Jakarta in Peril: Latest Warning from the United Nations

Jakarta ranks first in the world in terms of population density. According to the UN World Urbanization Report, Jakarta is inhabited by nearly 42 million people.

This figure is significantly higher than Dhaka and Tokyo, which rank second and third respectively. Dhaka in Bangladesh has a population of 36.6 million whilst Tokyo has 33.4 million.

Dhaka has experienced aggressive growth from its previous ninth-place ranking. It is estimated that it could become the world’s largest city by 2050.

The population growth in both Dhaka and Jakarta is driven by migration from rural to urban areas. Migration in Bangladesh occurs because of economic opportunities and expanding climate disasters such as flooding and rising sea levels.

Meanwhile, Jakarta also faces threats from land subsidence and rising sea levels. It is estimated that a quarter of the city will be below water level by 2050.

However, Jakarta’s growth rate shows no signs of slowing. The UN estimates that its population will increase by 10 million people over the next 25 years.

For context, this report uses a new definition to align city sizes across different countries. A city is defined as an agglomeration of contiguous one-kilometre grid cells with a minimum density of 1,500 people and a total population of 50,000.

This methodology has also changed the rankings of several cities. For example, Tehran, with 9 million residents, faces a serious water crisis and has implemented distribution restriction policies.

The following is the list of cities in the report:

• Jakarta, Indonesia: 41.9 million residents

• Dhaka, Bangladesh: 36.6 million residents

• Tokyo, Japan: 33.4 million residents

• New Delhi, India: 30.2 million residents

• Shanghai, China: 29.6 million residents

• Guangzhou, China: 27.6 million residents

• Manila, Philippines: 24.7 million residents

• Kolkata, India: 22.5 million residents

• Seoul, South Korea: 22.5 million residents