The United Nations uses three definitions for what constitutes a city, as not all cities in all jurisdictions are classified using the same criteria. Cities may be defined as the cities proper, the extent of their urban area, or their metropolitan regions.

Definitions

City proper (administrative)

Thumb
The municipality of Chongqing, China, whose administrative jurisdictional area is approximately the size of Austria, has the largest population of any city proper; over 70% of its residents live in rural areas.

A city can be defined by its administrative boundaries, otherwise known as city proper. UNICEF defines city proper as, "the population living within the administrative boundaries of a city or controlled directly from the city by a single authority." A city proper is a locality defined according to legal or political boundaries and an administratively recognised urban status that is usually characterised by some form of local government.[1][2][3] Cities proper and their boundaries and population data may not include suburbs.[4]

The use of city proper as defined by administrative boundaries may not include suburban areas where an important proportion of the population working or studying in the city lives.[4] Because of this definition, the city proper population figure may differ greatly from the urban area population figure, as many cities are amalgamations of smaller municipalities (Australia), and conversely, many Chinese cities govern territories that extend well beyond the core urban area into suburban and rural areas.[5] The Chinese municipality of Chongqing, which is the largest city proper in the world by population, comprises a huge administrative area of 82,403 km2, around the size of Austria. However, more than 70% of its 30-million population are agricultural workers living in a rural setting.[6][7]

Urban area

A city can be defined as a conditionally contiguous urban area, without regard to territorial or other boundaries inside an urban area. UNICEF defines urban area as follows:

The definition of "urban" varies from country to country, and, with periodic reclassification, can also vary within one country over time, making direct comparisons difficult. An urban area can be defined by one or more of the following: administrative criteria or political boundaries (e.g., area within the jurisdiction of a municipality or town committee), a threshold population size (where the minimum for an urban settlement is typically in the region of 2,000 people, although this varies globally between 200 and 50,000), population density, economic function (e.g., where a significant majority of the population is not primarily engaged in agriculture, or where there is surplus employment) or the presence of urban characteristics (e.g., paved streets, electric lighting, sewerage).

According to Demographia, an urban area is a continuously built up land mass of urban development that is within a labor market (metropolitan area or metropolitan region) and contains no rural land.[8]

Metropolitan area

Thumb
Tokyo, the world's largest city and metropolitan area

A city can be defined by the inhabitants of its demographic population, as by metropolitan area, or labour market area. UNICEF defines metropolitan area as follows:

A formal local government area comprising the urban area as a whole and its primary commuter areas, typically formed around a city with a large concentration of people (i.e., a population of at least 100,000). In addition to the city proper, a metropolitan area includes both the surrounding territory with urban levels of residential density and some additional lower-density areas that are adjacent to and linked to the city (e.g., through frequent transport, road linkages or commuting facilities).

In many countries, metropolitan areas are established either with an official organisation or only for statistical purposes. In the United States, metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB).[9] In the Philippines, metropolitan areas have an official agency, such as Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), which manages Manila metropolitan area.[10] Similar agencies exist in Indonesia, such as Jabodetabekjur Development Cooperation Agency for Jakarta metropolitan area.[11]

List

There are 81 cities in the world with a population exceeding 5 million people, according to 2018 estimates by the United Nations. The UN figures include a mixture of city proper, metropolitan area, and urban area.[12]

