitan areas of the world, ranked by population. This is a controversial issue rather difficult to quantify, as unlike national subdivisions, there are no consistently defined borders for such an area. Many of the figures for individual cities are highly controversial, and in some cases numbers which differ by millions are given by different sources. In some countries there are official definitions, but they are not consistent on a global basis, nor even necessarily within countries. In addition, the underlying structure of different metropolitan areas varies: comparing a highly centralised city with an agglomeration of smaller settlements may not be very meaningful. Commuting patterns and other aspects of urban behaviour which underlie the metro area concept differ greatly around the world. Thus, all population figures for specific metro areas should be treated as interpretations rather than hard facts, and rankings and comparisons of metros should be treated with great caution.
Most of the data for this list was compiled from the 2005 urban agglomeration population figures from the United Nations 2005 World Urbanization Prospects Report.<ref name="UNWUP">United Nations World Urbanization Prospects: 2005 Revision</ref> These figures include suburban areas immediately surrounding a major city and sometimes multiple major cities which may be close enough together to function essentially as one area. Figures with notations are from the indicated sources.
Unless otherwise specified, figures are based on rough estimates for the year 2005 and rounded to the nearest 1,000. Despite the standing of the organisation behind the figures, the appropriateness and consistency of the boundaries used is controversial and the aforementioned warnings apply.
| Rank | Metropolitan area name | Country | Definition | Area | Population estimate | Population density | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km² | mi² | per km² | per mi² | |||||
| 1 | Tokyo (Greater Tokyo Area) | Image:Flag of Japan (bordered).svg Japan | Official metropolitan area (Keihinyo MMA) | 13,500 | 5,210 | 35,197,000 | 2,610 | 6,760 |
| 2 | Seoul (Seoul National Capital Area) | Image:Flag of South Korea (bordered).svg Republic of Korea | Official metropolitan area | 11,790 | 4,550 | 22,770,000<ref>Data refers to Seoul, Incheon, and the province of Gyeonggi. This area includes a sizeable rural fringe. Figure from Korean National Statistics Office</ref> | 1,996 | 5,170 |
| 3 | Mexico City (Greater Mexico City) | Image:Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico | Official metropolitan area (ZMVM) | 4,980 | 1,920 | 19,411,000 | 3,898 | 10,096 |
| 4 | New York City (New York metropolitan area) | Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Metropolitan statistical area | 17,405 | 6,720 | 18,747,320<ref name=us>US Census Bureau 2005 MSA estimates</ref> | 1,077 | 2,790 |
| 5 | São Paulo (Greater São Paulo Area) | Image:Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil | Official metropolitan area (Grande São Paulo ) | 8,050 | 3,110 | 18,333,000 | 2,277 | 5,897 |
| 6 | Mumbai (Bombay) (Mumbai metropolitan area) | Image:Flag of India.svg India | Administrative area (MMRDA) | 4,360 | 1,680 | 18,196,000 | 4,206 | 10,893 |
| 7 | Delhi (National Capital Territory of Delhi) | Image:Flag of India.svg India | Administrative area (NCT) | 1,480 | 570 | 15,048,000 | 10,360 | 26,832 |
| 8 | Shanghai | Image:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg People's Republic of China | Municipality (excluding counties in 2000) | 3,920 | 14,503,000 | 3,700 | ||
| 9 | Kolkata (Calcutta) (Kolkata Metropolitan Area) | Image:Flag of India.svg India | Administrative area (KMD) | 1,780 | 690 | 14,277,000 | 8,033 | 20,805 |
| 10 | Moscow | Image:Flag of Russia (bordered).svg Russia | Urban area | 2,150 | 13,400,000<ref name=cp>citypopulation.de 2006-11-22 revision</ref> | 6,232 | ||
| 11 | Jakarta (Jabotabek Metropolitan Area) | Image:Flag of Indonesia (bordered).svg Indonesia | Urban area | 1,360 | 530 | 13,215,000 | 9,701 | 25,125 |
