Jakarta in Great Danger, UN Issues Latest Warning

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The United Nations has released its World Urbanization Prospects 2025 report, which names Jakarta as the world’s number one city in terms of population density.

The report states that Jakarta’s population has surged, placing it at the top of the list. Jakarta’s population has reached 42 million, displacing Tokyo from the position it held in the previous report.

This phenomenon puts Jakarta at risk of land subsidence and rising sea levels. The impact is expected to be felt across a quarter of the city’s area by 2050.

The construction of the new capital, Nusantara, has not helped curb this growth. The UN in fact projects that Jakarta’s population will increase by 10 million over the next 25 years.

In second place is Dhaka, with 36.6 million people. Its dense population has lifted the Bangladeshi capital from ninth position, and it is projected to become the largest city by 2050.

Population growth in both Jakarta and Dhaka is driven by people moving from rural villages to the cities. The impact is also far greater, as in Bangladesh it has led to reduced economic opportunities, the spread of climate disasters such as flooding, and rising sea levels.

Meanwhile, Tokyo sits in third place with a relatively stable population of 33.4 million.

The UN list also reveals that Cairo is the only non-Asian city in the top ten, with a population of 32 million.

São Paulo was named the largest city in the Americas with 18.9 million people, while Lagos holds the same title in sub-Saharan Africa.

Meanwhile, Asia is the largest urban epicentre with 19 megacities. The following are the nine most densely populated cities in Asia according to the report:

Jakarta, Indonesia: 41.9 million people

Dhaka, Bangladesh: 36.6 million people

Tokyo, Japan: 33.4 million people

New Delhi, India: 30.2 million people

Shanghai, China: 29.6 million people

Guangzhou, China: 27.6 million people

Manila, Philippines: 24.7 million people

Kolkata, India: 22.5 million people

Seoul, South Korea: 22.5 million people