More information City, Country ...
City[lower-alpha 1] Country UN 2018 population estimates[lower-alpha 2] City proper[lower-alpha 3] Urban area[8] Metropolitan area[lower-alpha 4]
Definition Population Area
(km2)
Density
(/km2)
Population Area
(km2)
Density
(/km2)
Population Area
(km2)
Density
(/km2)
Tokyo  Japan 37,468,000 Metropolis prefecture 13,515,2712,1916,169
[13]
37,732,0008,2314,584
[lower-alpha 5]
37,274,00013,4522,771
[14]
Delhi  India 28,514,000 Municipal corporation 16,753,2351,48411,289
[15]
32,226,0002,34413,748
[lower-alpha 6]
29,000,0003,4838,326
[16]
Shanghai  China 25,582,000 Municipality 24,870,8956,3413,922
[17][18]
24,073,0004,3335,556
[lower-alpha 7]
São Paulo  Brazil 21,650,000 Municipality 12,252,0231,5218,055
[19]
23,086,0003,6496,327
[lower-alpha 8]
21,734,6827,9472,735
[20]
Mexico City  Mexico 21,581,000 City-state 9,209,9441,4856,202
[21]
21,804,0002,5308,618 21,804,5157,8662,772
[22]
Cairo  Egypt 20,076,000 Urban governorate 10,044,8943,0853,256
[23]
20,296,0002,01010,098
Mumbai  India 19,980,000 Municipal corporation 12,478,44760320,694
[24]
24,973,00097625,587
[lower-alpha 9]
23,598,0006,3283,729
[25]
Beijing  China 19,618,000 Municipality 21,893,09516,4111,334
[17][18]
18,522,0004,2844,324
Dhaka  Bangladesh 19,578,000 Capital city 10,295,40733830,460
[26][27]
18,627,00061930,092 14,543,124
[28]
Osaka  Japan 19,281,000 Designated city 2,725,00622512,111
[13]
15,126,0003,0205,009
[lower-alpha 10]
19,303,00013,2281,459
[14]
New York City  United States 18,819,000 City 8,804,19077811,316
[29]
21,509,00012,0931,779
[lower-alpha 11]
MSA: 19,557,311; CSA: 23,143,097 [30] 12,093 1,665
Tehran  Iran 16,896,000 Capital city 9,033,00375112,028
[31][32]
14,148,0001,7048,303
Karachi  Pakistan 15,400,000 Metropolitan city 20,382,8813,5305,774
[33][34]
15,738,0001,12414,002 20,382,0003,7805,392
[35][36]
Buenos Aires  Argentina 14,967,000 Autonomous city 3,054,30020315,046
[37]
16,710,0003,4374,862 12,806,866
[38]
Chongqing  China 14,838,000 Municipality 32,054,15982,403389
[39][18]
12,135,0001,5807,680
Istanbul  Turkey 14,751,000 Metropolitan municipality 15,519,2675,1962,987
[40]
14,441,0001,4719,817
Kolkata  India 15,333,000 Municipal corporation 4,496,69420621,829
[41]
21,747,0001,35216,085 15,333,0001,8878,126
[42]
Manila  Philippines 13,482,000 Capital city 1,780,1484341,399
[43]
24,922,0001,91113,041
[lower-alpha 12]
12,877,25362020,770
[43]
Lagos  Nigeria 13,463,000 Metropolitan city 16,637,0001,9668,462 21,000,0001,17117,933
[44]
Rio de Janeiro  Brazil 13,293,000 Municipality 6,520,0001,2215,340
[45]
12,592,0002,0206,234 12,644,3215,3272,374
[46]
Tianjin  China 13,215,000 Municipality 13,866,00911,9201,163
[17][18]
10,368,0002,8133,686
Kinshasa  DR Congo 13,171,000 City-province 17,071,0009,9651,713
[47]
12,836,00047427,080
Guangzhou  China 12,638,000 City (sub-provincial) 18,676,6057,4342,512
[17]
26,940,0004,5355,940
[lower-alpha 13]