| 12 | Los Angeles (Greater Los Angeles Area) | Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Metropolitan statistical area | 12,562 | 12,923,547<ref name=us/> | 1,028 | ||
| 13 | Buenos Aires (Aglomerado Gran Buenos Aires) | Image:Flag of Argentina.svg Argentina | Metropolitan area | 3,680 | 1,420 | 12,550,000 | 3,627 | 9,394 |
| 14 | Dhaka | Image:Flag of Bangladesh.svg Bangladesh | Official metropolitan area (Dhaka Megacity) | 1,600 | 620 | 12,430,000 | 7,850 | 20,331 |
| 15 | London (London commuter belt) | Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom | Larger Urban Zone<ref>Urban Audit II - Larger Urban Zone for London (based on commuting and employment) is composed of Greater London and 42 surrounding districts. See also Urban Audit page at statistics.gov.uk</ref> | 8,920 | 11,624,807 (2001) | 1,303 | ||
| 16 | Karachi | Image:Flag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan | City district | 3,530 | 1,360 | 11,608,000 | 3,348 | 8,671 |
| 17 | Rio de Janeiro | Image:Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil | Official metropolitan area | 5,000 | 1,930 | 11,469,000 | 2,294 | 5,941 |
| 18 | Istanbul | Image:Flag of Turkey.svg Turkey | Istanbul province | 5,315 | 2,050 | 11,332,000<ref name="TUR">Turkstat</ref> | 2,132 | 5,528 |
| 19 | Osaka–Kobe (Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto) | Image:Flag of Japan (bordered).svg Japan | Urban area (administrative boundaries) (excludes Kyoto) | 2,070 | 800 | 11,268,000 | 5,452 | 14,121 |
| 20 | Paris (Ile-de-France) | Image:Flag of France.svg France | Larger Urban Zone<ref>Urban Audit II - Larger Urban Zone for Paris is defined as the Ile de France region</ref> | 12,012 | 11,264,000 (INSEE 2004 estimate) | 938 | ||
| 21 | Cairo (Greater Cairo) | Image:Flag of Egypt.svg Egypt | Metropolitan area | 1,310 | 510 | 11,128,000 | 8,508 | 22,036 |
| 22 | Lagos | Image:Flag of Nigeria.svg Nigeria | Urban area | 640 | 250 | 10,886,000 | 17,398 | 45,061 |
| 23 | Beijing | Image:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg People's Republic of China | Municipality (excluding counties in 2000) | 7,860 | 10,717,000 | 1,363 | ||
| 24 | Manila (Metro Manila) | Image:Flag of the Philippines.svg Philippines | Administrative area (Metro Manila) | 640 | 250 | 10,686,000 | 16,683 | 43,209 |
| 25 | Chicago (Chicagoland) | Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Metropolitan statistical area | 18,679 | 9,443,356<ref name=us/> | 506 | ||
| 26 | Guangzhou | Image:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg People's Republic of China | Prefecture-level city (excluding county-level cities) | 7,260 | 8,425,000 | |||
| 27 | Lima–Callao (Lima Metropolitan Area) | Image:Flag of Peru.svg Peru | Lima Metropolitana Region | 2,820 | 8,187,398<ref>Composed of Lima province and Callao province. Figure from INEI - Población proyectada, según Lima Metropolitana (2005)</ref> | |||
| 28 | Bogotá–Soacha | Image:Flag of Colombia.svg Colombia | Metropolitan area | 1,980 | 760 | 7,881,556<ref name=dane>DANE 2005 Census Summary</ref> | ||
| 29 | Tehran | Image:Flag of Iran.svg Iran | City proper | 660 | 7,314,000 | 11,082 | ||
| 30 | Shenzhen | Image:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg People's Republic of China | Prefecture-level city | 1,950 | 7,233,000 | |||
| 31 | Wuhan | Image:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg People's Republic of China | Prefecture-level city (excluding counties) | 8,490 | 3,280 | 7,093,000 | ||
| 32 | Hong Kong | Image:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg People's Republic of China | Administrative area | 1,100 | 420 | 7,041,000 | 6,529 | 16,910 |
| 33 | Tianjin | Image:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg People's Republic of China | Municipality (excluding counties) | 7,130 | 7,040,000 | |||
| 34 | Chennai (Madras) | Image:Flag of India.svg India | Administrative area (Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority) | 1,180 | 460 | 6,916,000 | 5,860 | 15,177 |
