The 15 most populous cities in the world (photos and figures)

The world is incredibly diverse. Around the globe we can come across practically abandoned, deserted and lonely environments, but also with large cities in which huge masses of people live at high speed.

There are points on the planet where millions of people are concentrated. Generally, these places constitute large cities, many of them being national capitals. Living in these kinds of environments is, of course, not for everyone. It is true that metropolises offer many advantages, including job opportunities, communications, services, culture and diversity.

However, compared to smaller towns and villages, living in cities also has some drawbacks. Among them are a higher cost of living, greater distances, less tranquility and even a worse quality of life in general terms.

Regardless of the type of environment that best suits your preferences, there is no doubt that these places have a special aura. Living in these cities can be more or less appealing, but knowing them is basic and, who knows, maybe one of them will awaken you enough interest to consider living there. In this article

We have compiled the 15 most populated cities in the world and we will try to briefly bring you closer to each of them.

• We recommend you read: "The 10 best cities in Europe (that you can visit)"

What are the cities with the highest number of inhabitants?

In this list we will collect the most populated cities in the world. The order of the list does not follow any specific criteria. Also, estimating the exact population of each location is impossible, so we will always provide estimates.

15. Calcutta (India)

This Indian city is the capital of one of the states of the country, called West Bengal. Calcutta became the most populous city in all of India, surpassing other large cities such as Bombay. Currently, the total population of the metropolitan area amounts to 13 million inhabitants. Most of Calcutta's population lives in large suburbs located near industrial settlements. Many of the people who reside in this city come from rural areas, coming to Calcutta in search of work.

The city has numerous slums in which poverty shows its most extreme face, since that there are agglomerations of small houses, absence of basic structures and services social. The quality of life is very low, since in addition to the unsanitary conditions there are very high rates of illiteracy in the population.

14. Istanbul, Turkey)

Istanbul is the capital of Turkey and has a population of 15 million inhabitants. In addition to being the most populated city in the country, it is also the most populated city in Europe. The Turkish city is a center of history, culture and economy for the nation. Furthermore, Istanbul is a special city, as it is transcontinental, which means it acts as a boundary between Europe and Asia. This makes Istanbul a place of great diversity, where Muslim inhabitants coexist with Jews and Christians.

13. Dhaka (Bangladesh)

The capital of Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, with figures that they exceed 20 million inhabitants. Like Cairo, it is a city with insufficient resources to keep such a large population in order, so crime is common. In addition, this country is currently going through a strong economic, political and social crisis, so it does not seem like the ideal city to live in.

12. Beijing (China)

The Chinese capital, also known as Beijing, ranks in the country just below Shanghai in terms of population density, with figures that they are around 20 million inhabitants. Beijing is a great economic power and attracts a large number of entrepreneurs and millionaires. It is a city with great growth and is the enclave of the most important financial institutions in the world.

11. Cairo (Egypt)

The capital of Egypt is among the most populous cities in Africa, being its population about 21 million people. Unfortunately, Cairo is not one of the best places to live as it is unsafe due to its high crime rates. The population density is very high, since its inhabitants are spread over a territory of only 2,734 square kilometers.

10. New York, USA)

This American city could not be missing from our list. Unlike the previous ones, it does not constitute the capital of the country. However, this has not prevented it from being a critical financial metropolis for the United States. The population of this city is around 22 million people, being a very high percentage of foreign inhabitants. Due to its hectic pace, it is nicknamed the city that never sleeps.

9. São Paulo (Brazil)

As in the previous case, São Paulo is proof that being a capital is not a requirement to attract large masses of people. In this Brazilian city it is estimated that live no less than almost 23 million inhabitants. It is a city of great wealth that attracts the wealthiest classes in Brazil.

8. Mexico City (Mexico)

The Mexican capital is also a basic on our list, as its population reaches 23 million inhabitants. Mexico City is the main economic, cultural, political and business center of the country. Despite being a large city, the quality it offers to its inhabitants is good compared to other places that we have discussed.

7. Lagos (Nigeria)

Lagos is the densest population center in Nigeria, with a population of nothing more and nothing less than more than 24 million people. It is frequently known as "The Giant of Africa" ​​due to its large number of inhabitants and its financial potential. It is also the second city with the highest number of inhabitants on the African continent. This city is an important port on the coast of the continent, which favors economic growth thanks to trade.

This city has attracted many people from neighboring countries or rural areas looking for new opportunities. However, rapid growth has made Lagos particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, as it is a city prone to flooding and flooding. Similarly, the infrastructures are too rudimentary to cope with a large influx of population, so it is common for large traffic jams or accumulations of waste to form.

6. Mumbai (India)

This Indian city is the most important port in the country. Its population exceeds 25 million inhabitants and for this reason it is always among the ten most populated cities in the world. Bombay is known internationally for its film industry, although this is in contrast to the low quality of life and unsanitary conditions for most of the population.

5. Manila (Philippines)

Manila is the capital of the Philippines and has a population of about 25 million inhabitants. Although this city was able to recover from the ashes after the Second World War, it has some pending issues, such as its high levels of pollution.

4. Seoul, South Korea)

The capital of South Korea has almost 25 million inhabitants. This city is another great economic power, being only surpassed by other big ones like Tokyo or New York. Despite being an environment with a large population, its inhabitants can lead a life of quite acceptable quality.

3. Delhi (India)

If so far the cities we have talked about have impacted you, the capital of India far exceeds the population figures already mentioned, because exceeds 30 million inhabitants. Although it has monuments of great tourist interest such as the Taj Mahal, Delhi has high levels of pollution that have come to endanger the health of its inhabitants.

2. Shanghai (China)

Shanghai ranks as the second most populous city in China, with a number of inhabitants that amounts to 33 million. Like Delhi, it has serious pollution problems derived from its overcrowding. However, in the case of the Chinese city, the economic situation is much more favorable, since this city has experienced enormous growth due, in part, to its large influx of tourists.

1. Tokyo Japan)

The Japanese capital is the king, increasing its number of inhabitants to 40 million. Tokyo is for Japan an economic, cultural, tourist and communicational metropolis, highlighting its great technological development. Unlike the other overcrowded environments that we have discussed, Tokyo offers its inhabitants a moderately good quality of life, which denotes a great organization.

Conclusions

In this article we have compiled the 15 most populated cities in the world. As we can see, although a large city may present advantages as it is a great point of concentration of resources and employment, it is not synonymous with quality of life. In fact, overpopulation is presented as a challenge that is not always feasible to address.

It is easy to detect the enormous difference that exists in terms of organization and quality of life between some cities like New York and others like Dhaka. The excess population requires extraordinary measures to maintain order, hygiene and safety of the inhabitants. Nevertheless, in countries with high poverty rates, high population density is synonymous with chaos.