Los Angeles  United States 12,458,000 City 3,990,4561,2143,287
[29]
15,204,0006,3512,394 MSA: 13,291,486; CSA: 18,372,485
[48]
12,559 1,058
Moscow  Russia 12,410,000 Federal city 13,200,0002,5115,257
[49][50]
17,332,0006,1542,816 20,004,462
[51]
Shenzhen  China 11,908,000 City (sub-provincial) 17,494,3982,0508,534
[17]
17,619,0001,8039,772
Lahore  Pakistan 11,738,000 Metropolitan city 13,004,1351,7727,339
[52]
12,306,00094513,022
Bangalore  India 11,440,000 Municipal corporation 8,443,67570911,909
[53]
15,386,0001,40110,982
Paris  France 10,901,000 Commune 2,148,27110520,460
[54]
11,060,0002,8533,877 12,244,80718,941646
Bogotá  Colombia 10,574,000 Capital District 7,963,0001,5875,018
[55]
10,085,00056217,945 12,545,2725,9342,114
[56]
Jakarta  Indonesia 10,517,000 Special region 10,154,13466415,292
[57]
33,756,0003,5469,519
[lower-alpha 14]
33,430,2857,0634,733
[58]
Chennai  India 10,456,000 Municipal corporation 6,727,00042615,791
[59][60]
12,395,0001,08511,424 11,564,0002,2805,072
[61]
Lima  Peru 10,391,000 Metropolitan municipality 8,894,0002,6723,329
[62]
10,320,00089111,582 9,569,4682,8193,395
[63]
Bangkok  Thailand 10,156,000 Special administrative area 8,305,2181,5695,293
[64]
18,007,0003,1995,629 16,255,9007,7622,094
[65]
Seoul  South Korea 9,963,000 Special city 10,013,78160516,552
[66]
23,016,0002,7698,312 25,514,00011,7042,180
[66]
Nagoya  Japan 9,507,000 Designated city 2,320,3613267,118
[13]
9,197,0003,7042,483 9,363,0007,2711,288
[14]
Hyderabad  India 9,482,000 Municipal corporation 6,993,26265010,759
[67][68]
10,494,0001,4047,474
London  United Kingdom 9,046,000 Capital city 8,825,0011,5725,614
[69]
11,262,0001,7386,480 14,372,596
[70]
8,382 1,715
Chicago  United States 8,864,000 City 2,746,3885894,663
[29]
9,057,0007,0061,293 MSA: 9,618,502; CSA: 9,806,184
[71]
18,640 516
Chengdu  China 8,813,000 City (sub-provincial) 20,937,75714,3781,456
[17]
20,937,7571,93510,821
Nanjing  China 8,245,000 City (sub-provincial) 9,314,6856,5821,415
[17]
8,422,0001,6145,218
Wuhan  China 8,176,000 City (sub-provincial) 12,447,7188,4941,465
[17]
12,447,7181,7227,229
Ho Chi Minh City  Vietnam 8,145,000 Municipality 7,431,0002,0613,606
[72]
15,136,0002,1656,991
Luanda  Angola 7,774,000 Municipality 2,165,86711618,671
[73]
9,051,0001,0059,006
Ahmedabad  India 7,681,000 Municipal corporation 5,570,58546412,006
[74]
8,009,00040419,824 6,300,000
[75]
Kuala Lumpur  Malaysia 7,564,000 City 1,768,0002437,276
[76]
8,911,0002,1634,120 7,200,0002,7932,578
[77]
Xi'an  China 7,444,000 City (sub-provincial) 12,183,28010,1351,202
[17]
12,328,0001,8266,751
Hong Kong  Hong Kong 7,429,000 Special administrative region 7,298,6001,1046,611
[78][79]
7,450,00029025,690
Dongguan  China 7,360,000 Prefecture-level city 10,466,6252,4654,246
[17]
10,646,0001,7596,052
Hangzhou  China 7,236,000 City (sub-provincial) 11,936,01016,596719
[17]
9,523,0001,3447,086
Foshan  China 7,236,000 Prefecture-level city 9,498,8633,8482,469
[17]