| 35 | Taipei (Taipei-Keelung metropolitan area) | Image:Flag of the Republic of China.svg Republic of China | Metropolitan Area (consists of Taipei City, Taipei County, and Keelung City) | 2,457 | 948 | 6,646,503<ref>Taiwan National Statistics - Table 2</ref> (2000) | 2,748 | 6,970 |
| 36 | Bangkok | Image:Flag of Thailand.svg Thailand | Official metropolitan area (Bangkok Metropolis) | 1,570 | 610 | 6,593,000 | 4,206 | 10,893 |
| 37 | Bangalore | Image:Flag of India.svg India | Administrative area (BDA) | 1,280 | 490 | 6,462,000 | 5,103 | 13,217 |
| 38 | Chongqing | Image:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg People's Republic of China | Municipality (excluding counties and county-level cities) | 7,490 | 6,363,000 | |||
| 39 | Lahore | Image:Flag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan | City district | 1,770 | 680 | 6,289,000 | ||
| 40 | Johannesburg (Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Area) | Image:Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa | Metropolitan area (Composed of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, and West Rand District) | 6,239,745<ref>Municipality data from Statistics South Africa</ref> (2001) | ||||
| 41 | Hyderabad | Image:Flag of India.svg India | Administrative area (HUDA) | 1,860 | 720 | 6,115,000 | 3,288 | 8,493 |
| 42 | Kinshasa | Image:Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg Democratic Republic of the Congo | Province-level city (urban population) | 9,960 | 3,850 | 6,049,000 | ||
| 43 | Madrid (Madrid metropolitan area) | Image:Flag of Spain.svg Spain | Larger Urban Zone<ref>Urban Audit II - Larger Urban Zone for Madrid is defined as Madrid (province). See INE for more recent estimates.</ref> | 8,023 | 5,964,143 (2005 INE estimate) | |||
| 44 | Baghdad | Image:Flag of Iraq.svg Iraq | Governorate (province) | 730 | 280 | 5,904,000 | 8,096 | 20,969 |
| 45 | Philadelphia (Delaware Valley) | Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Metropolitan statistical area | 11,991 | 5,823,233<ref name=us/> | 486 | ||
| 46 | Dallas (Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex) | Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Metropolitan statistical area | 23,283 | 5,819,475<ref name=us/> | 250 | ||
| 47 | Santiago | Image:Flag of Chile (bordered).svg Chile | Metropolitan area (Gran Santiago) | 2,350 | 9110 | 5,683,000 | 2,418 | |
| 48 | Miami (South Florida) | Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Metropolitan statistical area | 13,275 | 5,422,200<ref name=us/> | 408 | ||
| 49 | Ruhr Area | Image:Flag of Germany.svg Germany | Larger Urban Zone<ref>Urban Audit II - Larger Urban Zone corresponds to the Ruhr Area</ref> | 4,434 | 5,359,228 (2001) | |||
| 50 | Toronto | Image:Flag of Canada.svg Canada | Official metropolitan area (CMA) | 5,870 | 2,270 | 5,312,000 | 905 | 2,340 |
| 51 | Saint Petersburg | Image:Flag of Russia (bordered).svg Russia | Administrative area (Gorod) | 1,150 | 440 | 5,312,000 | 4,619 | 12,073 |
| 52 | Belo Horizonte | Image:Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil | Official metropolitan area | 9,190 | 3,550 | 5,304,000 | ||
| 53 | Houston (Greater Houston) | Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Metropolitan statistical area | 23,124 | 5,280,077<ref name=us/> | 228 | ||
| 54 | Barcelona | Image:Flag of Spain.svg Spain | Larger Urban Zone<ref>Urban Audit II - Larger Urban Zone for Barcelona is defined as Barcelona (province). See INE for more recent estimates.</ref> | 7,755 | 5,226,354 (2005 INE estimate) | |||
| 55 | Washington, D.C. (Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area) | Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Metropolitan statistical area | 5,214,666<ref name=us/> | ||||
| 56 | Ahmedabad | Image:Flag of India.svg India | Administrative area (AUDA) | 1,300 | 500 | 5,120,000 | ||
| 57 | Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) | Image:Flag of Vietnam.svg Vietnam | Municipality (urban population) | 2,090 | 810 | 5,065,000 | ||
| 58 | Berlin | Image:Flag of Germany.svg Germany | Larger Urban Zone<ref>Urban Audit II - Larger Urban Zone consists of the state of Berlin and immediately surrounding kreise</ref> | 17,405 | 4,935,524 (2001) | 284 | ||
