Jakarta Tops the World in Population Density, Surpassing Tokyo and Shanghai According to the UN

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The capital of the Republic of Indonesia, Jakarta, occupies the first rank in the population density category, according to records from the United Nations (UN). Nearly 42 million people inhabit Jakarta. This population figure is far greater than that of Dhaka and Tokyo, which are in second and third places. Dhaka, the city in Bangladesh, has a population of 36.6 million, and Tokyo in Japan has 33.4 million people. Dhaka has experienced an aggressive leap from its previous ninth position. The UN even predicts that it could become the world’s largest city by 2050. The reasons for the population growth in Dhaka and Jakarta are triggered by the movement of residents from rural to urban areas. Migration in Bangladesh itself occurs due to economic opportunities and widespread climate disasters such as flooding and rising sea levels. Meanwhile, Jakarta also faces threats of land subsidence and rising sea levels. It is estimated that a quarter of the city’s area will be below sea level by 2050. However, Jakarta’s growth rate does not stop there. The UN estimates that its population will increase by 10 million people in the next 25 years. For information, this report uses a new definition to align city measurements across various countries. A city is defined as an adjacent agglomeration of one-kilometre grid cells with a minimum density of 1,500 people and a total population of 50,000. This methodology also changes the rankings of several cities. For example, Tehran, which has 9 million residents and faces a serious water crisis, has implemented policies to restrict distribution. Here 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