[lower-alpha 15]
Shenyang  China 6,921,000 City (sub-provincial) 8,294,00012,980639
[17]
7,964,0001,5515,135
[lower-alpha 16]
Riyadh  Saudi Arabia 6,907,000 Municipality 6,694,0001,9133,499
[80]
7,237,0001,6734,326
Baghdad  Iraq 6,812,000 Urban governorate 8,126,7555,2001,563
[81]
6,183,0006948,909
Santiago  Chile 6,680,000 City (commune) 236,4532210,748
[82]
7,171,0001,1476,252 7,112,80815,403462
[83]
Surat  India 6,564,000 Municipal corporation 4,466,82632713,660
[84]
6,538,00023827,471
Madrid  Spain 6,497,000 Municipality 3,266,1266065,390
[85]
6,211,0001,3654,550 6,641,649
Suzhou  China 6,339,000 Prefecture-level city 12,748,2628,4881,502
[17]
6,031,0001,3864,351
Pune  India 6,276,000 Municipal corporation 3,124,45827611,321
[86]
8,231,00065012,663 7,276,0007,2561,003
[87]
Harbin  China 6,115,000 City (sub-provincial) 10,635,97153,068200
[17]
3,830,0006715,708
Houston  United States 6,115,000 City 2,325,5021,5531,497
[29]
6,500,0004,9311,318 6,997,38421,395327
[88]
Dallas  United States 6,099,000 City 1,345,0478821,525
[29]
6,950,0005,2781,317
[lower-alpha 17]
7,470,15822,463333
[89]
Toronto  Canada 6,082,000 City 2,731,5716304,336
[90][91]
6,771,0002,3442,889 5,928,0405,9061,004
[92]
Dar es Salaam  Tanzania 6,048,000 City 5,383,7281,3933,865
[93]
7,962,0009618,285
Miami  United States 6,036,000 City 470,914935,069
[29]
6,058,0003,3131,829 6,158,82415,890388
Belo Horizonte  Brazil 5,972,000 City 2,502,5573317,563 5,328,0001,2874,140 5,156,2179,459545
Singapore  Singapore 5,792,000 Country 5,638,7007267,770 5,983,00052311,440
Philadelphia  United States 5,695,000 Consolidated city-county 1,526,0063704,129 5,799,0005,4291,068 MSA: 6,096,120; CSA: 7,381,187
Atlanta  United States 5,572,000 City 498,7153541,408 5,478,0007,400740 5,949,95121,690274
Fukuoka  Japan 5,551,000 Designated city 1,588,9243434,627 2,286,0005054,527
Khartoum  Sudan 5,534,000 1,410,858
[94]
7,869,0001,0317,632
Barcelona  Spain 5,494,000 Municipality 1,620,34310115,980
[95]
4,800,0001,0724,478 5,474,482
[96]
Johannesburg  South Africa 5,486,000 Metropolitan municipality 4,803,262 1,643 2,924[97] 14,586,0004,0403,610
[lower-alpha 18]
Saint Petersburg  Russia 5,383,000 Federal city 5,601,911 1,400 4,001[98] 5,445,0001,5103,606
Qingdao  China 5,381,000 City (sub-provincial) 10,071,722 11,229 897[99] 6,229,0001,7593,541
Dalian  China 5,300,000 City (sub-provincial) 7,450,785 13,742 542[100] 4,135,0001,0443,961
Washington  United States 5,207,000 Federal district 702,4551773,969
[29]
7,631,0005,5011,387
[lower-alpha 19]
6,263,24517,009368
[101]
Yangon  Myanmar 5,157,000 City 4,728,524[102] 6,874,00066610,321
Alexandria  Egypt 5,086,000 Urban governorate 5,441,866 2,300 2,366[103] 4,712,00029316,082
Jinan  China 5,052,000 City (sub-provincial) 9,202,43210,244898
[17][18]
4,017,0009324,310
Guadalajara  Mexico 5,023,000 Municipality 1,385,6211519,176
[21]
5,525,0008166,771 5,286,6423,5601,485
Close

See also

Notes

  1. For urban/metropolitan areas that have more than one core city, the figure for their city proper should use either the most populous one (e.g. Dallas for Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex) or the best-known one (e.g. Manila for Metro Manila, instead of Quezon City).
  2. UN figures for each cities are varied between city proper, metropolitan area, and urban agglomeration.[12]
  3. Figures taken from official census when possible
  4. Figures taken from official census when possible
  5. Includes large areas Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama prefectures and smaller areas of Gunma, Tochigi and Ibaraki prefectures.
  6. Includes Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Noida, Gurgaon and Bahadurgarh urban areas and New Delhi.
  7. Includes Taicang
  8. Includes Kalyan and urban areas of Panvel, Bhiwandi and Vasai-Virar.
  9. Includes major cities of Kobe and Kyoto, collectively also known as Keihanshin area.
  10. The continuous urbanization of Manila extends outward its Metro Manila into other neighbouring provinces such as Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Pampanga and Batangas provinces.
  11. Includes the city of Foshan.
  12. Included in Guangzhou
  13. Includes the city of Fushun.
  14. Includes the city of Fort Worth, collectively known as Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.
  15. Includes Pretoria
  16. Includes the city of Baltimore.

References

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