| 59 | Atlanta (Atlanta Metropolitan Area) | Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Metropolitan statistical area | 4,917,717<ref name=us/> | ||||
| 60 | Shenyang | Image:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg People's Republic of China | Prefecture-level city (excluding counties) | 3,460 | 4,720,000 | |||
| 61 | Khartoum–Khartoum North–Omdurman | Image:Flag of Sudan.svg Sudan | Urban area (administrative boundaries) | 4,518,000 | ||||
| 62 | Detroit (Metro Detroit) | Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Metropolitan statistical area | 4,488,335<ref name=us/> | ||||
| 63 | Boston (Greater Boston) | Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Metropolitan statistical area | 4,411,835<ref name=us/> | ||||
| 64 | Pune | Image:Flag of India.svg India | Urban area | 700 | 270 | 4,409,000 | 6,407 | 16,594 |
| 65 | Kuala Lumpur (Klang Valley) | Image:Flag of Malaysia.svg Malaysia | Urban area | 4,400,000<ref name=cp/> | ||||
| 66 | Sydney | Image:Flag of Australia.svg Australia | Metropolitan area (Statistical Division) | 12,140 | 4,690 | 4,331,000 | ||
| 67 | Singapore | Image:Flag of Singapore (bordered).svg Singapore | City proper | 690 | 270 | 4,326,000 | 6,336 | 16,410 |
| 68 | Dongguan | Image:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg People's Republic of China | Prefecture-level city | 2,460 | 4,320,000 | |||
| 69 | Riyadh | Image:Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Saudi Arabia | City proper | 1,550 | 600 | 4,193,000 | ||
| 70 | Hanoi | Image:Flag of Vietnam.svg Vietnam | Metropolitan area | 2,150 | 830 | 4,164,000 | ||
| 71 | San Francisco | Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Metropolitan statistical area | 4,152,688<ref name=us/><ref>San Francisco is also considered to be part of a combined metropolitan area with the city of San Jose. This metropolitan area is called the "San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland Combined Statistical Area", or the "San Francisco Bay Area". The total population of the combined statistical area is 7,168,176 (2005 estimate).</ref> | ||||
| 72 | Bandung | Image:Flag of Indonesia (bordered).svg Indonesia | Urban area | 220 | 80 | 4,126,000 | 18,273 | 47,327 |
| 73 | Chittagong | Image:Flag of Bangladesh.svg Bangladesh | Official metropolitan area (census definition) | 990 | 380 | 4,114,000 | 4,213 | 10,912 |
| 74 | Yangon (Rangoon) | Image:Flag of Myanmar.svg Myanmar | Urban area | 350 | 140 | 4,107,000 | 11,663 | 30,207 |
| 75 | Chengdu | Image:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg People's Republic of China | Prefecture-level city (excluding counties) | 2,130 | 4,065,000 | |||
| 76 | Guadalajara | Image:Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico | Official metropolitan area | 2,730 | 1,050 | 3,968,000 | ||
| 77 | Xi'an | Image:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg People's Republic of China | Prefecture-level city (excluding counties) | 3,550 | 3,926,000 | |||
| 78 | Milan | Image:Flag of Italy.svg Italy | Larger Urban Zone<ref>Urban Audit II - Larger Urban Zone for Milan is defined as the Province of Milan plus surrounding communes within the contiguous urban area (290 communes total)</ref> | 2,767 | 3,904,882 (2001) | |||
| 79 | Athens | Image:Flag of Greece.svg Greece | Larger Urban Zone<ref>Urban Audit II - Larger Urban Zone for Athens includes the city of Athens and its surrounding nomoi</ref> | 3,807 | 3,894,573 (2001) | |||
| 80 | Phoenix (Valley of the Sun) | Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Metropolitan statistical area | 3,865,077<ref name=us/> | ||||
| 81 | Porto Alegre | Image:Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil | Metropolitan area | 9,890 | 3,820 | 3,795,000 | ||
| 82 | Alexandria | Image:Flag of Egypt.svg Egypt | Governorate | 2,970 | 1,150 | 3,770,000 | ||
| 83 | Rome | Image:Flag of Italy.svg Italy | Larger Urban Zone<ref>Urban Audit II - Larger Urban Zone for Rome is defined as the Province of Rome</ref> | 5,352 | 3,700,424 (2001) | |||
| 84 | Harbin | Image:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg People's Republic of China | Prefecture-level city (excluding counties and county-level cities) | 4,280 | 3,695,000 | |||
| 85 | Montreal (Greater Montreal Area) | Image:Flag of Canada.svg Canada | Metropolitan area (CMA) | 4,050 | 1,560 | 3,640,000 | 899 | 2,333 |
| 86 | Melbourne | Image:Flag of Australia.svg Australia | Metropolitan area (Statistical Division) | 7,690 | 2,970 | 3,626,000 | ||
| 87 | Nanjing | Image:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg People's Republic of China | Prefecture-level city (excluding counties) | 6,600 | 3,621,000 | |||
| 88 | Monterrey | Image:Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico | Official metropolitan area | 4,010 | 1,550 | 3,596,000 | ||
| 89 | Abidjan | Image:Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg Côte d'Ivoire | City proper | 550 | 210 | 3,577,000 | 6,393 | 16,558 |
| 90 | Ankara | Image:Flag of Turkey.svg Turkey | Metropolitan municipality | 2,500 | 970 | 3,573,000 | ||
| 91 | Surat | Image:Flag of India.svg India | Urban area | 200 | 80 | 3,557,000 | 18,355 | 47,539 |
| 92 | Busan (Pusan) | Image:Flag of South Korea (bordered).svg South Korea | City proper (Busan City) | 760 | 290 | 3,554,000 | 4,641 | 12,020 |
| 93 | Recife | Image:Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil | Metropolitan area | 2,770 | 1,070 | 3,527,000 | ||
| 94 | Guiyang | Image:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg People's Republic of China | Prefecture-level city (urban population) | 3,447,000 | ||||
| 95 | Pyongyang | Image:Flag of North Korea.svg North Korea | City proper | 2,110 | 810 | 3,351,000 | ||
| 96 | Brasilia | Image:Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil | Metropolitan area (RIDE) | 14,400 | 5,560 | 3,341,000 | ||
| 97 | Salvador | Image:Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil | Metropolitan area | 2,340 | 900 | 3,331,000 | ||
| 98 | Medellín | Image:Flag of Colombia.svg Colombia | Metropolitan area | 3,312,165<ref name=dane/> | ||||
| 99 | Fortaleza | Image:Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil | Metropolitan area | 4,950 | 1,910 | 3,237,000 | ||
| 100 | Seattle (Seattle metropolitan area) | Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Metropolitan statistical area | 3,203,314<ref name=us/> | ||||
[edit] Distribution by country
[edit] Notes and references
<references />
[edit] See also
- List of cities by population (excluding metropolitan areas)
- Megacity
- Global city
- List of metropolitan areas that overlap multiple countries
- List of most expensive cities
- Newsweek's 10 Most Dynamic Cities
[edit] By region
[edit] Cities
- List of most populous cities in Africa
- Largest cities of the European Union by population
- List of the largest urban areas of the European Union by population
- List of Statistical Divisions/Districts in Australia by population (equivalent to metropolitan areas)
- List of the 100 largest Brazilian cities and 14 metropolitan areas by population
- List of the 100 largest cities of the United States
[edit] Metropolitan areas
- Largest metropolitan areas in the Americas
- Largest cities and metropolitan areas in the European Union (Eurostat)
- Largest European metropolitan areas by population
- List of the 20 largest metropolitan areas of Italy
- List of the 15 largest metropolitan areas of France
- List of the 20 largest metropolitan areas of Spain
- United States metropolitan area
- List of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in Canada
[edit] External links
[edit] Other lists of metropolitan areas
- PopulationData.net: all 1M+ inhabitants Metropolitan areas
- Demographia.com: 50 Largest World Metropolitan Areas
- Citypopulation.de: The Principal Agglomerations of the World
- World Gazetteer: Metropolitan Areas
[edit] Further reading
- Largest Cities Through History
- Canada Metropolitan Areas Census 2001
- United States Metropolitan Areas County Based Metropolitan Area Estimates Based on Census Bureau Data 2004ar:قائمة أكبر بلديات العالم كثافة سكانية
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